Chased by My Possessive Ex (Dylan) novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52

DYLAN

As soon as I stepped out of the boutique, the cool air hit my face, and my eyes immediately locked onto the black car parked right out front–the same one that brought us earlier. Panic nudged at the back of my mind, urging me to move before Beckett decided to follow.

I hurried toward the car, climbed inside, and shut the door behind me with quick, shaky breaths. The moment the latch clicked into place, a rush of relief washed through me, loosening the tight knot that had formed in my chest.

I leaned back against the seat, pressing a hand over my chest as I allowed myself a mot to breathe. My thoughts drifted

back to Hunter. His face came to me so easily, like a memory my heart was too eager to replay. Even now, just thinking about him made my pulse flutter with a warmth I couldn’t quite hide.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips..

Without thinking, I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone. My fingers moved on their own, typing a message before doubt could even register.

‘I left the shop. I’ll wait for you in a cafe, and then let’s go back to the shop together!

I hit send and stared at the screen, waiting for the familiar vibration, the immediate reply he always sent. A minute passed. Then two. The screen stayed blank.

A tiny pinch tugged at my chest. He never took this long. Not with me.

I tried to brush off the strange heaviness settling in my stomach. Maybe he was still in a meeting. Maybe he didn’t hear the notification. Maybe anything but the growing sense of dread whispering at the back of my mind.

“No,” I muttered softly, shaking my head. “Don’t think like that.”

I forced myself to exhale, long and slow, trying to ground my nerves. When I finally lifted my gaze, I met the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror and cleared my throat.

“Please take me to the coffee shop around the corner,” I said.

He nodded, and the car eased forward. I rested my forehead against the cool window, willing the unease inside

down.

But no matter how much I tried to ignore it, that strange, creeping feeling refused to let go.

me to quiet

The car slowed to a stop in front of the small coffee shop tucked neatly at the corner. I thanked the driver before stepping out, the familiar clink of the door shutting behind me somehow grounding.

I stepped inside the coffee shop and let the familiar scent of espresso and warm pastries wrap around me. It eased the tightness coiled in my chest, even if just a little. I chose a quiet table by the window, somewhere I could see the street in case Hunter arrived before texting back.

After placing my order, I finally sat down, letting myself sink into the seat. The moment I exhaled, my phone began to ring.

Mom flashed on the screen.

My shoulders loosened a little. At least this wasn’t Beckett… or anything dangerous. Just my parents. I swiped to answer.

“Hi, Mom,” I greeted softly.

“Sweetheart,” she said, sounding a bit tired but cheerful. “We just wanted to check on you. We didn’t catch you in the middle

Chapter 52

of something, did we?”

“Not at all,” I said, glancing around the shop. “I’m just grabbing coffee.”

“That’s good. We just finished settling into the apartment you got us.” There was a small shuffle on the other end, my dad voice chiming in faintly, asking if the curtains matched the living room. “Your father keeps insisting we put the sofa on the opposite side, but the place is lovely, Dylan. We still can’t believe you managed to get this for us.”

A smile tugged at my lips, some of the earlier tension casing. Actually, it was Hunter who found that place for them. However, I don’t think this is the right time to tell them about him. “You deserve it. Both of you. I’m glad you’re finally settled.”

“You sound tired,” Mom said suddenly, gentle concern edging her voice. “Are you feeling alright?”

I hesitated. My head still throbbed faintly from the hangover, and the whole scene with Beckett lingered like a bruise on my nerves. “Just a long day,” I replied. “But I’m okay.”

“Good,” she said, as if reassuring herself. “We won’t keep you. We just wanted to hear your voice.”

My chest warmed at that. They didn’t know about Hunter. They didn’t know I was married. They didn’t know my life was spiraling faster than I could update them. All they knew was their daughter was out here trying to live.

“Call us when you get home, alright?” Mom added.

“I will,” I promised before hanging up.

When the line went dead, I stared at my phone, half–expecting Hunter’s reply to finally come through.

But the screen stayed blank.

That uneasy feeling tugged at me again, like a warning knocking at the back of my mind.

I brought the mug to my lips, letting the warmth and bitterness of the coffee settle my nerves. I was overwhelmed with everything. But I urged myself not to let things get into me.

I was halfway through another sip when my phone buzzed against the table.

My heart leaped.

Finally.

I set the mug down a little too fast, nearly sloshing coffee over the rim as I snatched my phone with both hands.

A smile already tugged at my lips–only to freeze the moment I saw the name on the screen.

It was Beckett. My brows furrowed in annoyance and confusion. What does he want now? Was I not clear a while told him that I want nothing to do with him?

I almost ignored it, but curiosity got the best of me. I opened his text.

‘Read this. I hope you believe me now,‘ he said as I read his text.

ago when I

I don’t have plans of entertaining his nonsense, but I couldn’t help but get curious. I clicked the link, and it immediately brought me to a news article.

My chest tightened.

The headline stared back at me like a slap.

18:58 Wed, Dec 31 J M

Chapter 52

“Mystery Woman of Mr. Hunter Gage De Marco Finally Revealed.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. I tapped the screen, enlarging the photo, terrified that someone had somehow taken a picture of us earlier.

But the second the image sharpened, the breath I’d been holding whooshed out of me, only to freeze again in the center of my chest.

The woman kissing Hunter wasn’t me. Not even close..

My brows pinched together as I leaned in, studying every detail. His hand was on the woman’s waist, gripped a little too firmly. Her fingers curled into his shirt. Her face tilted up to his. And Hunter, his face was angled down like he was kissing her back.

A spike of disbelief stabbed through me.

But what truly made the world tilt was the familiarity of the image–not the woman but him.

Hunter was wearing the same clothes he had on this morning. The same dark long–sleeved shirt. The same watch on his wrist. The same hairstyle he had when he told me he’d be “back in a bit.”

This wasn’t an old picture. This was taken today.

My fingers went numb around my phone. The café suddenly felt suffocating, like the walls were inching closer. A nauseating swirl churned in my stomach, bitter coffee climbing up my throat.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as if that alone could undo the photo, erase the reality staring right at me. “No, this is fake. It has to be.”

But my heartbeat was already spiraling, the familiar sting of betrayal clawing its way up my chest, threatening to crack me wide open.

What the heck happened? We were just happy choosing a bridal gown, and then one minute, he left me, only for me to find him in another woman’s arms? I don’t understand.

My hand covered my mouth as the ache settled in the very place I thought I’d finally healed.

My phone buzzed again.

Another notification slid across my screen, and dread tightened around my ribs. My thumb hovered before I finally opened the message.

“Still think you made the right choice?”

That was all Beckett wrote.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I locked my phone and set it facedown on the table, but my eyes kept drifting back to it. My coffee had gone cold. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, but it did nothing to untangle the growing knot in my chest. The café felt too warm, too loud, and too bright all of a sudden. I pushed my mug away and rested my elbows on the table, rubbing my eyes with my fingers.

This didn’t make sense. Why would he insist on pursuing the wedding after marrying me in court and then do this kind of

sh*t?

I felt foolish for letting my heart race at the thought of him just an hour ago. Foolish for feeling so happy. Foolish for wanting him the way I did.

Chapter 52

I pressed a hand against my sternum, breathing through the pressure building there.

My phone buzzed again—not a message this time, but a call.

I flinched at the sound, snatching it immediately, praying it was Hunter calling to explain everything, to tell me the was fake, that the picture meant nothing, that I was spiraling for no reason.

But the name on my screen wasn’t his.

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