Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

The front door slammed so hard that the crystal chandelier in the entryway shook. Marco stormed into the house like a hurricane, his face purple with rage and his hands clenched into fists. His expensive suit was wrinkled from hours of sitting in the courthouse, and his the hung loose–around his neck.

Margaret followed behind him, struggling to keep up in her high heels as she tried to maintain the dignified facade they had worn in court. But the moment the door closed behind them, cutting them off from the outside world, her own mask began to slip.

“Marco, please, calm down.” She reached for his arm. “You’re scaring me.”

Marco whirled around, his eyes blazing with a fury so intense it seemed to fill the entire hallway.

“Calm down?” The roar echoed off the marble floors. “CALM DOWN? Did you see what just happened in there? Did you see them take my children away from me?”

His voice cracked on the word ‘children, and for a moment, Margaret saw a glimpse of genuine pain beneath his rage. “Marco, we can appeal. We can…”

“We can what?” Marco’s laugh was bitter and harsh. “We can spend more money we don’t have on lawyers who clearly don‘ t know what they’re doing? We can drag this out for years while my children forget! exist?”

He began pacing the hallway like a caged animal, his footsteps heavy and aggressive on the polished stone.

*Seventeen years.” The words came out muttered, more to himself than to Margaret. “Seventeen years I spent building a life with those children. Teaching them, providing for them, loving them. And she takes them away in a matter of weeks.”

“Marco…”

“That witch!” Marco suddenly exploded, spinning to face Margaret. “That manipulative, vindictive witch! She poisoned them against me! She turned my own children into weapons to destroy me!”

Margaret flinched at the venom in his voice. She had never seen Marco like this. Completely unhinged, consumed by a rage that seemed to be eating him alive from the inside.

“And Alexander Kane.” Marco continued, his voice growing louder with each word. “That smug bastard thinks he can just waltz in and steal my family? He thinks his money makes him untouchable?”

Marco grabbed a crystal vase from the hallway table and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into a thousand pieces, the sound sharp and violent in the enclosed space.

“He has no idea what he’s started.” The snarl came low and dangerous. “No idea what I’m capable of when someone threatens my family.”

Margaret took a step back, genuinely frightened now by the wild look in Marco’s eyes. This wasn’t just anger anymore. This was something darker, more dangerous.

“Marco, you need to stop and think about this rationally…”

“Rationally?” Marco’s head snapped toward her, his gaze focusing on her with laser intensity. “You want to talk about rational? Let’s talk about how this is all your fault!”

Margaret’s mouth fell open in shock. “My fault? How is this my fault?”

“You!” Marco pointed at her with a shaking finger. “You’re the one who made me leave Lucia in the first place! You seduced me, manipulated me, made me believe I needed something different!”

“Marco, that’s not fair..

“Isn’t it?” Marco took a step closer to her, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I had a wife who loved me. I had children who respected me. I had a family that was intact and functional. And then you came along.”

Margaret’s face went pale. “You pursued me, remember? You were the one who…”

“Because you made yourself available!” Marco exploded again. “You threw yourself at me! You made me feel like I was missing something, like Lucia wasn’t enough!”

“That’s not how it happened…”

“And then.” Marco continued, his voice rising again. “When we got my children to move in with us, what did you do? You made their lives miserable! You drove them away with your jealousy and your cruelty!”

Margaret’s shock was giving way to her own anger now. Her face flushed red, and her hands began to shake.

“I tried with those children! I did everything I could to make them love me!”

Chapter 161

“You called them ungrateful brata! You confronted Lucia in a shopping mall! You made Monica feel like garbage in her own Chemp

“They hated me from the moment I walked into this house!” Margaret screamed back. “They never gave me a chance! They compared me to their precious mother every single day!”

“Because you weren’t her Marco shouted. “You were never her! You were just a cheap substitute I settled for because I was having a midlife crisis!”

The words hit Margaret like physical blows. She staggered backward, her face crumpling with hurt and rage.

“A cheap substitute? Is that what you think of me?”

“It’s what I know about you.” Marco spoke cruelly. “You’ve someone who saw an opportunity and took it. You never loved me. You loved my money, my status, my lifestyle.”

“That’s not true!” Margaret’s voice was shrill now, desperate. “I love you! I’m carrying your child!”

“Are you?” Marco’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Or is that just another lie, another manipulation to keep me trapped in this nightmare?”

Margaret’s hand flew to her stomach protectively. “How dare you question my pregnancy? You were there when we found out! You saw the test!”

“I saw what you wanted me to see.” Marco’s tone came cold. “But I’m starting to wonder if anything about you is real.” Margaret’s composure finally shattered completely. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed at him.

“I gave up everything for you! My friends, my life, my freedom! I put up with your ungrateful children treating me like garbage! I stood by you through this entire court case!”

“And look how that turned out.” Marco spoke bitterly. “Your testimony was a disaster. The judge saw right through your lies.” “My lies? I was trying to help you!”

“You were trying to help yourself.” Marco corrected. “Everything you do is about you, Margaret. Your comfort, your status, your security.”

He turned away from her and began pacing again, his anger shifting back toward his lost children.

“I’m going to get them back.” The words came suddenly, his voice filled with grim determination. “I don’t care what it takes, what it costs, what I have to do. Those are my children, and I’m going to get them back.”

“Marco, you can’t…”

“I can and I will.” Marco interrupted. “Lucia thinks she’s won? Alexander thinks his money makes him untouchable? They have no idea what they’ve started.”

Margaret watched him pace, seeing the dangerous obsession building in his eyes.

“And what about us?” Her question came quietly. “What about our family? What about our baby?”

Marco stopped pacing and looked at her as if he had forgotten she was there.

“What about it?”

“I’m your wife, Marco. I’m carrying your child. We’re your family too.”

Marco stared at her for a long moment, and Margaret saw something die in his expression.

“No.” The word came final. “You’re not my farnily. You’re the reason I lost my family.”

୮

The words hit Margaret like a physical blow. She stood there, mouth open, tears streaming down her face, as the full weight of his rejection crashed over her.

“Marco, please…”

“I never should have left Lucia.” Marco continued, as if Margaret wasn’t even there. “I never should have broken up my real family for someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” Margaret’s voice was barely a whisper.

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