No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 67

67 /200

LAUREN'S POV

“I’ve divorced him,” I whispered to myself as though saying it aloud could make it feel more real, more justified. “I’ve divorced him. I don’t owe him anything anymore.”

But that excuse felt paper-thin. It was all still so new, the reality of being separated, of living without Ethan by my side. My life felt like an empty house I was still trying to walk through without bumping into walls.

“Stop thinking about Ethan in every sentence,” I muttered with a forced laugh. The sound was hollow in the quiet car. That was something Tessa would have told me if she were sitting beside me now, rolling her eyes and teasing me for being so dramatic.

But she wasn’t here. It was just me, my thoughts, and the echo of last night.

Would Elena be okay with what I did?

Her name brushed across my mind like a whisper, and my chest tightened. She always believed in me, always thought I was stronger than this. I wanted to be the woman she could look up to, not the one drowning in regrets.

And then, like an arrow to the chest, the most terrifying realization struck me.

I had sex with a stranger… and we hadn’t used protection.

My breath caught, and I gripped the edge of the seat. Images flashed in my head, the dim room, the blur of passion, his face hovering above mine. Not once had either of us thought about it. Not once.

But I forced myself to exhale. “There’s nothing to be worried about,” I whispered. “It was just one night. A stupid, reckless one-night stand. That’s all it was.”

Still, my mind wouldn’t let it go. What if? What if this one mistake led to something bigger?

“No,” I shook my head firmly, trying to convince myself. “Ethan tried for years. Years. And he couldn’t get me pregnant. There’s no way a complete stranger would succeed in one careless night.”

But even as I said it, the tiny seed of doubt had already planted itself deep inside me.

The car came to a sudden stop, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts. I looked up to see that we had arrived at Tessa’s apartment. Relief washed over me. At least being in a familiar place would help me gather myself.

“Do you mind giving me a few minutes?” I asked the driver, already reaching for the door handle. “I just need to change and grab a few things from my apartment. You’re still going to take me somewhere afterward, right?”

He glanced back at me through the mirror, his eyes slightly narrowed. “And how long is that gonna take?”

“A few minutes, I promise,” I replied quickly, not giving him a chance to argue. Before he could respond, I jumped out of the car and hurried into the apartment building.

My hands trembled slightly as I retrieved the spare keys from under the flowerpot and let myself in. The quietness of the apartment felt strange, heavy, as though it could sense my guilt. I didn’t dwell on it. Instead, I rushed straight to the wardrobe where I had left my outfit.

It was a mess — crumpled, wrinkled, as though it had gone through the same chaos as I had. There was no time to iron it, no time for anything. Heck, I didn’t even have the time to take a proper bath, I hadn’t even brushed my mouth, and I just hoped whoever I spoke to today wouldn’t notice any odor coming from my mouth. I grabbed it anyway, quickly changing clothes and gathering everything I needed.