Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 342

After New Year's Eve,

A strange, gentle equilibrium settled between them.

Mila stopped going near the darkened room; Lysander no longer swept her into his arms to tease or torment. They began to resemble any ordinary couple- perhaps even a married pair-sharing a bed, murmuring good morning and good night, eating together, reading side by side, and drifting through endless conversations.

It was a rare, fragile peace.

But one thing hadn't changed: Mila still wasn't allowed to leave the villa.

Whenever she brought it up, Lysander always had a fresh excuse he couldn't bear to let her out of his sight, he worried for her safety, someone out there meant her harm. His reasons grew stranger the more she pressed. And if she insisted, a look would flicker across his face—one that frightened her into silence every time.

Eventually, Mila's days blurred together. She grew sluggish, always tired, appetite fading, energy draining away. She leaned on Lysander more and more, until even the desire to go outside slipped away.

She wilted, day by day.

One afternoon, not long after lunch, drowsiness dragged her into sleep. Lysander quietly called in the family doctor.

"Mr. Montgomery, the young lady is pregnant. Judging from her condition, nearly two months along now."

"Mr. Montgomery?"

Lysander jolted, as if waking from a trance.

He looked lost for a moment, then drew a slow, shaky breath, questioning the doctor over and over until the man nearly lost patience. Only when assured that everything was progressing smoothly did Lysander finally relax.

Before the doctor left, Lysander sent Leonard to quietly remind him to keep this visit discreet.

doctor had always attended to his mother and was known for his skill, but bringing him here meant Lysander's father would inevitably find out.

down beside Mila, gathering her gently into his arms. Half-asleep, she instinctively curled

carrying

Their child.

wrong, but it was

He needed this child.

about the pregnancy. About a week

went, he kissed her sleeping

time, please, don't let me

taken so many steps toward her. Now, it had to be Mila who came to

bolt upright, her heart pounding. Thinking he might be in another room, she slipped on her

He was gone.

color from her face.

angry, and hurried toward the front

It opened without resistance.

Mila froze.

swirling in the air, the cold wind carrying the scent of damp earth. For a moment, she yearned

threshold, she

angry. And if

stabbed behind her

in the doorway, clutching her head, and only after a long moment did she stagger back inside. Desperate, she searched the house from top to bottom until

She called Lysander.

No answer.

dare dwell on

Again?

of her phone cut through the silence. She answered without thinking, only to be assaulted by a woman's coarse, venomous voice, each word pounding in