No Second Chances Ex-husband novel Chapter 36

LAUREN'S POV

“Once you walk out of these doors, I don’t want to ever see you here again.” Those words had burned into my memory like hot iron against skin. Ethan’s voice still echoed in my head whenever I let my mind drift back to that day. I remember the way his face looked cold, unbothered, as if the five years plus we spent together as husband and wife meant absolutely nothing to him. It was funny, in a bitter kind of way, how it only took him three short weeks to dismantle what we’d built over half a decade.

Yet here I was, just weeks later, standing on the edge of doing exactly what I swore I would never do, going back to that house. Back to him. But not for him never for him. This was about Elena.

I glanced down at the blanket in my hand, the one that had been with Elena since she was a baby, the edges a little frayed, but it still smelled faintly of her baby fragrance. That blanket meant the world to her, it was her comfort, her security. Without it, she’d stay up all night, tossing and turning, her small face scrunched with worry.

We had tried to replace it once, years ago. We bought a newer, softer blanket, thinking she wouldn’t notice. But she did. She cried the entire night until we finally gave her back this old one, and only then did she fall to sleep, holding it tightly against her chest.

I let out a sigh, running my fingers over the worn threads, and pushed aside my pride. This wasn’t about me. I had to do this for her.

My toenails still throbbed painfully from earlier, and the thought of walking again made me wince. But there was no choice. I picked up my purse, slipped the blanket gently inside so it wouldn’t fall, and headed toward the door. Before stepping out, I took a deep breath, trying to steady the swirl of dread and determination inside me.

At the last moment, I paused, thinking of Tessa. I knew she’d worry if she came home before me and didn’t see me there. So, I placed the house keys where she’d easily find them, right next to the small plant pot by the door.

The sun was starting to set as I walked down the street, painting everything in warm oranges. It made the air feel softer somehow, even if my heart felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

Unlike my frantic rush earlier today to keep up with job appointments, this time I had the luxury to move slowly. I decided to take a taxi, sparing my injured toes from further torment. The driver, an older man with a gentle face, barely spoke, and I was thankful for the silence.

As we drove, my mind drifted to memories of the house I was about to return to. The polished floors, the grand staircase, the scent of expensive candles always burning faintly in the background. Once, it had felt like home. My home. A place where Elena took her first steps, where her laughter used to echo down the hallways. A place where Ethan and I used to stay up late, talking about our dreams for her future.

But those memories felt like they belonged to someone else now, someone naïve enough to believe love could withstand betrayal.

The closer we got, the heavier my chest felt. I could almost hear Ethan’s voice in my head already, dripping with disdain. “What are you doing here, Lauren? Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?” He’d probably act like my presence was an inconvenience, even though he knew exactly why I came.

When the driver finally stopped near the gated entrance to the estate, my pulse quickened. I could see the large iron gates, the security camera fixed above, watching everything.

I opened my purse and pulled out the small change Tessa had pressed into my hand that morning, insisting I keep it “just in case.” I was grateful now. After paying the driver, I stepped out onto the pavement, the familiar gravel crunching under my broken heel.

Surprisingly, the estate gate was wide open. My brows shot up in shock the moment I noticed. Since the day we got married and moved into this grand house, I had never seen that gate left open, not even once, not even during the day, and definitely never at this hour. It almost felt wrong, like a rule of the universe had quietly snapped.

For a second, I stood there on the pavement, gripping Elena’s little blue blanket tighter. Was this really how careless Ethan had become in just a few short days without me? Or was it something else entirely?

My gaze slid toward the small white gatehouse at the corner of the fence, the one where the gateman always sat, reading his newspapers and sipping steaming mugs of tea. It was empty. Just a single plastic chair and the faint glint of a forgotten mug catching the afternoon light. The gate was wide open, and the gateman was missing?

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