No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 192

LAUREN’S POV

“I’ve got something,” the head IT guy finally said, breaking through the suffocating silence that had swallowed the entire room.

Everyone’s head snapped toward him. For a second, it felt like the air shifted that fragile silence now filled with a sudden jolt of hope and tear. Roman and Tessa rushed to his side, while I remained frozen for a heartbeat before my legs caught up with my pulse.

“Talk to me,” the investigator demanded, his voice sharp and controlled.

The IT guy’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, his eyes darting across lines of code. “I was able to get a ping of her location from the IP address,” he began, his tone careful, almost hesitant. Then he swallowed hard. “But… there’s a small issue.”

My heart clenched. An issue? Those two words hit harder than any punch. My entire body tensed, and the faint hope I’d begun to feel trembled at the edge of collapse. I didn’t want to hear anything that had the word “problem” in it not tonight, not when every second counted for Aria.

“What’s the bad news?” Roman asked, his voice low but heavy with tension.

“Well,” the IT guy continued, adjusting his glasses nervously, “I got the street address, but it’s… old data.”

“Old data?” I asked, stepping forward. My voice cracked a little. “What do you mean by that?”

He exhaled, clearly aware that every word out of his mouth carried weight. “The last time she was online on her Nintendo account was yesterday at around 4:25 p.m. The location she was in at that time was somewhere along Bedford Avenue.”

I blinked, processing the words as the pieces began connecting in my head. “4:25 p.m….” I repeated under my breath. “That was when we went to Ethan’s company.” My heart leaped – this was something, a direction, a trail to follow. “Since we have the address, we’ve found her! Let’s go get her!” The excitement in my voice surprised even me, it came out trembling, desperate, but full of hope.

The IT guy shifted uneasily. “That was her last location, ma’am. There’s a chance she might not be there anymore.”

“I don’t care,” I said quickly, my voice shaking as my pulse raced.

calm, controlled, yet filled with a

“I don’t care,” Roman echoed, cutting in firmly. His voice had the weight of command quiet fury. “We’re still going to search that whole street. Every single house, every building, every dark corner. If she was there once, there’s a chance she still is.”

He turned to his men, his expression hardening into steel. “Get your boys. We’re moving in immediately.”

The men scattered, grabbing radios and weapons, voices overlapping with the sound of footsteps rushing through the hall. Roman pivoted sharply, heading toward the stairs.

I followed without hesitation. My heart thudded painfully against my chest. I couldn’t just stand there and wait. I needed to know if I was going with them, if I could see Aria again, hold her again, bring her home.

“Is this outfit okay to come with you guys?” I asked, stopping at the doorway of his room. My voice was unsteady; it felt like I was already preparing to argue.

Roman was halfway through pulling off his shirt, his movements brisk, focused. “You’re not coming with us this time, Lauren,” he said flatly, not even looking at me as he rummaged through his wardrobe.

“What do you mean I’m not coming with you?” I asked, stunned. “I have to!”

He didn’t answer.

“I have to,” I repeated, stepping farther into the room. My face twisted in disbelief, the words coming out sharp, defensive.

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“You heard me,” he said finally, his tone firm but controlled.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m coming with you, Roman. No one can stop me. She’s my daughter!” My voice rose, louder and more desperate than I intended.

Roman turned at last, his calm eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, the tension between us was almost unbearable, the air thick with unspoken fear and frustration.

“Look,” he said quietly, walking closer. “I’m not trying to stop you from seeing our daughter, Lauren. I’m trying to protect you.”

“Don’t give me that crap,” I snapped, my anger burning through the cracks of my fear. “How can you say you’re protecting me by keeping me away from her? How does that make any sense?”

His jaw tightened, but his voice stayed measured. “You need to calm down and think, Lauren. All this, everything Ethan’s done, it’s about you. You’re his main target, not Aria. If you follow us there and something bad happens, or if Ethan decides to finally make his move, what do you think will happen then?”

My throat tightened. His words made sense, but my heart refused to accept them.

“I don’t care,” I said again, my voice breaking. “I don’t care if Ethan’s waiting for me there. Hell, I’d swap places with Aria if that’s what he wants. I just want her to be free.” Tears spilled over before I could stop them, warm and relentless.

Roman’s expression softened slightly as he stepped closer. “And she will be free. That’s a promise.” His hands came to rest gently on my shoulders. “But right now, we need to do this the right way. The safe way. If Ethan’s there, we can’t risk him getting what he wants. We can’t risk losing anyone else.”

His words sank deep, but so did the ache of helplessness twisting in my chest.

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