Ex-Wife Moving Wife Giving Birth? Congratulations, You’re Single Now novel Chapter 97

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Harper turned and walked away the second the words left her mouth–like she’d just accidentally let something slip.

Like she hadn’t meant to destroy me in front of my own mother.

Mom swayed on her feet.

I grabbed her arm, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst. Tears flooded my eyes before I could stop them.

“Mom, I’m so sorry.

“I screwed everything up. I changed my application to University of Miami… I’m not going to NYU anymore… I was too scared to tell you.

“I can take a gap year. I’ll retake everything. I’ll get into NYU next year, I promise-

My voice cracked. I could barely get the words out through the sobs choking my throat.

Mom just stood there, frozen.

For a long, horrible moment, she didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

She just stared at the pavement, her face pale and blank–like the ground had just opened up beneath her.

Then, slowly–painfully slowly–she seemed to come back to herself.

She blinked. Took a shaky breath. And then forced a smile onto her face.

It was small. Fragile. But it was there.

“Oh, sweetheart. You scared me.”

Her voice was soft, trembling just slightly at the edges.

“For a second, I thought you meant you’d messed up the application completely. But University of Miami… that’s a good school, Alina. Really good.”

She reached up and cupped my face in both hands, her thumbs brushing away the tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Don’t cry, baby. Please don’t cry.”

But her reaction–the fact that she wasn’t angry, wasn’t yelling–somehow made it worse.

Because I could see it in her eyes.

The disappointment she was trying so hard to hide. The exhaustion. The quiet heartbreak of realizing her daughter had thrown away everything they’d both worked for.

And she was still trying to comfort me.

The tears came harder. My whole body shook with the force of them.

“Mom, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry-”

Chapter 91

“Shh. Stop.” Her voice was firmer now, though her own eyes were glassy. “It’s okay. I know why you did it.”

She pulled me into a tight hug, one hand stroking my hair.

“It’s because of Nathon, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t answer. I just buried my face in her shoulder and sobbed.

She held me for a long moment, then pulled back and gripped my shoulders gently, looking me straight in the eye.

“Alina, listen to me. Even if you’re not in New York… we’ll figure it out. Okay? We always do.

“But I need you to stop crying now, or I’m gonna lose it too.”

She smiled–shaky but real–and wiped my face again with the edge of her apron.

Then she turned and started packing up the truck, moving with that brisk, no–nonsense energy she always had when she was trying to hold herself together.

“Let’s go home. I want to look up this school you picked. Make sure you’re set up right.”

I nodded, throat too tight to speak, and followed her in silence as we walked back to the apartment.

By the time we got home, it was past 1 a.m.

And standing outside our building, hands shoved in his pockets, looking like he’d been waiting for hours–was Nathon.

Mom saw him first.

She slowed her steps, glancing at him briefly before turning to look at me.

Her gaze was steady, Calm. But there was something fierce in it–something protective and unyielding.

She didn’t say a word.

She just looked at me for a long moment, her eyes saying everything her voice didn’t:

You’re strong enough to handle this. And no matter what happens, I’m right here.

Then she turned back toward Nathon and gave him a small, polite smile–the kind she used with customers.

“Nathon, sweetheart. It’s late. You should head home.”

Her tone was warm. Kind.

But there was no room for argument in it.

Nathon straightened, giving her that easy, charming smile he always used when adults were around.

“I just wanted to talk to Alina for a minute, Mrs. Donnvan. I’ll walk her up after.”

Mom hesitated, her eyes flicking back to me one more time.

I could see the question there: Do you want me to stay?

Chapter 9

1 shook my head lighte

She nodded mice, den squeered my hand urfore heading ingde.

The dy cilket shut behind her.

And then it was just me and Nathon.

I kept my brad down, avoiding his gare, and moved toward the entrance.

I wasn’t going to do this. Not tonight.

But as I tried to walk past him, his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

Before I could pull away, he yanked me straight into his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

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