Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 148

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Chapter ILS –

Chapter 148

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Marco sat hunched over his desk, staring at the quarterly reports that made less sense each time he read them. The numbers blurred together as his head pounded from another sleepless night. Empty whiskey bottles lined the bookshelf behind him, and his shirt was wrinkled from sleeping in his office chair.

A sharp knock on the door made him look up. Come in.” The words came out rough, strained.

Diana, his secretary for ten years, entered with a manila envelope in her hands. Her face was unusually pale, and she avoided meeting his eyes.

“Mr. Hart, this just arrived by courier. It’s marked urgent and requires your immediate attention.”

Marco took the envelope without really looking at it. “Just leave it with the other papers.”

“Sir, I think you should open this now. It’s from a law firm.”

Something in her tone made Marco focus. He looked down at the return address and felt his blood turn to ice.

*Morrison, Blackwell & Kane – Family Law*

His hands shook as he tore open the envelope. The official court documents spilled onto his desk, and the words hit him like

bullets.

*PETITION FOR SOLE CUSTODY*

*LUCIA MARIE HART vs. MARCO JOSEPH HART*

Marco’s vision went red around the edges. The papers trembled in his grip as he read through the legal language that stripped away his rights as a father. Evidence of physical abuse, Photographic documentation of injuries. Witness statements from all three children.

“She can’t do this.” The whisper came broken, then louder, “She can’t do this!”

Diana backed toward the door. “Sir, should I call your lawyer?”

“GET OUT!” Marco’s roar filled the office. His arm swept across the desk. Papers, coffee cups, and office supplies crashed to the floor in a shower of chaos.

Diana fled, closing the door behind her with a loud click.

J

Marco stared at the custody papers scattered among the mess on his floor. His children’s names were typed in cold, black letters. Lucas James Hart. Ria Catherine Hart. Monica Rose Hart. Each name felt like a dagger in his chest.

The door opened again, and Margaret walked in wearing a tight black dress and her most sympathetic expression.

“Darling, I heard shouting. What’s wrong?”

Marco pointed at the papers on the floor with a shaking finger. “She’s trying to take them. She’s trying to take my children away from me completely.”

Margaret bent down and gathered the legal documents, her eyes scanning the pages with growing satisfaction that she quickly hid behind a mask of concern.

“Oh, Marco. This is terrible. How could she be so cruel?”

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Chapter 1LS

ook at this Marco’s voice broke. “She has photos of Lucas’s bruise. Statements from all of them saying I hurt them. She’s painting me as some kind of monster.”

Margaret sat on the edge of desk, crossing her legs deliberately. “Well, honey, you did hit them.”

“It was discipline! It was two times! They were being disrespectful!”

“I know, darling. I know.” Margaret’s voice was soothing, but her words were poison. “But Lucia has twisted everything. She’s made them believe that you’re the villain in this story.”

Marco stood up and began pacing behind his desk like a caged animal. “They’re my children. Mine! I raised them. I provided for them. I gave them everything.”

“And how did they repay you?” Margaret’s question came soft, calculated. “They chose her. They rejected you. They ran to her the moment she crooked her finger.”

“That’s not true. They were confused. Lucia manipulated them.”

“Did she? Or did they show you their true colors?” Margaret stood and moved closer to him. “Think about it, Marco. The moment things got difficult, they abandoned you. They didn’t even try to understand your side.”

Marco stopped pacing and looked at her. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that maybe this is a blessing in disguise.” Margaret reached out and straightened his tie with gentle fingers. “Maybe this is the universe telling you that those children were never really yours.”

“They’re my blood!”

“Blood doesn’t mean loyalty, Marco. Blood doesn’t mean love.” Margaret’s voice was soft, hypnotic. “Your own children testified against you. They gave Lucia ammunition to destroy you in court.”

Marco sank back into his chair, the fight draining out of him. They hate me.”

“They do hate you. And you know what? Maybe they always did.” Margaret perched on the arm of his chair, her hand resting on his shoulder. “Think about how they treated me from the very beginning. Think about how they rejected every kindness I showed them.”

“They were just adjusting to the divorce…”

“They were showing you exactly what kind of people they really are.” Margaret’s fingers massaged his tense muscles. “Selfish. Ungrateful. Disloyal. They inherited all of Lucia’s worst qualities.”

Marco felt something crack inside his chest. The pain of his children choosing Lucia over him was a wound that wouldn’t heal, and Margaret was pouring salt into it with surgical precision.

“I loved them.” The whisper came broken.

“I know you did. But did they love you back? Really?” Margaret’s voice was full of false sympathy. “When Lucia called, they ran to her. When she told them to turn against you, they did it without hesitation. That’s not love, Marco. That’s convenience.”

“They’re just children…”

“Lucas is sixteen. Ria is fourteen. They’re old enough to know right from wrong. Old enough to make adult choices.” Margaret slid into his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck. “And their choice was to betray the father who gave them everything.”

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Chapter LLS

Marco buried his face in his hands. “What am I supposed to do? How do I fight this?”

“Maybe you don’t fight it.” Margaret’s words came quiet, dangerous.

Marco looked up at her in shock. “What?”

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“Maybe you let them go. Maybe you accept that they’ve chosen their side, and you choose yours” Margaret’s eyes were bright with false tears. “It hurts, I know. But sometimes we have to cut out the parts of our lives that are poisoning us.”

“They’re my children!”

“Were they acting like your children when they gave Lucia those statements? Were they acting like your children when they moved in with her and her billionaire husband?” Margaret’s voice grew stronger, more persuasive. “They made their choice, Marco. They chose to destroy you.”

Marco stared at the custody papers on the floor. The photos of Lucas’s bruised face stared back at him, accusatory and damning

“They could have talked to me.” The words came out broken, desperate. “They could have tried to work things out. Instead, they ran straight to lawyers.”

“Exactly.” Margaret stroked his hair like she was comforting a wounded animal. “They didn’t want to fix your relationship. They wanted to end it. They wanted to punish you for not being perfect.”

“I wasn’t that bad of a father.”

“You were a wonderful father. You worked yourself to death to provide for them. You gave them every advantage, every opportunity. And this is how they thank you by stabbing you in the back.”

Marco felt anger building in his chest, hot and bitter. “I gave them everything.”

“And they threw it back in your face. They chose a woman who married a billionaire over the father who built his business from nothing.” Margaret’s voice was getting stronger now, more confident. “They chose the parent who left over the parent who stayed.”

“She didn’t leave. I threw her out…”

“Did you? Or did she choose to give up instead of fighting for her family?” Margaret turned his face toward hers. “Think about it, Marco. A real mother would have fought tooth and nail to stay with her children. But Lucia? She ran straight to Alexander Kane’s arms. She only came back when she wanted to punish you.”

The poison was working. Marco could feel his love for his children curdling into something darker, hore bitter.

“They never even gave me a chance to explain.” His voice came hollow.

“Because they didn’t want to hear your side. They had already decided you were guilty.” Margaret’s hand moved to rest over his heart. “But I believe in you, Marco. I know what kind of man you really are.”

“Do you?”

“I know you’re a man who deserves loyalty. Who deserves children who will stand by you no matter what. Who deserves a family that puts you first.” Margaret leaned closer. “And that’s exactly what we’re going to build together.”

Marco looked into her eyes and saw his future reflected there. A future without the constant reminder of his failures as a father. A future without children who looked at him with disappointment and anger.

“Maybe you’re right. The words came slow, uncertain.

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