Chapter 11
Sabrina asked me if I was softening.
I just gave her a faint smile and shook my head. “No. I’m just done holding onto grudges.”
After the Morris family’s formal dinner, it was finally over. Ryan and I were no longer connected–just two people walking separate paths, quietly moving on with our lives.
When we arrived at the gala together, it shocked everyone.
But Ronald and Olivia handled it smoothly. They addressed the crowd with poise, clearing the air in just a few words.
“Yes, Ryan and Julia are now divorced–amicably,” Ronald announced. “As for the photos that caused such a stir, they were nothing more than a reckless prank from our adopted daughter. There was never any inappropriate relationship between her and Ryan.”
Olivia stepped in to add, “In the end, we take full responsibility. We brought her into our home with good intentions, but she turned against the family. She created a conflict between Ryan and Julia, and that’s on us. The adoption has since been annulled. She is no longer part of the Morris family.”
Then Ronald turned to me.
I nodded and played my part. “Everyone, I admit I was emotional that day and said things I shouldn’t have. But Ryan and I have agreed on a
peaceful separation. I’m pregnant, yes—but we’ve decided to co–parent, and that’s all.”
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The message was clear. No one dared gossip further.
It was the Morris family’s final word–and mine.
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It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to close the chapter with some dignity intact.
As our car pulled away from the estate, I heard someone tapping on my window. It was Ryan.
He must’ve chased us down the driveway. He was out of breath, eyes filled with desperate hope.
“So when you said we’d co–parent, did you mean it?”
I looked at him through the glass. “Of course not.‘
Just like that, the slight flicker in his eyes died.
I drove into the night, leaving the estate–and everything that came with it -behind us.
All the memories we shared faded into the dark.
I felt something I hadn’t in a long time. Peace,
As soon as I got home, my phone buzzed. It was the property manager.
A neighbor had reported a strange smell coming from my villa. They were concerned that there might be a gas leak or something hazardous. They wanted permission to check inside.
So I had to rush there.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t been back there in a long time.
Not since that night.
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