Ignore Hubby and Son's Regret Shining Now novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Switched Focus

The scream stopped suddenly. Demi’s eyes turned cold as she reached for the car door to get in.

Nevin’s hand pressed against it. He stood there, frozen, staring at his phone.

His brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought.

Finished

Demi gave a mocking smile. “Go on, Mr. Blackwell. Go save your damsel in distress before she gets hurt.”

That same old trick. Rhea had used it more times than Demi could count.

Every time Nevin got one of those distress calls, no matter what he was doing, he’d drop everything and rush to her rescue.

Nevin’s eyes darkened. He looked at her like she was being unreasonable again.

Her chest tightened. She pulled at the door handle and said impatiently, “What’s wrong, Mr. Blackwell? Why aren’t you leaving? Guess Rhea’s favorite trick is starting to lose its spark for you, huh?”

Nevin stared at her for a long second. Then he turned away, returned Rhea’s call, and strode quickly toward his car.

Vroom!

The moment his engine roared to life, the car shot out of the parking lot.

Demi stood with the car door half open, watching Nevin’s car disappear into the distance.

She couldn’t tell what she was feeling–anger, sadness, or just exhaustion. Demi stayed frozen there for a while before finally slipping into the driver’s seat.

“Siri, call Wayne.”

Her voice was calm as she started the car and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. She didn’t hesitate this time.

The call connected quickly. Wayne’s voice came through, brisk and focused. “Move the Drupus case to next Monday. Demi, did Nevin sign the divorce papers yet? How’s it going?”

“Wayne, help me file for divorce,” Demi said. She knew Wayne was busy, so she skipped the small talk and went straight to the point.

There was a pause. Then Wayne’s calm voice came back, steady and certain. “Got it. I’ll handle it myself.”

On the other side of the city, Nevin rushed to Rhea’s apartment.

Someone had spray–painted threats across her front door. A sight so messy and violent it made his stomach twist.

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4:34 pm M M

Chapter 14 Switched Focus

“Stay back! Don’t come near me, please! Bohoo!” Rhea’s terrified voice came from inside.

When Nevin kicked the door open, he saw two burly men had her cornered.

She was curled up on the floor, trembling like a frightened animal.

Finished

One of them sneered, “Motherfucker, didn’t know that old gambling fool had such a pretty daughter. Gosh! If only I know…”

“Yeah,” the other chuckled. “Your daddy owes us, sweetheart. You’re going to pay his debt for him.”

Nevin’s eyes went cold. Without a word, he lunged forward and landed a sharp punch. The two thugs, more bark than bite, howled in pain, clutching their stomachs.

“Who the hell are you to her?” one of them spat, backing toward the door.

“Just you wait! Y–you’ll regret this!”

They shouted as they ran off down the hall.

Nevin wanted to ask how much Rhea’s father owed. Before he could ask that, Rhea threw herself into his arms. “Mr. Blackwell … I was so scared…” Her voice trembled as she clung tightly to his waist, sobbing uncontrollably.

Nevin froze, looking down at her pale face streaked with tears.

The thought of what could’ve happened if he’d been a few minutes late made his chest tighten.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly, awkwardly patting her shoulder.

Comforting people had never been his strength.

Still, his mind couldn’t help turning. Did Demi even know what Rhea had been through? How many times. had Rhea nearly been violated because of her father’s gambling debts?

They were both women. Why couldn’t Demi understand how hard Rhea’s life was?

The more he thought about Demi’s coldness and unreasonable attitude lately, the more frustrated he

became.

Fine, she could ignore him all she wanted, but she shouldn’t ignore Orion.

That night, Demi had been familiarizing herself with work.

When Phoebe found out Demi had been typing away since morning, she dragged her out for a Cajun boil.

“I already had Wayne send the court papers to Nevin,” Demi said, cracking open a crab leg and dipping it into the butter sauce.

Phoebe’s eyes widened. She inhaled sharply from the spice. Her voice was full of anger. “About time! That jerk still thinks he can stall the divorce? He should’ve been sued long ago. Cheating trash like him deserves

it!”

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4:34 pm MM

Chapter 14 Switched Focus

Realizing she might’ve gone too far, Phoebe glanced nervously at Demi’s face.

191

Finished

After they reunited, Phoebe already knew a thing or two about everything that had happened between Demi and Nevin over the years.

But Demi just smiled. “It’s fine.”

She’d long stopped being hurt. After seeing Nevin side with Rhea again and again, her heart had gone cold.

Phoebe, not wanting her best friend to drown in old pain, quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, girl, you’ve been out of the art scene for years. If you want people to notice you again, you need to make an entrance–a big one!”

Demi nodded in agreement.

She’d stayed quiet for too long. It was time for a comeback that would make the whole industry remember her name.

“What if we host an art show?” Phoebe suggested. “You design half the pieces, and I’ll do the rest. Let’s set it for two weeks from now!”

Demi hesitated, calculating if that was enough time. Her phone buzzed.

A call from Orion.

She hung up without a thought. “Now, about the design concept-”

“Bzzz–bzzz-”

The phone rang again, stubbornly. Still Orion.

This time, she didn’t hesitate either. Decline.

Just as she was about to dive back into the discussion with Phoebe, another call popped up–Helga.

Demi hesitated for a moment. After all, Helga was the maid she had personally hired. In the end, she picked up the call.

“Mom!” came Orion’s angry little voice. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you hang up when I call, but you answer when Helga calls?!”

As soon as the call connected, Orion’s upset voice came through.

“What do you want?”

Demi pressed her lips together. She’d already decided to walk away from both the father and son.

But after carrying him for nine months, her heart couldn’t just turn to stone.

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