No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 152

CHAPTER 0152

ROMAN’S POV

“And what’s it to you?” Lauren’s voice suddenly cut through the thick tension between Ethan and me like a

blade.

Her tone wasn’t raised, but it had that unmistakable edge, calm yet dangerous, the kind of calm that only came when someone was holding back a storm. Ethan turned sharply, his full attention snapping to her.

I stood there watching, jaw clenched, arms folded tightly across my chest. The air around us felt heavy, charged like one wrong word could set off an explosion neither of us could stop.

“You’re married now,” Lauren continued, stepping forward, her eyes sharp and unflinching. “You’re living the life you wanted with Sophia, and you two have a child. So why do you care what happens to me, or what he does to me?”

Her words were like bullets, each one hitting its mark. I almost smirked because she was right. Ethan had no business being here, no right to interfere in her life anymore.

—

((

“It’s the same reason,” Ethan began, his voice slightly shaking though he tried to hide it behind arrogance. The same reason I told you back at the ceremony, and I’ll say it again my company needs you, Lauren. Black Corporation needs your work… your touch. Why are you wasting your time at this low–life company?”

Low–life.

The word hung in the air for a moment, and my brows lifted slowly, amusement curling in the corner of my mouth. My arms crossed tighter against my chest as I tilted my head, studying him like one would study a particularly pathetic insect.

So that’s why he came here. It wasn’t about Lauren. It was about his company.

I had read enough market reports and insider whispers to know that Black Corporation had been falling apart this past few years. Their revenue was slipping, stocks dropping like a rock, and word was that half his board members were already considering jumping ship.

Meanwhile, Hale Industries, my company wasn’t doing perfectly either, but it was nowhere near the disaster his

was.

Now here he was, crawling back to the woman he once belittled, hoping she’d rescue him from his own ruin.

How ironic.

“Is it the paycheck?” Ethan continued, stepping closer to Lauren, his arrogance dripping with every word. “Is that what’s keeping you at his company? Or is it the sex? Because both can be arranged.”

He didn’t even finish that sentence before Lauren’s hand shot up and cracked hard across his face.

The sound echoed through the room.

Ethan’s head snapped to the side, his hand immediately flying up to his cheek. I almost winced on instinct, but the satisfaction that came right after was undeniable. The slap was so clean, so deserved, that I couldn’t stop

CHAPTER 0152

the small smirk that pulled at my lips.

He deserved that. Every single bit of it.

+25 BONUS

“Don’t you dare,” Lauren hissed, her finger pointing straight at him, her entire body trembling from anger.

Her voice rose slightly, the venom behind it sending chills through the air. “You know, when you did everything you did to me, I thought you were heartless… but I was wrong. You’re both heartless and shameless. How dare you come in here and ask me something like that after what

you did?”

Ethan’s hand slowly dropped from his cheek, his expression hardening. “I don’t see anything wrong with what I just did,” he said coldly.

Lauren’s laugh came out harsh and bitter, like glass shattering. “You don’t see any wrong in what you just did, huh? Then let me remind you.”

She took a few steps closer to him, her voice steady but filled with fire. “We were once happily married. I remember how many times I told you about my degree in business management, how many times I asked you to let me help with your company. But you never listened. You told me I belonged in the kitchen, as a housewife. You said business wasn’t a woman’s place.”

Her jaw tightened, her eyes glassy but burning. “And now that you’ve seen my work, now that you’ve seen my progress you think you can just waltz back into my life and demand that I come work for you? Just because your empire is falling apart?”

Her words hit him like blows, one after another, leaving him momentarily speechless.

“When you and your wife approached me back at the ceremony,” she continued, “I didn’t react because I knew where I was – a public business event. And I didn’t want to create a scene, especially in my workplace. But in here?” she gestured around her home “This is my space. And I can react however I damn well choose. So, I suggest you leave before you regret coming here.”

Ethan’s nostrils flared. His pride was wounded, but he still tried to stand tall. “Look, I know you’re angry about what happened and I understand.”

Lauren’s voice cut him off sharply. “No. Don’t ever say that. You don’t understand. If you did, you wouldn’t have done what you did. There’s nothing left for us to talk about, Ethan. Now leave.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

For a few seconds, Ethan didn’t move. His eyes flicked from Lauren to me and I could see that bitter jealousy forming again, that same look he used to wear whenever he realized he’d lost control of something he thought

he owned.

Then suddenly, the sound of the door opening again broke the moment,

All our heads turned.

Two sets of footsteps entered, light and hurried.

“Lauren, I’m back and I picked up…” Tessa’s voice trailed off mid–sentence the moment she saw us.

213

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify