Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 68

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 68: Salute to the Fallen!**

“On it!” A voice rang out nearby, urgency lacing every syllable as someone leaped into action, scrambling to grab the phone and locate another co-pilot.

Bella’s complexion drained of color, her knees wobbling like a newborn deer. If Bryce hadn’t been there to catch her, she would have crumpled to the ground, a heap of despair and disbelief.

**No way this is happening!** Panic surged through her veins. **Getting grounded would obliterate my chances of advancing in my career.**

“Please, Bryce, I can’t afford to be suspended! You have to do something!” Bella clutched his arm, her grip tight and desperate, as if he were her last lifeline in a stormy sea.

Bryce’s gaze fell upon her, taking in the stark contrast of the confident woman he knew—the one who strode through life with an air of authority—now reduced to a shadow of her former self. Her eyes, usually so vibrant, were now wide and pleading, silently begging for his intervention.

He felt a surge of frustration and sympathy. “Riley, can’t you just let this one slide? Grounding her would ruin her entire career. Besides, you already got your revenge when you hit her…”

Nicolas shot Bryce a disdainful look, his expression dripping with contempt. “You’re divorced. What gives you the right to speak up?”

10:32

“Chapter 68: Salute to the Fallen!**

**Lucky Draw**

“I just—” Bryce began, but Riley’s voice sliced through the air like a knife, cutting him off before he could complete his thought.

“Bryce, you didn’t utter a single word in my defense when I was publicly humiliated just moments ago. But the instant Bella faces a minor issue, you leap to her aid. I already told you—you have zero right to come at me about this!”

“Riley, I’m begging you. For the sake of our three years of marriage, just forgive Bella this one time!” Bryce’s teeth clenched together, the tension palpable. He knew Bella was in the wrong, but she had saved his life. He owed her that much, didn’t he?

Riley erupted into laughter, tears shimmering in her eyes, a harsh sound that echoed through the air. Any remnants of lingering affection she might have had for Bryce evaporated in that moment, replaced by a cold, hard reality.

“Would you even be alive right now if I hadn’t pulled you out of that river after you got stabbed eight times? Bryce, you really are something else!”

“What?” Bryce’s eyes widened in disbelief, shock coursing through him. “What did you just say? You… you saved me back then?”

**Bella was the one who saved me!** The thought echoed in his mind, a frantic refrain.

Yet Riley seemed to disregard his confusion entirely.

Just as he prepared to confront her, Bella’s grip tightened around his arm, pulling him back with surprising strength.

Bryce halted abruptly, looking down at Bella. She kept her head bowed, her gaze averted, but he could see her hands trembling, shaking uncontrollably.

The boarding call blared through the speakers, a jarring reminder of the urgency of their situation.

Nicolas turned to Riley, tapping her shoulder gently. “Alright, time to board. When you get to Carmel, please make sure to get those bruises checked out. Don’t be a tough guy and skip the hospital just because you think you’re invincible.”

He felt an urgent need to uncover the truth; he had to grasp the entire story.

As Riley disappeared through the gate, Bryce’s jaw tightened, his frustration boiling beneath the surface.

**I will figure this out. I will get to the bottom of everything, no matter what it takes.**

Bella watched Riley walk away, a cold dread settling in her chest as if she had been plunged into icy waters.

**What on earth is happening here? Riley is actually the one who saved Bryce?**

It felt impossible!

She recalled the incident vividly. Riley hadn’t saved Bryce; she had merely been present when someone else pulled him from the river. But now, Bryce believed Riley was his savior, and she had chosen to play along with that narrative.

**Why not?** At that moment, she thought having “heroically saved someone’s life” on her record could only benefit her.

Besides, Bryce had been a nobody back then, someone she hadn’t given a second thought to.

But now, everything had shifted. The Bryce she knew today was someone she couldn’t afford to lose.

Bella realized she had to find a way to maintain this facade. She had to ensure Bryce continued to believe she was the one who saved him. There was no alternative; she had to protect her interests at all costs.