No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 46

LAUREN'S POV

The picture of Elena was squeezed tightly in my trembling hand, the edges worn from how often I’d held it, stared at it cried over it. Her innocent smile frozen in time, so full of life, of laughter, of everything that used to make my world make sense.

Now, it all felt like a lie.

I thought I had endured the worst pain imaginable. I thought losing her, my baby, my light, was the most I would ever have to bear. But I was wrong.

What I just heard from Ethan… no, not just heard, what everyone just heard was far worse than anything I could’ve imagined. It was more than betrayal. It was monstrous.

The place had fallen into stunned silence, whispers buzzing like flies in the corners. Eyes flicked from me to him, judgment heavy in the air. People exchanged glances, disbelief etched into their faces, as if unsure whether they had truly heard what they thought they had.

And Ethan? He stood there with that same look on his face, confusion… or was it guilt trying to wear the mask of innocence?

Either way, I wasn’t buying it.

He was shifting on his feet, scanning the room like a man searching for an escape route, trying desperately to claw back control of a moment that had slipped too far from his grasp.

I took a deep breath, but it barely calmed the storm inside me. “How could you?” I asked, my voice trembling but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ethan’s brows furrowed, his lips curling in that familiar, fake confusion. “How could I what?” he asked, tilting his head like a clueless fool. “What’s going on? Why are you coming at me like this?”

Oh, so now he wanted to play dumb. Pretend like the words that just left his own mouth, selfish, damning words were figments of everyone’s imagination.

“Are you seriously going to keep pretending? Right here, in front of all these people?” I said, wiping the tears burning my eyes. I could barely believe I was even standing here, confronting him like this. But I had to.

He raised his hands slightly, palms open, still playing innocent. “I’m not pretending anything. If I’ve done something wrong, just tell me. But don’t stand there and attack me like this without…”

I cut him off, my voice cracking. “You want me to tell you what you did wrong?”

My grip tightened on Elena’s photo.

“You killed our daughter. That’s what you did.”

Gasps filled the room like a wave crashing over a cliff. The whispering stopped. The silence that followed was louder than any scream.

Ethan’s face paled. For a moment, I saw something flicker behind his eyes fear? Guilt? Remorse? But it disappeared as fast as it came.

He stepped forward, voice raised. “How dare you say that to me? I loved Elena more than anything in this world. Don’t you dare accuse me of…”

“You loved her?” I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and sharp. “If you loved her so much, why did you leave her alone in the house just to go and see this woman in the hospital?”

I didn’t need to say the name. I just pointed.

All eyes turned toward Sofia, who stood beside him in silence, looking every bit the polished, composed woman she tried so hard to be. She blinked, as if unsure whether to play innocent or proud.

Ethan blinked rapidly, like someone who had just been punched in the gut. “How… how do you know about that?” he asked, stumbling over his words.

My hands trembled as I held up the photo of our daughter. “That’s what you have to say for yourself right now? How do I know? That’s your concern?”

I took a step forward, no longer caring about who was watching. My pain had simmered into rage, and I wasn’t going to hold back.

He took a step back and stared around, seeing how everyone was looking at him.

Ethan looked around again, desperate, as if searching for someone to defend him. No one did. Not a single soul in that room spoke up for him.

My stomach churned. I nodded slowly, disappointment clawing its way through my chest. My hand twitched, aching to slap him, to bring him back to his senses, but I controlled myself. Barely.

“You don’t deserve to be here,” I said through gritted teeth. My voice was low, almost calm, but it carried venom that echoed louder than any shout. “Neither of you.”

He chuckled, actually chuckled, and looked me square in the eyes. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m also her father.”

“You lost that title weeks ago,” I shot back. “A true parent would sacrifice everything for their child. Even their own life.”

That got to him.

“You know what?” he said, stepping back. “Screw this. And screw you.”

Before I could say another word, he stormed off toward his laptop bag, completely ignoring the growing murmurs and shocked glances from those standing nearby. No shame. No hesitation.

I watched as he dug into the bag, uncaring of how everyone around him was watching, how they stared in disbelief as he unzipped the side pocket and pulled out a white envelope.

Then he walked back toward me, face hard and eyes unreadable.

“Here,” he said flatly, and threw the envelope at me.

It hit my chest and fluttered to the ground. I stared at it. My fingers were trembling as I slowly picked it up.

“Divorce papers,” he said coldly. “I’ve signed mine. I wanted to wait until all this…” he gestured vaguely toward Elena’s grave, “was over. But there’s no point waiting anymore, you're not worth it, none of you are.”

My throat tightened. I looked down at the papers, my vision blurry with unshed tears. Did he really have to do this now? In front of all these people? In front of our daughter’s grave?

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. The wind rustled around us, blowing softly across the cemetery. Everyone was silent. No one moved.