Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 528

In a daze, Mila seemed to hear a thousand voices and flashes of memory

ricocheting through her mind, each one making her hand tremble harder around the knife.

-Mom, I'm sorry.

-Mom, I'll be good.

-Mom, you smell so nice. Did you make something delicious for me?

-I understand, Mom.

I love your spicy chicken the most, Mom!

Wow!

-Mila! Stay calm, be careful!

-Mila!

At the end of it all, she saw Jade's face, eyes fierce with authority, a sharp command slicing through the cold, endless dark-snapping her awake.

What had she done?

The knife slipped from her grasp and clattered away. Her hands, still shaking, reached for Sophia's damp, sticky neck. Maybe she'd been out of her mind, because the cut was shallow, just a thin line of blood seeping slowly out. Realizing Sophia's life wasn't in danger, Mila collapsed, drained, and sank to her knees on top of her, arms falling limp to her sides.

She gasped for breath, lungs burning.

Her thoughts were still muddled, children's voices echoing in her ears: laughter and tears-baby talk in a cradle, a soft bundle giggling, that first wailing cry at birth-each memory rattling her chest.

he would never be cruel

senses finally began to return, Mila spoke, her voice hoarse and raw in the darkness. "It's not your word I care about. I want to hear it from

she knew Lysander-and using their child as a pawn was exactly the kind of thing he'd do. So she couldn't be wholly sure Adrian was

she had to hear it from

whether he was involved or not, before any judgment was passed, she owed it to him-to herself as a mother-to be the last one to decide, even if the rest of the world had

hear Adrian say

dawned, and she became aware of the violent coughing beneath her. Reality pressed in hard, and

What had she done?

She'd nearly-

made a

ruined her

again, Mila leaned down, lifting her head just enough to look into Sophia's face. Her eyes, bright and clear after all the tears,

She spoke again.

he drops dead-has nothing to do with me. If he really put our son up to this, I'll settle it with him myself. I don't need your

seized Sophia by the collar and yanked her up

for him, you had options-you could have given him to his uncle or hired someone to look after him. There were a hundred ways to handle

thing you should never have done was

mind wasn't stable, and you knew

"How could you?"

...

Some time later.

sterile green light, was empty now except for Sophia. She lay on the floor, her beautiful face swollen and red, eyes staring blankly at

way for a

she closed her eyes. With her free hand, she fumbled in her pocket until

to light it. When she finally managed, she took one drag and immediately fell into a fit of coughing so violent it made her eyes water.

it was the smoke or the pain from her neck, but tears stung the corners of