No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 83

LAUREN’S POV

“Have you had something to eat?” I asked her softly, brushing a loose strand of her dark hair from her face.

She shook her head quickly, those big curious eyes of hers blinking up at me.

“Mummy’s sorry,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. “Come on, let’s go make something together.”

I stood up, balancing her weight easily as I set her back down on the ground. Her little shoes tapped against the floor as she grabbed my hand, and together we walked into the kitchen.

It’s funny, ever since Aria turned three, I’ve hated going to work. Not because I dislike what I do – no, I’ve poured five years of sweat into building my career here in Italy but because work always steals time away from her. My hours are long, my responsibilities heavier than I ever imagined. By the time I come home, I’m often late. Sometimes her teacher drops her off, and she ends up waiting alone in the house until I return.

The thought of her wandering these rooms without me always tears at my heart. Yes, I pay her schoolteacher extra to help me, but I know deep down that’s just me trying to patch over the guilt.

I’ve thought about hiring a maid more times than I can count. It wouldn’t even be difficult I can afford it now. But every time the thought grows strong enough to push me toward action, the memory of Elena stops me cold.

I left Elena in Ethan’s care, and look what happened. 1

The pain flashes across me like lightning. Even years later, it doesn’t fade. It doesn’t soften. I can’t shake the fear that if I leave Aria in someone else’s hands, history will repeat itself. I’m not saying everyone is like Ethan, or that hitmen are lurking around every corner waiting for my daughter. But Elena’s death carved something out of me that has never grown back. The fear of losing another child…it rules me more than I like to admit.

So here we are. At least when her teacher drops her off, Aria knows the routine. She goes to her room, does her best to wait until I return, sometimes drawing or humming to herself. She’s adapted better than I have, I think. But the truth? I hate it. I hate the silence she sits in while waiting. I hate the way she calls my name the second she hears my key at the door.

Until I learn to let go of this fear, she’ll just have to manage for me. And I’ll just have to manage with the guilt.

I forced a smile as I lifted her onto the kitchen counter. Her little legs swung back and forth as she looked at me expectantly. “So, what would you like to eat?”

She scrunched up her nose, putting her finger on her chin like she was making the most serious decision in the world. “Hmm… noodles and eggs,” she said finally, after giving it a dramatic, hard thought.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Then noodles and eggs you shall have,” I replied, reaching out to tickle her side just enough to make her giggle.

Her laughter filled the kitchen, warm and unrestrained.

Then I started going through the groceries I had bought earlier in the day. Of course, I had stocked up on noodles, it was one of her favorites, and I never wanted to disappoint her. I had also picked up some sweets,

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CHAPTER 083

+25 BONUS

even though I knew I shouldn’t. Her little teeth had already suffered from my bad habit of spoiling her, but giving her sweets was my way of making up for all the times I wasn’t there. Still, I reminded myself not to give them to her before dinner otherwise, she wouldn’t touch her food.

As I cracked the eggs into a pan, I began to hum one of her favorite songs. She joined in, humming along in her sweet, off–key voice that made my heart swell, the kitchen was filled with warmth and music, a fleeting reminder of what happiness truly felt like.

By the time I was done, the smell of fried eggs and noodles filled the room. I dished her portion onto a plate, turned to lift her down from the counter only for her to suddenly leap off on her own.

I froze, my eyebrows shooting up. “And when did you learn how to do that?” I asked, my voice a mix of shock and disbelief.

She looked up at me with wide innocent eyes, her small hands clasped together. “Saw it on TikTok. A boy did the same thing.” Her voice was slow, almost Guilty, like she wasn’t sure if I’d scold her.

My heart sank a little. “TikTok again,” I muttered under my breath.

That was another issue I wrestled with daily. Because she was often alone, no one monitored her studies or made sure she did her homework before I got back. Instead of cartoons or storybooks, she had grown addicted to scrolling through TikTok videos. I didn’t even know how much she absorbed from them — some harmless,

some not.

–

I wanted to tell her how dangerous it could be, how she was too young to be copying strangers from the internet.

“How many times have I told you to stop watching TikTok, Missy? And most of all, how many times have I told you to stop doing what you see online?” I said, my voice firm but trembling just a little with the frustration I’d been bottling up.

As the words left my lips, I caught the shift in her expression, her small face softening, her lips pressing together, and her eyes darting downward like she wanted to hide the guilt that had already betrayed her. My heart squeezed at the sight, but I couldn’t let it show. Not yet.

I stepped closer, each stride deliberate, and crouched just enough so I was eye level with her. Gently, I hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up until her wide eyes finally met mine. There it was – remorse swimming in those innocent pupils, mixed with fear that she’d disappointed me again.

“Do you want me to seize your tablet? Or cut off the Internet? Because at this point, that’s exactly what you’re pushing me to do.” My tone was measured, but inside, my chest burned. I hated threatening her, but what choice did I have?

“No… I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice so small it almost broke me.

“What you did right now was dangerous, even though you don’t realize it. And I’m sure this is just the beginning – first it looks harmless, then it gets addictive, and before you know it, no one knows what happens next.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, steadying myself before leaning in closer. “Promise mummy you’re going to stop from now on.”

“I promise I’ll stop,” she said quickly, sincerity dripping from every word.

CHAPTER 083

+25 BONUS

For a moment, I felt anger rise in me again an ache behind my ribs that begged to snap. Any mother in my shoes would have reacted the same. I’m trying, really trying, to protect my daughter, to keep her safe in a world that seems more dangerous every single day. And yet she keeps running to the very thing that can snatch her innocence, distract her from her future, and lead her into mistakes that won’t be so easy to undo.

If she gets hooked on TikTok, her grades could slip. She could stray so far off track that by the time she realized it, it might be too late. That’s my fear. That’s the thing that keeps me awake some nights.

But staring into her eyes now, how could I stay angry? Aria wasn’t a liar. She wasn’t a deceiver. When she made a promise, she held onto it with all her heart. And since she’s given me her word now, I have to believe her. For tonight, that has to be enough.

“Alright,” I said, straightening my back, though my hand lingered for a second on her cheek. “I’m going to keep an eye on what you do. If I see even as much as a hint of TikTok, or you watching dangerous, uneducated videos even on YouTube, then I’m cutting you off the Internet. Am I clear?”

Her shoulders sagged as if my words had weighed her down, and she gave me the smallest nod, guilt still painted all over her face.

I sighed and took her hand, I didn’t want what I just heard to ruin my evening or hers. “Come on,” I said, “let’s eat.”

We walked back to the dining table together, her tiny fingers curled around mine. She climbed into her chair with the plate of noodles in front of her. Just as I was about to sit down, my phone buzzed.

I picked it up absentmindedly, expecting maybe a message from Tessa or a reminder notification. But when I turned on the screen, I saw it was from my manager. He had finally sent me the mail he’d mentioned earlier at

work

I tapped it open, scrolling quickly, my mind half on the food and half on Aria humming happily as she dug into her noodles. But then my eyes caught the words on the screen, and everything inside me froze.

I read the lines once. Then twice. My heart started to pound in my chest, thudding so loud it drowned out the sound of Aria’s spoon clinking against her plate.

The words swam in front of me, but they were clear enough. I blinked rapidly, my breath catching in my throat.

And then, unable to contain it, I shot up from my chair in shock.