Ex Wife's Collapse After Divorce novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

“Dad-

“This is letting the wolf through the front door, Vivian! And you’re holding it open!”

“The wolf is already at the door!” Vivian’s composure cracked. “Dad, open your eyes. Lockwood Industries is bleeding. Our supply chain is fractured, our market share is shrinking, and we don’t have the capital to fight back. We need outside resources.”

Reginald’s jaw worked. He said nothing.

Vivian pressed forward. “Damian gave me his word. His uncle will invest – capital only. No interference with management. No board seats. We retain full operational control.”

“And you believe that.”

“I believe that without this deal, there won’t be a company left to control.” Vivian’s voice steadied.” Vincent Hale’s network opens the door to the entire coastal region. We could break into markets we’ve never had access to. This isn’t just survival, Dad – this is growth.”

She took a breath.

“Risk and opportunity – you taught me they’re two sides of the same coin.”

The silence stretched.

Reginald sank back into his chair. The fury was still there, but something else had crept in beneath it – the look of a man who could see the numbers, who knew the bleeding wouldn’t stop on its own.

He closed his eyes and waved a hand.

“I’ll think about it. Leave.”

Vivian nodded once and walked out without another word.

She knew her father. He didn’t want outsiders in his company. But he wanted his company to die even less.

Damian was leaning against the wall near the break room, a paper cup of coffee in one hand, when Vivian rounded the corner.

“How’d it go?” he asked, pushing off the wall.

“He didn’t say yes.” Vivian’s lips curved. “But he will.”

Damian’s expression shifted – a flicker of something behind the concern. He stepped closer.

“I’ll talk to my uncle again, buy us a little more time. But Vivian – His voice dropped. “He’s not a patient man. If your father drags this out too long…”

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“He won’t. Trust me.”

Damian held her gaze for a beat, then smiled – warm, reassuring, every tooth in place.

“I trust you.”

Vivian’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. A group message – their college class president, sending out details for the reunion tomorrow night. Time, location, headcount confirmation.

For a moment, She’d been planning to bring Ethan.

That thought died before it fully formed. Ethan, who’d filed for divorce. Ethan, who’d walked out. Ethan, who couldn’t even be bothered to fight for what they had.

She looked up at Damian.

“There’s a reunion tomorrow night. Old college classmates.” She paused. “Come with me?”

Damian’s smile widened. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“For you? I’d walk through fire.”

Vivian laughed – a real laugh, light and unguarded, the first one in days.

That was when Damian’s smile shifted. Subtle. Álmost imperceptible. The warmth stayed on his lips, but his eyes cooled by exactly one degree.

“Vivian, since we’re being honest with each other…” He took a sip of coffee, casual as breathing. “I have to ask. Ethan – the man is a dead weight. Three years married to you and what does he have to show for it? No career. No ambition. No accomplishments worth mentioning.”

He shook his head. “He’s the one who asked for the divorce. Why not just sign the papers and be done

with it?”

The laugh died on Vivian’s lips.

She didn’t answer immediately.

Three years. The number sat in her chest like a stone. Yes, the marriage had started on impulse – a reckless decision made in the heat of a moment she could barely remember clearly.

And yes, Ethan had been… underwhelming. By every metric that mattered in her world, he’d failed to register.

But three years was three years.

Three years of someone cooking your meals. Three years of someone being there – quiet, steady, unremarkable, but there. She wasn’t a monster. She wasn’t made of stone. Somewhere beneath the frustration and the disappointment, there were things she wasn’t ready to name.

She didn’t love him. She was almost certain of that.

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But she wasn’t ready to let him go. Not like this.

Not when she was at her lowest. Not when the company was bleeding and her father’s faith in her was cracking and the walls were closing in from every direction.

Being abandoned – being the one who got left behind – in the middle of all that?

No.

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