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.

but he would never be cruel enough to treat life

and raw in the darkness. "It's not your word I care about.

it, because she knew Lysander-and using their child as a pawn was exactly

she had to hear it from

responsibility, and she would stand beside him to face it. But 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

to hear Adrian say

violent coughing beneath her. Reality pressed in hard,

What had she done?

She'd nearly-

made a terrible

almost ruined her whole

face. Her eyes, bright and clear after all the tears, seemed to glow in the dark, yet now

She spoke again.

long time. Whatever he does-even if he drops dead-has nothing to do with me. If he really put our son up to this, I'll settle it with him

Sophia by the collar

if you didn't want him or couldn't care for him, you had options-you could have given him to his uncle or hired someone to look after him.

you should never have

mind wasn't stable, and

"How could you?"

...

Some time later.

now except for Sophia. She lay on the

that way for

she closed her eyes. With her free hand, she fumbled in her pocket until she found a small metal tin, flicked it

fingers shook so badly it took several tries to light it. When she finally managed, she took one drag and immediately fell into

was the smoke or the pain from her neck,