No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 94

CHAPTER 094

LAUREN’S POV

“How did it go?” Tessa asked, her voice calm but laced with curiosity, her eyes still fixed on the open book in her hands. She sat casually on the couch, legs tucked beneath her, the afternoon sunlight falling gently on her face as though the whole world existed in the quiet comfort of this living room.

I dropped my bag on the nearby chair with a little more force than I intended, the exhaustion from the morning weighing on me like an extra layer of clothing I couldn’t peel off. “How else does it ever go, Tess? It’s always the same thing, thinking about themselves, never anyone else.” My voice came out sharper than I planned, but I didn’t care. I was still irritated. “Either way, I was already here in America, so what’s the point of turning it down? But I’ll tell you this…” I pulled my phone from my pocket. “The real person who ruined my mood this morning wasn’t the manager. It was that awfully rude lady at the office. Look what she did to my phone.”

Tessa immediately lowered her book, her brows knitting together in surprise as she leaned forward. She set the book aside completely, curiosity overtaking her calm demeanor. She took the broken device from my hand, tilting it under the light to get a better view. “So that’s why you didn’t respond to my text,” she murmured, examining the damage. “Lauren, this screen is finished. How did this even happen?”

I let out a slow breath, remembering the moment in frustrating detail. “Well, I was just about to text you. I had the phone in my hand, walking toward the manager’s office. Out of nowhere, she bumped into me, books and papers flying everywhere and the phone slipped right out of my grip. It hit the floor, screen-first, and that was it.” I gestured at the shattered device, my tone thick with annoyance. “She didn’t even apologize, Tess. Not a word. And here’s the thing, I could have walked away, just picked up my phone and left but I didn’t. I looked past the attitude, looked past the lack of decency, and I decided to help her gather her papers. Do you know what she did?”

Tessa tilted her head, her lips parting as though bracing herself for the rest of the story.

“She smacked my hand away,” I said, my voice rising with the memory. “Like I was the one who inconvenienced her. And the way she looked at me like she hated me, Tess. Pure hatred, like I had stolen something precious from her or personally offended her in some unforgivable way. But that’s impossible, because I have never seen her before in my life. I’ve been in Italy until just a few days ago. So where could that kind of bitterness come from?”

Tessa exhaled, a slow breath that filled the silence between us. She shook her head slightly, her lips tightening as she placed the phone back in my hands. “Guess that means you’ve got to add a new phone to the list of things you need to buy,” she said with a small sigh, though her tone carried a note of practicality. She looked at the phone again like maybe her eyes could find a way to fix what was already broken. But the screen’s jagged cracks told a different story.

“Don’t let her bad behavior get to you today, let’s change the topic because I can see how worked up you’re getting just from talking about this lady.”

“Tell me something,” she began her tone shifting. Her eyes, sharp and focused now, lifted to meet mine.

“What?” I asked, already sensing that whatever she was about to say wasn’t related to my phone.

“Did you see Mr. Hale?” she asked, her words careful, deliberate.

I blinked at her, taken aback. “No. Why do you ask?”

Her expression hardened slightly, as if she couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this myself. “Why do I ask?” she repeated, her voice almost incredulous. “Lauren, don’t tell me you haven’t thought this through.”

My brows knitted together. “Thought what through?”

She leaned closer, lowering her voice just slightly, even though the only other person in the house was Aria, busy in her own little world. “Now that you’re back in America and you plan on staying… don’t you think it’s a good idea to let him know he’s the father of your child?”

The words fell heavy between us, heavier than the weight of my broken phone, heavier than the long day I’d just endured.

“Why?” I asked flatly, refusing to let the idea rattle me. “I don’t see any point in telling him. He’s not needed, I can take care of my daughter alone just fine.”

Her eyes widened, disbelief flickering in them. “Are you actually serious right now? Lauren, why are you sounding like this? You don’t hate the guy, so why are you trying to deny him from knowing about Aria?”

I folded my arms across my chest, steadying myself against the guilt she was trying to place on me. “I understand what you mean, I do. It’s not like I hate him. I don’t. But you have to see it from my point of view.” My voice softened, but my conviction stayed firm. “Let’s say I tell him. Then what? Suddenly, we’re splitting custody of Aria. One week she’s with me, the next she’s with him. And do you know what that does to a child? She’s still too young. Growing up with parents who aren’t together can be tough. It confuses them, leaving marks that don’t fade easily. I don’t want her to go through that if I can prevent it.”

Tessa’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t interrupt.

“And besides,” I continued, “we don’t even know if this man in question wants a child. Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he’s built a new life for himself. He could be married by now, maybe even with kids of his own. Where does that leave Aria? I’d rather keep this to myself, It’s simpler.”

Her voice dropped, quiet but firm. “And what will you tell Aria when she starts asking who her dad is?”

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