Billionaire’s Regret After Losing Her (Aurelia) novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186 Finalize Your Divorce-1

Breakfast had long been cleared away before Lucas finally spoke up again, his tone thoughtful. “You know, there’s something fishy about one of Lauren’s babies dying.”

“What’s fishy?” Grant asked, his voice steady as still water -calm to the point of being unnerving, like he already held all the pieces of the puzzle and was just waiting for Lucas to catch up.

“I think she framed Aurelia on purpose,” Lucas stated, no room for doubt in his voice.

Grant said nothing, just leaning back slightly in his chair, his gaze steady on Lucas-listening, but giving no hint of his own thoughts.

“Think about it. If both babies were fine, why not use the sick boy to frame Aurelia? Because she couldn’t get near

him.”

The boy had been under round-the-clock security lately, courtesy of Dominic’s men.

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Aurelia would’ve been impossible for Lauren.

“So why target a healthy one?” Grant pressed, his tone unchanged.

“Because that baby wasn’t healthy to begin with.”

A beat of silence hung in the air.

Across the table, Grant finally lifted his lids, his eyes flicking to Lucas with a sharp, assessing glint.

“If that baby had been truly healthy, she wouldn’t have dared kill it to frame Aurelia, right?” Lucas pressed on, the word “kill” slipping out without hesitation-proof of just how deeply he loathed Lauren, how convinced he was of her malice.

And who could blame him? Over the past six months, she’d pulled every dirty trick in the book to sink her claws into her husband’s brother.

Every time Dominic stepped foot back at Oakridge Estate, she’d find a way to lure him away-first feigning illness, then leveraging the babies, and finally combining both, adding her so-called depression to the mix.

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To Lucas, those unborn children had never been anything more than pawns, tools for Lauren to manipulate and control.

Grant’s deep gaze stayed locked on him, silent but

intense.

Emboldened by the lack of dismissal, Lucas forged ahead. “That baby must’ve already been sick. She just took advantage of it—to get rid of Aurelia once and for all.

“Send her to jail, make sure she and Dominic never have chance to get back together.”

His voice hardened with each word, conviction seeping through.

Lauren was ruthless, plain and simple.

Even now that Aurelia and Dominic were divorced, she wouldn’t stop until she’d destroyed Aurelia.

“So what do you think she’ll do next?” Grant asked.

“Use the baby’s death to lock Aurelia up for good.”

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A faint, cold smile appeared on Grant’s face at that

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If that was Lauren’s plan, she was in for a bitter disappointment. Her little game of manipulation would only end up ensnaring herself.

“Grant, I don’t care what’s going on between you and Aurelia-honestly, I still don’t approve-but you have to help her,” Lucas said, urgency creeping into his voice.

Dominic was too muddled, too blind to Lauren’s lies right now, and his own family kept him on a tight leash, forbidding any involvement against the Hawthornes.

Lucas had no one else to turn to; all his hopes of keeping Aurelia out of jail rested on Grant.

“She doesn’t need my help,” Grant replied, his tone flat- no arrogance, just a simple statement of fact.

Lucas winced, the realization hitting him. “Right. She doesn’t need you anymore.”

He thought of Aurelia’s hidden identity, the power she wielded that even Dominic knew nothing about, and couldn’t help wondering.

Would Dominic crumble with regret once he finally

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learned the truth?

Recalling the whispers he’d heard lately, Lucas leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. “Is Aurelia really the Smith Group’s…”

He trailed off, letting the question hang-no need to spell out the rest, not when Grant would understand exactly what he was asking.

Grant shot him a sharp, knowing look like he was impressed Lucas had put the pieces together. “You’ve been doing your homework, haven’t you?”

He’d thought the connection between Sebastian and Aurelia was airtight, kept well away from prying eyes.

Lucas scoffed, leaning back in his chair, “Come on. Do you really think the Smith Group would waste their time on small fry like Project Meridian?

“Even the Passau project’s too trivial to catch their eye.

“And it can’t be because of your partnership with them— that doesn’t add up.”

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Chapter 186 Finalize Your Divorce-2

At first, he’d brushed off the rumors about Aurelia and the Smith Group as nonsense, but their recent, targeted moves against the Hawthorne Group had left no room for doubt.

A cold, amused smile appeared on Grant’s face. “You’re a hell of a lot sharper than Dominic.”

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Dominic had immediately blamed Grant for the Smith Group’s attacks, never once stopping to consider that Aurelia might have ties to them on her own.

However, Lucas had worked it all out-every angle, every inconsistency.

Lucas preened slightly at the praise, even if he tried to hide it.

“Dominic’s just been driven to the edge by Lauren lately.

“That, and all the drama the Hawthorne family’s stirred up around her he can’t think straight.”

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Lauren was a topic he’d never cared to dwell on-nothing more than a minor annoyance.

“And he drove me up the wall last night, too,” Lucas added, sighing heavily.

If Dominic hadn’t rambled on and on about Aurelia and Lauren, he wouldn’t have spent hours worrying about Lauren framing Aurelia.

Now, though, with the truth about Aurelia’s identity sinking in, those worries had melted away.

*****

Aurelia was confined to Starlight Hill, no exceptions.

Sebastian had issued a strict mandate-she wasn’t to step foot off the property until her health was fully stabilized.

That morning, Gareth arrived promptly, his posture stiff with professionalism.

“Ms. Smith, I’ve secured the divorce papers. Our attorney is en route to the courthouse now to finalize your divorce from Mr. Hawthorne.”

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Aurelia nodded, her voice steady as she replied, “Good.”

It’s over.

Her marriage to Dominic, that suffocating, one-sided charade, was finally over.

It should’ve ended years ago, if not for his stubborn refusal to accept that they’d never been right for each other.

Now, though, there was a quiet peace settling over her-a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt in far too long.

That cage of a life, the patronizing glances from the Hawthorne family, the constant pressure to be someone she wasn’t? Let someone else cling to it. She was done.

And Lauren? How much longer could she milk Eleanor’s favor?

That hypocritical old woman’s loyalties shifted faster than the tide-warm to Lauren one minute, cold the next, all depending on where Marilyn’s fortunes lay.

She’d cozied up to Lauren again the second Marilyn had44

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latched onto some minor official in Germany.

But soon enough, Marilyn would fall in Germany, and when she did, Lauren’s fragile hold on the Hawthornes would shatter. Her good days were numbered.

A sudden buzz cut through the silence.

Glancing down at her phone, Aurelia saw that the caller ID read Pierce, the director of the orphanage where she’d spent her childhood.

“Ms. Shaw,” she greeted, answering the call.

“Aurelia, everything at the orphanage is sorted now. Thank you,” Pierce said, her voice warm with gratitude.

“It’s the least I could do, Ms. Shaw.” Aurelia’s voice

softened.

She’d grown up there, had called the orphanage home for years, and the recent disaster had been her fault—a consequence of her connection to the Hawthornes.

Knowing everyone was safe brought her a small measure af relief.

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“Do you remember Grace?” Pierce asked, her tone shifting-growing quieter, more hesitant.

“Grace? Of course I do.” Aurelia’s breath hitched slightly.

When she’d first arrived at the orphanage, scared and constantly in tears, it had been Grace who’d taken her under her wing-who’d read her stories at night, who’d held her when she was lonely.

Grace had left the orphanage years ago, when she’d aged out, and Aurelia had lost touch with her.

“How is she?”

Pierce said gently, the words heavy with sorrow, “She’s dying, Aurelia. I just came from her bedside. We talked about the old days, about… she knows you married Mr. Hawthorne, and she’s asking to see you. One last time.”

“Now?” Aurelia’s heart clenched, a sharp, sudden pain piercing her chest.

“Yes, now. She cared for you so deeply when you were little-you were like a daughter to her. Aurelia. She won’t last much longer,” Pierce said, her voice breaking slightly

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“Okay. I’ll be right there. Send me the address.”

“I will,” Pierce said.

“Okay.”

Aurelia hung up. Her chest felt heavy, like it was filled

with lead.

Grace was only in her seventies. It felt like only yesterday they’d been sitting on the orphanage’s porch, watching

the sunset.

Time had slipped away, fast and unforgiving.

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