No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 199

Tears were already streaming down my cheeks before I even realized it. My entire body trembled as I watched Ethan aim the gun at my daughter. My little girl. My heart pounded so hard it hurt, my throat burned, and my knees felt weak beneath me. I wanted to scream, to run toward her, to do something, but I couldn’t. There was nothing I could do, not when he had that gun pointed straight at Aria’s back.

“Please…” I whispered, my voice breaking as I tried to move, but the fear kept me frozen in place. Every breath I took felt sharp, like tiny knives stabbing through my chest.

My eyes darted to my side, desperate for help, for anyone and I searched for Roman. He was right there beside me just seconds ago, standing still and alert, watching Ethan’s every move. But now, he was gone. My heart skipped a beat. Where was he?

Then I looked back at Ethan, confusion filling my chest. Just as his finger tightened around the trigger, a sudden blur of motion caught my eyes. Roman. He appeared behind Ethan like lightning, his hand gripping Ethan’s wrist in a firm, unrelenting hold.

Before Ethan could even process what was happening, Roman twisted his wrist with brutal precision. A small, sharp crack echoed through the air as Ethan let out a painful grunt, his finger jerking away from the trigger as the gun tilted downward.

“Don’t even think about doing something like that to her,” Roman said, his voice calm but full of warning. His tone carried that quiet power, the kind that didn’t need to be loud to be terrifying.

Ethan dropped to one knee, clutching his wrist in agony. I didn’t even notice that my own legs had given out until I found myself falling to the ground too, my hands trembling as Aria ran toward me.

I opened my arms wide and pulled her in as tight as I could. The warmth of her little body against mine broke me. I kissed her head over and over, unable to stop the tears that continued falling.

“You’re safe now,” I whispered shakily, holding her face between my hands. “Mummy’s here, baby. You’re safe now.”

She clung to me even tighter, her tiny fingers digging into the back of my shirt as though she was scared I’d vanish if she let go.

“Arrest him now!” The inspector’s voice rang out, snapping me back to the present.

They surrounded Ethan within seconds, their guns raised and ready.

“Drop the weapon!” one of the officers shouted.

Ethan looked around him, wild and desperate, but there was nowhere left for him to go. His men were gone, Sophia was arrested, and the street was full of officers. The fight in his eyes flickered briefly, but instead of surrendering, he just smirked, that same arrogant twist of his mouth that made my stomach churn.

Roman stepped back, giving the officers space. They lunged forward and tackled Ethan to the ground. The gun clattered out of his hand, sliding across the dirt before one of the officers kicked it away.

“You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Aria Darrow and the attempted murder of Aria Darrow,” the inspector said, his voice clear and firm. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be used against you in a court of law.”

Hearing those words, those cold, official words brought a strange calm to me. My heartbeat began to slow, and my body finally loosened its tense grip. I exhaled deeply, the first full breath I’d taken in what felt like hours.

Aria was safe. Ethan was caught. It was over.

I looked up as they lifted Ethan off the ground, his hands cuffed tightly behind his back. His face was full of bruises and dirt, but none of that mattered. All I saw was the man who tried to hurt my child. The man who destroyed so much already.

As they started to drag him away, something inside me snapped. I clenched my fists and stepped forward before anyone could

stop me.

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CHAPTER 0199

“Lauren…” I heard Roman’s voice, but I didn’t stop.

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I walked straight up to Ethan, my eyes locked on him. He turned his head slightly, smirking like he still had the upper hand, like even in handcuffs he thought he could win. That smirk only made my anger burn hotter.

Without another thought, my hand came up fast and hard.

Slap!

The sound echoed. His head turned sharply to the side from the force, a red mark already forming on his cheek.

“That,” I said through gritted teeth, “was for trying that little stunt on my daughter, Aria.”

He didn’t even blink, just stared back with that same smug look. So, I did it again.

Slap!

The second one was harder, sharper, fueled by everything he had done to us, everything we had lost.

“And that,” I said, my voice trembling but steady enough to carry the weight of my pain, “was for going back to the woman who killed our daughter.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Even the officers froze for a moment, their eyes darting between the two of us.

But Ethan… he didn’t say a word. He just smirked again, that sick smile curving up his lips. His expression said it all, this wasn’t over for him.

I shook my head slowly, disgust filling me from the inside out. “You’re not even a man anymore,” I said quietly, my voice breaking. “You’re just a monster pretending to be one.”

Then I stepped aside and gestured for the officers to take him away. They did. And I watched until he was finally out of sight, the sound of his shuffling footsteps fading into the distance.

When I turned back around, Roman was walking toward me. The tension that had been weighing on me began to melt away the closer he got.

The second our eyes met, I couldn’t help but smile, a baby baby how are you small, exhausted smile, but genuine nonetheless. Roman had done it again. He’d protected us, saved Aria, and stood between me and the kind of pain that could have broken me

completely.

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