No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 211

**He Chased 211**

**LAUREN’S POV**

“Goodbye, Ethan. This will be the last time you ever see my face.” The words escaped my lips with a calmness that surprised even me. I didn’t allow him the luxury of a response; I simply turned on my heel and walked away, the heavy door of the prison thudding shut behind me, its echo reverberating through the stillness of the corridor.

Even as I made my way down the seemingly endless hallway, I could hear him—his sobs growing louder, each one a jagged shard of sound that pierced through the air. They echoed off the cold, hard walls, trailing behind me like a persistent shadow, but I refused to let them penetrate my heart. Not anymore.

I didn’t glance back. Not once. This was a mess of his own making, a hell he had constructed brick by brick with his own hands. Now, he would have to bear the weight of it alone.

Stepping outside the prison building, I was greeted by the sharp bite of the cold air against my skin. I exhaled a long, weary sigh, and in that moment, it wasn’t just fatigue I felt. It was relief—pure and unmistakable, like a noose that had been tightened around my chest finally loosening its grip. I hadn’t realized just how heavy that weight had been until it was gone.

I felt lighter. Freer. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I could breathe without the constriction of anxiety.

Before he was arrested, I had confided in Sophia, unraveling every secret I had buried deep within me for years. And now, I had confronted Ethan too. I had released every burden that had anchored me down—every ounce of anger, every flicker of regret. Those tangled knots of pain that had woven themselves through my life because of those two… I had finally severed them.

Now, I could confidently declare that they were both a part of my past.

At last, I could forget everything that concerned them, for justice had taken its rightful place. They were both paying for the harm they had inflicted upon me—every betrayal, every deceit, every scar. The knowledge of their suffering brought me a peace I hadn’t anticipated.

As I began walking toward my car, the sunlight kissed my face, warming me slightly. But just as I was halfway there, my phone buzzed insistently from within my purse.

I paused, pulling it out, already anticipating who it might be. Perhaps Roman? I fervently hoped he hadn’t arrived at Aria’s school yet or sensed anything amiss. The last thing I wanted was for the delicate structure of what we were building to come crashing down due to some unnecessary misunderstanding. Things were finally falling into place, and I was desperate for them to remain that way.

I tapped the screen, squinting at the notification that had caught my attention.

It wasn’t from Roman.

My brows knitted together as I focused harder. I*******m.

I*******m?

I rarely received direct messages there, so the appearance of that app now was puzzling. Especially on a day like today.

I let out a small, exasperated sigh. I was not in the mood for unsolicited distractions, especially not today. Not after everything that had transpired recently—my name splashed across headlines, the whole world prying into my affairs, people bombarding me with messages on every platform imaginable. I simply didn’t have the time or the patience to deal with any of it.

1/4

I was on the verge of slipping my phone back into my purse when something caught my eye.

The message wasn’t a simple text.

It was a photo.

“Huh?” I murmured under my breath, a flicker of curiosity igniting in my mind despite my exhaustion. Why would a stranger send me a random photo? Was this yet another trick? Another spam account seeking attention?

Regardless, I clicked on the message—just a quick glimpse to clear the notification and move on.

But the moment the image loaded, my entire body went rigid.

For a fleeting second, I thought I had reached my limit of shock for the day. I genuinely believed that nothing could surprise me anymore, not after the turmoil I had just endured with Ethan.

Was this some jobless individual using my picture from online and manipulating it? Because people were capable of anything with AI these days—creating fake accounts, stealing identities, cloning faces…

—

2/4

But this… this didn’t seem like AI.

It appeared too real. Too organic. Too human.

I stared longer this time, searching for flaws—any digital inconsistencies that would reveal the truth. But nothing seemed amiss.

No. I couldn’t just stand here, overthinking every possibility. Staring at this without answers was sending me into a spiral of anxiety. My hands trembled slightly.

I needed to leave. I needed to get back. I had to show this to Roman. Immediately.

I swiftly turned off my phone, my heart racing now, and hurried toward my car, my steps shaky and uncertain.

Something was off.

Something was not right.

And whatever it was… I wasn’t facing it alone anymore.