Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

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Monica sat on her bed, her sees pulled up to her chest, rocking slightly back and forth. The words she had overheard kept spinning in her mind like a broken record. Marco was trying to take them back. After everything they had been through, after finally finding peace and happiness, he wanted to drag them back into that nightmare.

Her hands shook as she reached for her phone. She needed to tell her siblings. They had to know what was coming.

She typed quickly into their group chat: Emergency farily meeting. My room. NOW.

Withm minutes, footsteps thundered up the stairs. Ria burst through the door first, her face flushed from running. Lucas followed close behind, and Lena appeared last, still holding the book she had been reading in the garden.

“What’s wrong?” Ria asked immediately, seeing Monica’s pale face and trembling hands. “You look terrified.”

“Sit down.” Monica’s whisper came barely audible. “All of you. Please

They arranged themselves on her bed, creating a circle like they used to do for their late-night conversations. But this time, the atmosphere was heavy with dread instead of giggles and secrets.

“I heard Mom and Dad talking in the office.” Monica began, her voice shaking. “Daddy is trying to get us back.”

The words fell into the room like stones into still water, creating ripples of shock and fear.

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked, his voice tight.

“He filed papers in court. He wants custody of us again. He’s claiming that Mom manipulated us, that she’s unfit, that we were taken away from him illegally.”

Ria’s face went white. “That’s impossible. He gave up his rights. He told his secretary he was done being our father.”

“Apparently he changed his mind.” Monica’s tears started streaming down her cheeks. “And Margaret is helping him. She wrote statements saying Mom is mentally unstable and that we were kidnapped.”

Lena moved closer to Monica and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, breathe. You’re hyperventilating.”

But Monica couldn’t stop the panic that was building in her chest. “What if he wins? What if we have to go back to that house? What if Margaret gets to torment us again?”

“He can’t win.” Ria’s voice came firm, but her own hands were shaking. “We have evidence. We have the photos of Lucas’s bruises. We have medical records from your therapy sessions.”

“But what if that’s not enough?” Monica’s voice rose higher. “What if the judge thinks biological fathers should always get their children back? What if they believe his lies?”

Lucas clenched his fists. “I won’t go back there. I won’t let him hit me again. I won’t watch Margaret destroy you and Ria while pretending to be the perfect stepmother.”

“None of you are going back.” Lena spoke with quiet determination. “Mom and Dad won’t let that happen.”

“But what if they can’t stop it?” Monica asked, her worst fears pouring out. “What if the court forces us to go back? What if we lose everything we’ve built here?”

The room fell silent as each of them imagined returning to their old life. The constant tension. The walking on eggshells. The feeling of being unwanted in their own home.

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Chapter 156

can’t go back to cutting myself” Monica whispered so quictly they almost couldn’t hear her. “I can’t survive in that house again I was dying there, and now I’m finally alive.”

Ria reached over and took Monica’s hand. “You won’t have to. We won’t let it happen.”

“How can you be so sure?” Monica asked desperately.

“Because we’re not the same people we were before.” Ria’s voice grew stronger. “We’re not broken anymore. We’re not alone. We have each other, and we have parents who actually love us.”

“Ria’s right.” Lucas added. “Before, we were just three scared kids trying to survive. Now we’re a family. A real family that fights for each other.”

Lena squeezed Monica tighter. “And you have me now too. I’m not going to let anyone hurt my sister. Any of my siblings.”

“But what if it’s not enough?” Monica asked again, the fear still consuming her.

“Then we fight harder.” A new voice came from the doorway.

All four children turned to see Alexander standing there, his face serious but his eyes full of love and determination.

“Dad” Lena’s voice flooded with relief. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to hear that my children are scared.” Alexander entered the room fully. “And I want you to know that your fear is understandable, but it’s also unnecessary.”

“Is it true?” Lucas asked directly. “Is he really trying to get us back?”

“Yes,” Alexander didn’t sugar-coat the truth. “He filed custody papers this morning. But I want you to understand something very important. Filing papers and winning in court are two very different things.”

Lucia appeared behind Alexander, her face showing the strain of the morning but also fierce maternal protectiveness.

“Mom.” Monica breathed, fresh tears starting. “I’m so scared.”

Lucia moved quickly to the bed and gathered Monica into her arms. “I know, sweetheart. I know you’re scared. But I need you to listen to me very carefully.”

She looked around at all four children, making sure she had their complete attention.

“Marco Hart will not take you away from this family. I don’t care what papers he files, what lies he tells, or what lawyers he hires. You are my children, and I will fight for you with everything I have.”

“But what if the judge doesn’t believe us?” Ria asked, voicing the fear they all shared.

“Then we appeal.” Alexander spoke simply “And if that doesn’t work, we appeal again. We have unlimited resources and unlimited determination. We will exhaust every legal option available.”

“But courts usually favor biological parents.” Lucas pointed out. “What if they think he has more rights than you do?”

“Then they’ll learn very quickly that they’re wrong.” Lucia’s voice came like steel. “Marco had his chance to be your father. For thirteen, sixteen, and fifteen years respectively. He chose to throw that away when he put his hands on you in anger.”

“Besides.” Alexander added. “You’re not little children anymore. Lucas is fifteen, Ria is sixteen. Courts listen to older children about where they want to live. Your voices matter.”

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Chapter 156-

What alanut me Alonica asked quietly. “I’m only thirteen. What if they don’t think I’m old enough to choose?”

“Then we make sure they understand exactly what kind of environment Marco’s house was for you.” Lucia spoke gently. “We have your medical records, Monica. We have documentation of your self-harm your depression, your anxiety. We have proof that your mental health improved dramatically after coming to live with us.

“And we have something else.” Alexander sat on the edge of the bed. “We have the truth. We have a family that genuinely loves and supports each other. Any judge who spends five minutes with us will see that.”

“What about Margaret?” Lena asked. “She’s probably going to testify against you.”

Lucia’s expression hardened. “Let her. Let her get on the witness stand and try to explain why a thirteen-year-old girl was cutting herself while living under her care. Let her try to justify why she called you ungrateful brats.”

“You remember that?” Monica asked, surprised.

“I remember everything Marco and Margaret did to hurt you.” Lucia’s words came firm. “And I’ve been documenting it all. Every cruel comment, every instance of neglect, every moment they made you feel unwanted.”

“So what happens now?” Lucas asked.

“Now we prepare.” Alexander answered. “We gather our evidence, we meet with our lawyers, and we present our case. But most importantly, we stay together as a family.”

“And we don’t let fear control us.” Lucia added. “Marco is counting on us being scared, on us feeling helpless. But we’re not helpless anymore. We’re strong, and we’re united.”

Monica wiped her eyes and looked around at her family. “So we’re really going to fight?”

“We’re going to win.” Ria spoke with conviction.

“Together.” Lucas added.

“As a family.” Lena finished.

Alexander stood up and extended his hand. “Come on, let’s go to the living room. I think this conversation calls for hot chocolate and planning our strategy.”

One by one, they took his hand and allowed him to pull them up from the bed. As they walked downstairs together, Monica felt the panic in her chest begin to ease slightly.

She was still scared. They all were. But for the first time since overhearing that conversation, she remembered something important. She wasn’t alone anymore. She had a family that would fight for her, parents who would move heaven and earth to protect her, and siblings who would stand by her no matter what.

Marco Hart might have legal papers and expensive lawyers, but they had something much more powerful.

They had each other.

And as they settled into the living room with steaming mugs of hot chocolate, planning their defense against the man who had once been their father, Monica realized that she wasn’t the scared, broken girl she used to be.

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