Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 128

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 128: Doubt**

Before his fingers could graze her skin, Sebastian intervened, his hand cutting through the air to swat Bryce’s away with a decisive motion.

“You don’t get to touch her anymore,” he declared, his voice chillingly devoid of warmth.

With that, he turned on his heel and followed after Riley, leaving Bryce standing there, a solitary figure abandoned in a whirlwind of emotions.

Bryce remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixated on the retreating silhouettes of Sebastian and Riley as they disappeared into the distance.

His eyes fell to his empty hand, the absence of the rings glaringly obvious.

In that moment, the void in his palm felt like the least significant aspect of the profound loss he had just endured.

*****

Riley, feeling the dampness of her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her skin, made her way to the lounge to change.

**11:01**

Fortuitously, she had remembered to pack an extra outfit, so the situation was not nearly as dire as it could have been.

As she emerged from the lounge, now dry and composed, she was greeted by the sight of Sebastian waiting patiently just outside the door.

“What are you…” she began to ask, her voice trailing off.

“Waiting for you,” he replied simply, yet the sincerity in his tone was enough to fill the air with unspoken understanding.

“We’ve already lost some time. The groundbreaking ceremony is about to start. Let’s head over,” Riley urged, her mind racing with the urgency of the moment.

Sebastian nodded slightly, and together they began to make their way toward the venue, their footsteps echoing softly in the corridor.

As they walked, the silence was broken by Sebastian’s voice. “Are you really done with Bryce?”

Riley didn’t hesitate for a second. “What else could it possibly be? Honestly, whether I threw the rings into the sea or not, we were already over.”

Leaving the rings behind on the nightstand as she exited the villa had been her unspoken farewell. She had severed ties with the rings—and with the marriage they represented.

What she hadn’t anticipated was Bryce’s desperate act of bringing the rings here, clinging to a hope that had long since evaporated.

“Good,” Sebastian said softly, a flicker of joy lighting up his eyes, momentarily melting away the usual coldness that resided there.

Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Bella had just finished showering and slipped into a fresh outfit.

The instant she stepped out of the bathroom, she caught sight of Bryce slumped on the couch, his gaze distant as it fixated on his palm.

“Bryce, what are you thinking about?” she inquired, her curiosity piqued.

“Huh? Oh, nothing,” he replied, jolting back to reality and hastily retracting his hand. He looked up at her, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay?”

“It’s all Riley’s fault,” Bella huffed, her voice sharp and accusatory. “She’s trying to ruin me. First, she snatches my necklace, and now she can’t even leave the ring you gave me!”

**11:01**

“I’ll buy you better ones,” Bryce offered quietly, hoping to soothe her troubled spirit.

Her expression softened slightly at his words, the edge of her annoyance dulling just a bit.

It felt as though he had stolen her work, and the weight of that realization gnawed at him.

Still, he tried to convince himself that it was fine.

The proposal had been submitted before she had quit, so technically, it belonged to the company.

And the patent—well, it was registered during their marriage, so it counted as shared property.

In his mind, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Everything he had done, he told himself, was for the benefit of the company.

Soon enough, the groundbreaking ceremony commenced.

One by one, government officials, influential families, and corporate titans connected to the island development project began to arrive.

Amidst the crowd, Sebastian was an unmistakable figure, and with Riley by his side, she naturally drew just as much attention.

Wren’s gaze locked onto Riley, seething with hostility.

She had planned to use Bryce as a pawn to humiliate Riley, to demonstrate to everyone that Riley was merely a woman who had been cast aside.

But instead, it was Bryce and Bella who ended up looking foolish.

Worse still, Riley had managed to steal the spotlight—especially now that everyone could see Sebastian standing by her side, openly supporting her with his power and influence.

“Sebastian isn’t someone you can manipulate, Wren,” Chris murmured quietly, standing beside her, his voice laced with a hint of caution.