Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127

The fight started during lunch break when Rose Taylor made the mistake of sitting at Monica’s table uninvited. Monica had been alone for weeks now, esting by herself in the corner of the cafeteria while other students whispered about her family’s problems. She preferred the solitude to fake conversations with people who only wanted gossip.

“My mom says your mom married a terrorist, Rose announced loudly, unwrapping her sandwich like she was delivering breaking news.

Monica looked up from her untouched apple, her stomach already tight with the familiar knot of anxiety that never seemed to go away anymore.

“She says it’s all over the news. FBI raids and everything. My mom thinks your real mom is probably going to jail too.”

Other students at nearby tables turned to listen. Monica could feel their eyes on her like spotlights, waiting to see how she would react to having her family’s shame displayed for entertainment..

“She’s not going to jail,” Monica said quietly, her voice barely audible over the cafeteria noise.

“But she married him, right? After he got caught funding terrorists? That makes her an accomplice or whatever.” Rose bit into her sandwich, chewing while she talked. “My mom says anyone who stays with a criminal must be a criminal too.”

Something hot and sharp began building in Monica’s chest. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know what I saw on TV. Federal agents carrying boxes out of some fancy house. Your mom standing there in her expensive clothes while her husband got arrested for terrorism.”

“He wasn’t arrested,” Monica corrected, her hands clenching into fists on the table.

“Yet,” Rose said with a mean smile. “My mom says it’s just a matter of time. She says your mom probably knew all along what kind of man she was marrying. She says she chose money over being a good person.”

The hot, sharp feeling exploded through Monica’s body like lightning. Without thinking, without planning, she grabbed her apple and hurled it across the table. It hit Rose square in the face with a wet thud, apple juice splattering across her shocked expression.

“Don’t talk about my mother!” Monica screamed, jumping to her feet.

Rose wiped apple juice from her eyes, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. “You’re crazy! You actually threw food at me!”

“My mother isn’t a criminal! She’s a good person who got hurt by people like you!”

୮

“People like me? I’m not the one whose family is all over the news for being terrorists!”

Monica launched herself across the table before she could stop herself. Her hands found Rose’s shoulders, pushing her backward off her chair. They both went down in a tangle of arms and legs, Monica’s rage finally finding a target after months of being trapped inside her head.

“Take it back!” Monica shouted, grabbing handfuls of Rose’s hair. “Take back what you said about my mom!”

Rose screamed and tried to push Monica away, but thirteen years of suppressed anger made Monica stronger than anyone expected. She had never hit another person in her life, but now her fists seemed to move on their own, driven by months of pain and helplessness.

“She didn’t do anything wrong! She’s not a criminal! She’s not!” Monica’s voice cracked as she fought, tears streaming down

her face.

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Chapter 122

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wok diree teachers to pull them apart. By the time the adults separated them, Rose’s nose was bleeding and Monica’s -knuckles were scraped raw. The entire cafeteria had gone silent, two hundred students staring at the quiet art girl who had just beaten up Rose Taylor over family gossip,

An hour later, Monica sat in Principal Antonio’s office with ice on her knuckles and shame burning in her chest. She had never been in trouble at school before. Never raised her voice to a teacher, never broken a rule, never caused problems. She was the good Hart child, the one who stayed out of the way and didn’t make waves.

But now she felt like a stranger to herself. Like the person who had attacked Rose was someone else wearing her skin.

“This is completely unlike you, Monica,” Principal Antonio said, reviewing her file. “You’ve never had a disciplinary issue. Your teachers describe you as quiet, respectful, creative. What happened today?^

Monica stared at her hands, not trusting herself to speak. How could she explain that months of pretending to be fine had finally exploded out of her? How could she tell him that hearing someone attack her mother had triggered something violent and protective she didn’t know existed inside her?

“Rose says you attacked her without warning. She says you threw food at her and then physically assaulted her when she tried to defend herself”

“She was lying about my mom,” Monica said quietly.

“What kind of lies?”

“She said…” Monica’s voice caught in her throat. “She said my mom was a criminal. She said she married a terrorist and that she was going to jail.”

Principal Antonio nodded slowly. “I see. And you felt you needed to defend your mother’s honor?”

“My mom isn’t a bad person. She didn’t do anything wrong. Rose’s mom is spreading lies about her, and Rose was repeating them to hurt me.”

“But physical violence isn’t the way to handle hurtful words, Monica. You know that.”

Before Monica could respond, the office door opened and Margaret walked in. She looked frazzled and angry, her makeup smeared and her clothes wrinkled like she’d been drinking again.

“I came as soon as I got the call,” Margaret said, not bothering to look at Monica. “What did she do now?”

Principal Antonio gestured for Margaret to sit down. “Mrs. Hart, Monica was involved in a physical altercation with another

୮ student. She threw food and then engaged in what witnesses describe as a prolonged fight.”

Margaret’s face went red with embarrassment. “This is so humiliating. First her grades, now this. I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately.”

“She says she was defending her mother’s reputation.”

“Her mother?” Margaret’s voice rose sharply. “You mean Lucia? The woman who abandoned her children to marry a man under federal investigation for terrorism?”

Monica felt her chest tighten with anger. “That’s not what happened.”

“Isn’t it?” Margaret turned to face her with cold eyes. “Your mother chose a criminal over her own children. She left you here to deal with the mess while she played house with her terrorist boyfriend.”

“He’s not a terrorist,” Monica said, her voice getting stronger.

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Chapter 122

→ Fleethink differently. They raided his house, Monica. They took boxes of evidence. That doesn’t happen to

meent people

Principal Artono cleared his roat uncomfortably. “Perhaps we should focus on Monica’s behavior rather than family

This is a family issue. Margaret interrupted. “Monica is acting out because her mother abandoned her. She’s angry and confused, and instead of dealing with those feelings appropriately, she’s lashing out at other students.”

“My mom didn’t abandon me,” Monica said, standing up from her chair.

“She left, didn’t she? She packed her bags and moved in with another man. She chose him over you.”

“Because we chose Dad over her!” The words exploded out of Monica like they had been waiting months to be spoken. “We believed his lies! We helped him drive her away!”

Margaret’s mouth fell open. Principal Antonio shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“We told her we didn’t want to live with her,” Monica continued, her voice getting louder. “We said we wanted to stay with Dad and you. We broke her heart, and then we act surprised when she builds a new life without us.”

“Monica, that’s enough, Margaret warned.

“No, it’s not enough. You want to know why I’m acting out? It’s because I live in a house where everyone lies about everything. Dad lies about why Mom left. You lie about being a good stepmother. Ria and Lucas lie about being happy. Everyone lies except me, and I’m tired of it.”

“Your mother chose to marry a criminal.”

“My mother chose to marry someone who loves her!” Monica’s voice cracked with emotion. “Someone who doesn’t cheat on her with women half his age! Someone who doesn’t lie to her før years!”

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