Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Chapter 143

The dining room filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation. Mrs. Chen had outdone herself with the meal, preparing all of Monica’s favorites and even remembering that Lucas liked his chicken extra crispy. Candles flickered on the table, casting warm light across everyone’s faces.

Monica sat between her siblings, her smile brighter than Lucia had seen it in days. Ria was telling some story about a teacher at school, her hands moving animatedly as she spoke. Lena chimed in with questions, eager to be part of the conversation.

Alexander sat at the head of the table, watching the four teenagers interact with quiet satisfaction. His hand rested on Lucia’s under the table, squeezing gently.

Lucia tried to focus on the moment. Her children were here, together, laughing. This was what she’d dreamed of during all those dark months. But something felt off. She couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

Lucas reached for his water glass, and his sleeve pulled back slightly. Lucia’s breath caught.

A bruise. Dark purple and yellow, spreading across his jaw like someone had painted it there with violence.

Her fork clattered against her plate. Everyone stopped talking.

“Lucas.” Lucia’s voice came out quieter than she intended. “What happened to your face?”

Lucas’s hand flew to his jaw, pulling his collar up to cover it. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“That’s not nothing.” Lucia’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a bruise. A bad one.”

“I just bumped into something. It’s not a big deal.”

Ria’s face went pale. She stared down at her plate, suddenly very interested in pushing her food around.

“Bumped into what?” Lucia pressed. “Lucas, look at me.”

Lucas lifted his eyes to his mother’s. Lucia saw it there, in the way he couldn’t quite meet her gaze. Fear. Shame. Something he was trying to hide.

“Tell me the truth. Right now.”

Monica’s hand found Lucas’s under the table. “It’s okay. You can tell her.”

The table went silent. Even the candles seemed to stop flickering. Alexander leaned forward slightly, his expression darkening.

“Lucas.” Lucia’s voice cracked. “Who did this to you?”

“Mom, please. Just leave it alone.”

“I will not leave it alone!” Lucia’s palm hit the table. “Someone hurt you. Someone put their hands on my son. Tell me who. Ria’s eyes filled with tears. “Mom, don’t make him.”

“Ria, if you know something, you need to tell me right now.”

Lucas took a shaky breath. The words seemed to cost him everything to say. “It was Dad. Dad hit me.”

The room tilted. Lucia felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Her vision narrowed to just Lucas’s face, to that horrible bruise that she now understood was the shape of a fist.

“When?” The word came out strangled.

“Last night. We got home from visiting here and he was waiting for us. He asked where we’d been and when we told him, he just…” Lucas’s voice broke. “He lost it.”

“He hit you.” Lucia wasn’t asking anymore. She was confirming what her whole body already knew.

“Twice.” Ria’s whisper cut through the silence. “He punched Lucas twice. Once in the face and once in the stomach.

Lucia stood up so fast her chair fell backward. The crash echoed through the dining room. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking.

“Lucia.” Alexander stood too, reaching for her. “Breathe.”

But Lucia couldn’t breathe. Her son had been hit. Her baby. Marco had put his hands on Lucas in anger and hurt him. The bruise on his face was proof. Evidence of violence that made her blood turn to ice and then to fire.

“Where else did he hurt you?” Lucia grabbed Lucas’s face gently, turning it to see the full extent of the damage. “Show me. Show me everything.”

Lucas lifted his shirt. Bruises dotted his ribs, dark and angry. Lucia’s vision went red

Chapter 143

“Mom, it’s okay. I’m fine.” Lucas tried to pull his shirt back down.

‘s fut okay! Lycia’s voice came out as a roar. “It will never be okay! He hit you! He put his hands on you!”

Lucia, sit down.” Alexander’s voice came calm but firm. “You need to think before you act.”

Lucia turned to face him. “Think? My ex-husband just beat our son and you want me to think?”

“I want you to be smart about this.” Alexander moved closer. “If you go over there in this state, things will escalate.”

“Good.” Lucia grabbed her purse from the side table. “Let them escalate. Marco needs to understand what happens when he touches my children.”

“Mom, please don’t.” Monica stood, tears streaming down her face. “Please don’t go over there. Dad’s been drinking. He’s not himself.”

“Exactly.” Lucia’s jaw set in a hard line. “Which is why I need to handle this now.”

She walked toward the door. Alexander followed, trying to reason with her. “Lucia, wait. Let’s call the police. Let’s do this the right way.”

“The right way?” Lucia spun around. “The right way got my daughter starving herself until she nearly died. The right way left my son at the mercy of a violent drunk. No. I’m done doing things the right way.”

She yanked open the front door. The evening air hit her face, cool and sharp. Her driver was already bringing the car around, as if he’d sensed she would need it.

“Mrs. Kane, where are we going?” He opened the door for her.

“The Hart residence.” Lucia’s voice came cold, controlled. “And step on it.”

The drive took fifteen minutes but felt like hours. Lucia sat in the back seat, her hands clenched into fists, her whole body vibrating with fury. She kept seeing Lucas’s face. The bruise. The fear in his eyes. The way he’d tried to hide it from her.

Marco had done this. The man she’d spent seventeen years with. The man she’d loved. The father of her children. He’d put his hands on their son in violence.

The car pulled up to the Hart house. Lights blazed from every window. Lucia was out of the car before it fully stopped, her heels clicking against the pavement as she marched to the front door.

She didn’t knock. She pounded. Fist against wood, over and over, until the door swung open.

Marco stood there, his shirt untucked, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His eyes widened when he saw her.

“Lucia. What are you doing here?”

She pushed past him into the house. “You hit Lucas.”

Marco’s face went from surprised to defensive. “That’s between me and my son.”

“Your son?” Lucia whirled on him. “Your son? You gave up the right to call him that when you put your fist in his face!” “He disrespected me! He went to your house behind my back and then had the nerve to defend you to my face!”

“So you hit him!” Lucia’s voice echoed off the walls. “You hit a sixteen year old boy because your feelings were hurt?” Margaret appeared in the doorway, cigarette in hand. “You need to leave. You’re not welcome here.” [

“Shut up.” Lucia didn’t even look at her. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me. This is my home now.”

Lucia laughed, the sound bitter and sharp. “Your home? You mean the home you stole? The life you destroyed?”

Marco stepped between them. “Lucia, you need to calm down.”

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down.” Lucia’s finger jabbed into his chest. “You hit my son. You put bruises on his body You hurt him.”

“They’re my children too! I have a right to discipline them!”

“Discipline?” Lucia’s voice went quiet, dangerous. “You call beating them discipline?”

“I didn’t beat anyone. I gave him a couple of smacks to teach him respect.”

“A couple of smacks.” Lucía repeated the words like they tasted foul. “His jaw is black and blue. His ribs are covered in bruises. That’s not discipline, Marco. That’s abuse.”

Margaret moved closer, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “Maybe if you’d been a better mother, your children wouldn’t need to be disciplined at all.”

Lucia turned to her slowly. “Say that again. I dare you

Chapter 143

“You heard me. You abandoned your children. You chose your new husband over them. And now you come here throwing Laecusations around like you have any right to judge how Marco parents.”

“I didn’t abandon anyone!” Lucia’s control snapped. “I tried to take them with me! I begged them to come! But you and

Marco poisoned them against me with your lies!”

Marco grabbed Lucia’s arm “Lower your voice. The neighbors will hear.”

Lucia yanked free from his grip. “I don’t care if the whole neighborhood hears! You hit bucas! You put your hands on him in anger! And I swear to God, Marco, if you ever touch him again, I will destroy you.”

“Is that a threat?” Marco’s face flushed red. “You can’t tell me how to raise my own kids.”

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