Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 434

Night had fallen.

Adrian, exhausted from crying, had finally drifted into a restless sleep. His tiny hand still clung tightly to the hem of her black dress-the one she hadn't had the chance to change out of since the funeral. Tears streaked his pale cheeks, even in slumber.

She summoned the last of her strength to lift him into bed. Just as she was about to turn away and deal with the mountain of tasks left waiting after the funeral, she felt her dress caught fast. The child's grip was unyielding. He seemed trapped in a nightmare-eyes squeezed shut, fresh tears slipping down, whispering softly through trembling lips.

"Mommy, Daddy... don't go."

For a moment, Mila just stood there in silence. Then, she reached for her laptop, letting Adrian keep hold of her dress as she settled on the edge of the bed. She opened the files Leonard had sent her, scanning through each one.

They were all about the will.

It was only now that she realized-Lysander had arranged everything long ago. According to his wishes, every share and asset he owned would pass to her. Adrian's portion would also be managed by her until he came of age.

She now held decision-making power at the very top of Montgomery Holdings.

That explained why Leonard had been at her side the moment she awoke. With Lysander gone, Leonard-his most trusted friend, and a force within the company himself—would shift his support to Mila, ensuring her place at the helm. From this point forward, she had the authority to command Leonard directly.

It was as if Lysander had planned for everything.

He'd paved the way for her so thoroughly. All she had to do was accept, and power would be hers-her entire life transformed in a single step.

She would become the true matriarch.

But if she accepted, she'd be bound to the Montgomery family for life. No matter where she went or what she did, she would never escape the title "Mrs. Montgomery." Lysander's name would be etched into her identity, forever.

Even gone, he remained unyielding, impossible to ignore.

he slept fitfully. Then she turned her attention back to the files, scrolling

[Daphne]

She remembered that name.

a road trip with his cousin, Archie. That boy had become obsessed with her because of the Red Hat robot, insisting she not "kill

But the truth was-

She wasn't Daphne.

had been anxious and lost, realizing she couldn't reach Solaris City on her own. When she learned what Archie wanted, she simply let him believe she was Daphne and never bothered

she'd tried to come clean. But Archie had just shrugged and said it didn't matter, and the

again

"Daphne" was a comic artist-creator of an adventure series starring a little robot named Red Hat, just like the

it was confirmed: the

sense,

touch. His mother, Felicity, was a painter; the Fontaine family was renowned

was surprised. The fact that he'd built the Red Hat robot himself had already startled her-who knew he also

it, the less she realized she truly knew about

man.

emotions tangled and raw, she logged into Twitter and searched for Daphne's account. The profile picture was unmistakable:

the pinned comic

Adventures of Red

most readers who came for the whimsical adventures, Mila saw something else—hidden details, quiet secrets, things

signature red hat, once made a bold promise in a wager: it would pluck the moon from the sky. With chest puffed out and eyes full of

suffering. As a self-declared hero, it rescued everyone it met from their pain-pain that Mija knew all too well. Betrayal, separation, heartbreak: the

and beaten by her family. It chased off the abusers, stayed by her

left with a jaunty

wished