Dear ex-Wife please be mine again

Chapter 181

Alex’s POV

“Well, look at you two,” my mother said finally, her voice smooth but there was a sharp edge I recognized. She wasn’t looking at me or Christiana, her attention solely on Ethan and Ema, who were grinning from ear to ear. She didn’t even acknowledge Christiana, not once. It was like she wasn’t even in the room. “You’ve done well,” Madam Margret said to them. her tone almost soft, but I could see the coldness in her eyes.

I couldn’t help myself. “You should’ve been here sooner,” I said, the words slipping out before 1 could stop them. I wasn’t angry, not exactly. I just needed to say it. I needed her to understand how much of a mess everything had been.

Her gaze shifted to me then, but only for a moment. A single eyebrow raised as if she was deciding whether to challenge me or ignore me. In the end, she did neither. She just turned back to the kids. “I’m sorry for not being here when you needed. me,” she said, her voice softer now, but I could tell it was more out of obligation than sincerity. “I know this has been hard on all of you.”

Ethan, his face still full of the wonder only a kid could have, looked up at her with those big eyes. “Are you gonna stay now, Grandma?”

I tensed, waiting for my mother’s response. I didn’t know what to expect. The usual excuses, the quick dismissal? But to my surprise, she crouched down to meet his gaze. “I wish I could, darling,” she said, and there was something almost real in her voice. “But I’m afraid I have to go again soon. I’ve been terribly busy.”

I felt a rush of relief, even though it wasn’t exactly a victory. The kids seemed to accept it, nodding with understanding, but I could see Christiana in the corner of my eye. She was still standing at the door, arms crossed, but her shoulders had lowered just a little. She wasn’t quite so tense anymore.

“I’m sorry for what you’ve all been through,” Madam Margret continued, giving both kids one last hug before standing up. There was a momentary softness in her expression, but it didn’t last long. She always looked like she was ready to leave, like she couldn’t be bothered to stay for long.

I wasn’t sure what to say. I hadn’t expected her to apologize, not really. But here she was, doing just that. It didn’t change anything, though. Nothing could erase the years of distance and disconnection. My mother didn’t know how to be here for us. Not really. But I could see her trying, in her own way.

Without a word, she turned and walked toward the door, her heels clicking sharply on the hardwood floor. She didn’t look back as she left. She never did.

The air felt different once she was gone, though the silence was still heavy. Christiana wasn’t looking at me. Her gaze was on the floor, and I could see the exhaustion in her shoulders, the weight of everything that had happened.

The kids were back to their pancakes, chattering away like nothing had happened. Ethan was already trying to convince Emma that he could eat more syrup, and Emma was laughing, asking for extra strawberries. I didn’t know how to process the last few minutes. Part of me was relieved that Madam Margret hadn’t caused another scene, but I wasn’t sure if that meant anything in the grand scheme of things.

at Christiana. She was still quiet, still lost in her thoughts, and for a moment, I felt that familiar tug of frustration. She was always like this–pulling away, trying to protect herself. I didn’t know what to

she didn’t look up. I stepped closer, but I wasn’t sure if she even knew I was there. “Are you

looked up at me, her eyes tired but steady. She didn’t say

made me feel like I didn’t have to

fine,” she said, her voice

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Tue, Dec 31 1

Chapter 181

bothering her, especially when it came to things like this. But I also knew

attempts to stack them higher. For a moment, everything seemed normal, like

we’d been through, what Christiana had been through And I knew, deep down, that

I said, breaking the silence between us. “Let’s finish

and for the first time in what felt like forever, I

eyes…the exhaustion, the weight of everything that had happened, and the tension in her shoulders. She hadn’t let herself

and I could hear her breathe, feel the space between us as thick as anything. She had a way of holding it all together, keeping her composure,

closer to her, taking in the way her hands fidgeted with her shirt, the way her eyes flickered nervously. She was still thinking about Daniel. I could tell. The idea of her having to undress for him, the tension of what she’d gone through to protect the kids…it had to

voice low but firm, “You don’t need to

fault. You did what

you

there, her lips pressed tight together. Then, she looked at me, eyes clouded, as if the words

I said again, my hand resting on her shoulder. She

I said, stepping even closer now, my