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.

never be cruel enough to treat life as

As her senses finally began to return, Mila spoke, her voice hoarse and raw in the darkness. "It's not your word

child as a pawn was exactly the kind of thing he'd do. So she couldn't be wholly sure Adrian was innocent,

hear it from

taken part, then he should bear the 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 had

to hear Adrian say

became aware of the violent coughing beneath her. Reality pressed

What had she done?

She'd nearly-

nearly made a terrible

ruined her whole

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

She spoke again.

for a long time. Whatever he does-even if he drops dead-has nothing to

collar and yanked

child. Even if you didn't want him or couldn't care for him, you had options-you could have given

one thing you should never have done

and you knew exactly

"How could you?"

...

Some time later.

for Sophia. She lay on the floor, her beautiful face swollen and red, eyes staring blankly

that way

she fumbled in her pocket until she found a small metal tin, flicked it open, and drew out a

fell into a fit of coughing so

hand braced against the floor, the other clutched her burning throat. She didn't know if it was the smoke or the pain from