No Second Chances Ex-husband novel Chapter 55

LAUREN'S POV

“First of all, I’m sure you can go a whole sentence without mentioning that man Ethan. I know what he did to you, I saw him do it but you need to forget about him. You’ve divorced him, you’ve cut ties with him, and you’ve removed him from your life forever. I know you really do hate him right now, but you have to stop giving him space in your thoughts and in your words,” Tessa said firmly, her voice carrying that mix of authority and tenderness she always seemed to balance so well.

I rolled my eyes, not because she was entirely wrong, but because I didn’t want to hear it. With a slow sigh, I pushed myself off the bed, my feet brushing against the cold floor. I walked toward the window, the faded curtains pulled shut as if they too had been in mourning with me. I pulled them open, letting the morning sunlight spill into the room. The sunlight chasing away the shadows. It wasn’t the same as the floor-to-ceiling windows I was used to in my old life, the grand penthouse that Ethan and I once shared but it was something.

“And that is another reason why you need to come with me,” Tessa’s voice rang out again, pulling my attention back to her.

I turned, curiosity flickering despite myself. Her persistence was relentless, and I knew she wasn’t about to back down until she made her point.

“You need this,” she said, her hands gesturing animatedly. “I’m not trying to be rude, but you’ve been cooped up in this room for days now. Honestly, the only reason you’d even consider stepping out of here is because of that interview tomorrow.”

I tilted my head, my arms crossing defensively. “And what’s so wrong with that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes just enough to make it clear that I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.

“Everything is wrong with it,” she shot back immediately, not missing a beat. “Lauren, I know you just lost someone you loved so much. I know it feels like a piece of you has been ripped out, and I’m not dismissing that pain. But you’re burying yourself deeper and deeper into a hole you don’t even want to climb out of. It’s like you’ve decided that healing isn’t for you, like you’re planning to live the rest of your life in the shadow of what Ethan did to you.”

Her words struck something in me, and my gaze instinctively fell to the floor. I couldn’t meet her eyes. She wasn’t wrong. I was shutting the world out. I didn’t even know when I had last smiled genuinely, or when I had last thought about anything other than my broken heart.

Tessa stood up, She crossed the room with slow, steady steps until she was right in front of me. Her presence filled the space, comforting yet insistent.

“You’re grieving right now, and I understand that,” she said more softly, her voice losing its earlier sharpness. “But you can’t shut yourself away from the world forever. You can’t let Ethan keep winning by locking yourself in here like this.” She reached out, her hand gently brushing against my arm before settling on my shoulder. The warmth of her touch almost made me crumble.

“You need to meet people again, Lauren. You need to talk, to laugh, to live. Fall in love again. Have fun. Just because love failed you the first time doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist anymore. It doesn’t mean there aren’t good men out there who can treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Once you find the right one, the right man, it’s only a matter of time before a new chapter begins — a new Elena comes along. But that’s never going to happen if you keep hiding away in this room, letting your past swallow you whole.”

I let out a small sigh, the kind that escapes when you realize you’ve been cornered not by force, but by truth. Every word she had spoken moments ago had been the truth, the very truth I had been desperately trying to run away from, burying it under excuses, distractions, and silence. But hearing it aloud, from her lips, left me with nowhere to hide. The weight of it pressed against me, and all I could do was exhale that heavy breath, surrendering to the reality I had been avoiding.

“Come here,” she said softly, her voice warm yet firm, beckoning me closer.

Before I could protest, her arms wrapped around me, pulling me into an embrace that felt both grounding and disarming. I allowed myself to melt into the comfort she always seemed to provide so effortlessly. Her hugs had a way of stitching together the cracks I tried so hard to keep hidden.

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