Forgotten Wife My Ex-Husband Regrets It After I Left (Clara and Liam) novel Chapter 283

Sienna’s POV

That morning felt warmer than usual. The sun had only risen halfway, casting a soft glow over the front yard. I stood on the porch with my arms folded, still wearing a thin sweater because the morning air was sharp enough to bite.

Noah jogged toward the car, his jacket half open like always.

“Mommyyy! Look!” He lifted a small lunchbox with dinosaur pictures that we had prepared together the night before. “Today I brought star-shaped sandwiches!”

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. “Yeah, be careful. The filling might fall out if you shake it like that.”

He immediately hugged the lunchbox tightly, as if my words were a serious threat. “It won’t fall! ‘ll protect it!”

Liam appeared right behind him, his hair slightly messy from the morning breeze. A white T-shirt and a black jacket made him look effortlessly handsome. He carried Noah’s school bag in one hand and walked over to me.

“I’m heading out,” he said softly. Simple, but with that gentle tone he only ever used with me.

I nodded, taking a breath. “Drive safe. Don’t speed.”

Liam smiled faintly, as he always did. “I always remember that.”

Noah suddenly climbed onto the car seat and leaned out the window, his hair a mess in the wind. “Mommy! Hug first!”

Giggling, I stepped closer and hugged him through the car window. His cheeks were cold, but his embrace was warm.

“Be good today, okay? Don’t run too fast at school.”

He nodded enthusiastically too enthusiastically, his head bumping lightly against my shoulder. “Okay!”

Liam closed the car door carefully and walked around to the driver’s side. Before getting in, he looked back at me.

“Do you want me to pick Noah up this afternoon, or do you have plans to go out?” he asked.

That simple question warmed my chest. He always considered my movements, as if my presence mattered.

As if I were part of his entire routine.

“I’ll probably stay home,” I said. “You can pick Noah up.”

“Alright.” His smile widened. “See you later.”

As the engine started, I stepped back to the edge of the porch. Noah waved from inside, his face pressed against the window. “Byee Mommyyy!!”

I waved back, longer than usual. Maybe because this morning felt different. Something filled my chest not just Love for Noah, but a calmness that had been there since l’dcome to know Liam more deeply. Everything felt more stable. Safer.

The car stowly rolled out of the gate. Sunlight reflected off its surface, making it seem as though it shimmered briefly before turning onto the street.

I stayed there until the sound of the engine faded. Until only birdsong and the rustling of leaves remained.

Once they were truly gone, I let out a long breath.

The house grew quieter.

I stepped inside and closed the door gently, letting the sound muffle the remnants of the morning still clinging to my skin. The atmosphere inside immediately felt different, quieter, more spacious. As if the house expanded the moment Noah and Liam left, creating space that had been filled by small laughter and hurried footsteps.

I placed the keys on the table near the door and walked without a clear destination. My steps stopped in the living room. Noah’s toys were still scattered in the corner of the carpet, a small robot that had danced lopsidedly yesterday until we laughed together. I bent down and put them back into the box, one by one, like a small ritual to calm myself.

In the kitchen, Liam’s coffee mug was still sitting near the machine. I picked it up, washed it, and placed it upside down on the rack. That simple movement somehowwarmed my chest a small trace of the routine we were building together, slowly but surely.

I poured myself some warm water and sat at the dining table, watching the light now slipping in through the window. Morning moved on, without waiting for me. The clock on the wall ticked softly, reminding me that the day was still long.

My thoughts returned to Noah. To the way he hugged his lunchbox like a treasure. To his innocent certainty that the world was a safe place as long as there were people protecting him. I wanted to preserve that for as long as possible. I wanted this house to remain a place of return, free from unnecessary tension or suspicion.

Sienna’s POV

I stood and walked to the small workspace in the corner of the house. The desk was too neat for someone who was supposedly a writer. The laptop was closed, notebooks stacked, pens lined up neatly. I touched the surface of the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down. My back rested against it, and for a moment | just stared blankly at the wall.

There were many things I should have been thinking about. Things I should have faced. But for a few minutes, I allowed myself to do nothing. Not be a mother, not be a partner, not be a writer. Just be someone breathing, listening to her own house.

My phone vibrated in the pocket of my sweater. I took it out and read a brief notification from the school parents’ group. Ordinary information. Schedules. Reminders. I replied as needed, then put it away again. That felt like enough for now.

I froze for a full three seconds before the voice came again. “Hello? Who is this?”

“O-oh! Y-yes, sorry!” I blurted out, probably too fast. ” Good morning, this is Sienna.”

A fraction of a second of silence.

Then the voice shifted, flatter somehow. “Yes, I know that name. You’re the one who wrote Sunrise in October, correct?”

Oh my God. Does he know my book?

I nearly dropped the phone from sheer nervousness. “Y-yes. That’s right. That book.””Alright. How can I help you?”

took a deep breath, trying to speak calmly like a normal person. “I got your business card from an acquaintance. I wanted to contact you about a possible illustration collaboration for my new book.”

“Hmm.” Rudelf’s voice was a short murmur, it was hard to tell whether that meant interest or just polite acknowledgment. “When do you need it?”

” I actually,” I swallowed, “would like to discuss the concept as soon as possible. If your schedule is full, that’s fine, I can adju-”

“When can you meet?”

The question cut me off mid-sentence.

“Y-you want to meet?” I asked cautiously.

“Yes. It’s easier to discuss concepts in person.”

His tone landed like a stone dropping firm, direct, no circling around.

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “O-oh. Alright.

When are you available?”

“Do you have time this afternoon?”