Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173

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Chapter 178

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Ria stood outside her parents bedroom door for a long moment, her hand raised to knock but frozen in place. Behind the heavy wood, she could hear soft murmurs of conversation. Lucia and Alexander talking about something in low voices. Probably about the video. Probably about Marco’s phone call. Probably about the war they’d all just declared.

Her hand trembled as she finally knocked. Three soft taps that sounded too loud in the quiet hallway.

“Come in.” Alexander’s voice came through the door.

Ria pushed it open slowly. The master bedroom was massive, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the gardens. Lucia sat on the edge of their bed, still in the clothes she’d worn during the video. Alexander stood by the window, phone in hand, but he put it down when he saw Ria’s face.

“Sweetheart?” Lucia stood immediately. “What’s wrong?”

Ria opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Her throat had closed up, tears already burning behind her eyes. She’d been holding it together all day. Through making the video. Through watching it go viral. Through Lucas’s phone call with their father and Margaret’s threatening voice still echoing in her head.

But now, alone with her parents, away from her siblings who needed her to be strong, everything came crashing down.

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“I need to tell you something.” Her voice came out small. Broken.

Lucia crossed the room in seconds, taking Ria’s hands. “What happened?”

“Margaret called me.” The words tumbled out fast. “After the video went live. She was so angry. She blamed us for everything.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “What did she say to you?”

Ria’s hands were shaking in Lucia’s grip. “She told me to keep my siblings in check. She said if we made any more videos or did any more interviews, she would come for us.”

“Come for you?” Lucia’s face went pale. “Those were her exact words?”

Ria nodded, tears spilling over now. “She said our perfect little life in this mansion would come crashing down. She said when she was done with us, we’d have nothing left.”

Alexander moved closer, his face dark with anger. “She threatened you. A sixteen-year-old girl. She threatened my daughter.”

The possessiveness in his voice, the way he called her his daughter without hesitation, made Ria cry harder. She’d spent so many years being told she wasn’t good enough. That she was plain like her mother. That she’d never measure up. And now this man who didn’t have to love her was ready to go to war to protect her.

“I’m scared. The admission came out in a whisper. “I’m so scared.”

Lucia pulled Ria into her arms, holding her tight. “Of Margaret?”

“Of all of it.” Ria sobbed into her mother’s shoulder. “Of Margaret. Of our father. Of what they might do.”

She pulled back, wiping her eyes with shaking hands. Alexander handed her a tissue from the nightstand, She took it, trying to breathe through the panic rising in her chest.

“When Margaret called, she sounded different. Not just angry. She sounded like she’d lost her mind. Like she had nothing

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eh to use Ria’s voice cracked. “And our father, when Lucas talked to him, he called him a traitor. His own son. He said he’d Dever forgive us.

“Ria, baby, look at me.” Lucia took her daughter’s face in her hands. “They’re just words. Angry words from people who are hurting.”

“But what if they’re not just words?” Ria’s eyes were wide with fear. “What if one day they actually do something? What if Margaret comes here? What if our father finds us?”

Alexander knelt down in front of Ria so they were eye level. “That’s not going to happen. We have security. We have lawyers. We have every possible protection in place.”

“But we had security at the other house too.” Ria’s voice rose. “And our father still showed up at the gates. He still found us. What’s to stop him from finding us here?”

“This place is different.” Alexander spoke with absolute certainty. “The security here is military-grade. Nobody gets in without our permission. Not your father. Not Margaret. Nobody.”

Ria wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that walls and guards and cameras could keep them safe. But she’d seen her father’s face when he called Lucas a traitor. She’d heard Margaret’s voice promising revenge.

“I’m afraid of something else too.” Ria’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Something worse than them finding us.”

Lucia’s arms tightened around her. “What, sweetheart?”

“I’m afraid I’m going to wake up one day and all of this will have been a dream.” The words came out in a rush, like she’d been holding them back for too long. “That I’ll wake up in that old house with Margaret yelling and our father ignoring me and Monica cutting herself in the bathroom. That all of this, you and Dad and feeling safe and loved, that it was all just something my brain made up to survive.”

Lucia made a sound like she’d been punched. She pulled Ria closer, her own tears starting. “Oh baby. Oh my sweet girl.”

“I have nightmares about it.” Ria continued, the words pouring out now that she’d started. “I dream that I’m still there. That I never left. That you never came for us. And when I wake up, it takes me a few seconds to remember where I am. To remember that this is real.”

Alexander’s hand found Ria’s shoulder, gripping gently. “This is real, Ria. We’re real. This family is real.”

“But what if it’s not?” Ria looked between her parents, her face wet with tears. “What if tomorrow our father shows up with some court order saying the video doesn’t matter? What if Margaret finds a way to hurt us? What if I lose all of this?”

“You’re not going to lose this.” Lucia’s voice was fierce. “I promise you, Ria. You are not going back to that house. You are not going back to that life. Ever.”

“How can you promise that?” Ria pulled back to look at her mother’s face. “You don’t control everything. The courts could change their minds. Something could happen.”

“Then we’ll fight.” Alexander spoke simply. “We’ll fight with everything we have. Money, lawyers, whatever it takes. But you are not going back to Marco Hart.”

Ria shook her head, fresh tears falling. “I don’t want to be the reason you have to fight. I don’t want to be the reason you’re in danger. Margaret sounded like she wanted to hurt you. Both of you. Because of us.”

“Stop.” Lucia’s tone was firm. “Listen to me very carefully. You are not the reason for any of this. Your father’s anger. Margaret’s threats, the custody battle, none of it is because of you. It’s because of choices adults made. Bad choices that hurt you.”

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We maile that video” Ria’s voice was small. “We’re the ones who exposed them.”

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“You told the truth.” Alexander corrected. “There’s a difference. You didn’t create this situation. You just refused to lie about it anymore.”

Ria’s breathing was starting to slow, the panic attack easing. But the fear remained, sitting heavy in her chest like a stone.

“What if the truth isn’t enough?” She looked between her parents. “What if people still take their side? What if something happens and we have to go back?”

“We won’t let that happen.” Lucia spoke with absolute conviction. “Your father and Margaret can make all the threats they want. They can plan whatever revenge fantasy makes them feel better. But they will not touch you. They will not touch any of my children.”

“Our children.” Alexander corrected gently.

“Our children.” Lucia agreed, looking at him with such love that Ria felt her chest tighten again, but this time with something warm instead of fear.

Ria wiped her face with the tissue, trying to pull herself together. “I’m sorry for breaking down like this. I know you have enough to worry about.”

“Don’t apologize.” Alexander stood, pulling Ria up with him. “You’re allowed to be scared. You’re allowed to need reassurance. That’s what parents are for.”

“I just don’t want to wake up and find out none of this was real.” Ria’s voice broke again. “I don’t want to lose you. Either of you.”

Lucia wrapped her arms around Ria from behind, and Alexander hugged them both. The three of them stood there in the middle of the bedroom, holding each other tight.

“This is real.” Lucia whispered into Ria’s hair. “We’re real. And we’re not going anywhere.”

They stayed like that for a long moment before Ria finally pulled away, embarrassed by how much she’d fallen apart. “I should go. Let you two talk.”

“Are you okay?” Lucia touched her daughter’s face gently.

“I will be.” Ria managed a small smile. “Thank you for listening. For not thinking I’m being dramatic.”

“You’re not being dramatic.” Alexander’s tone was firm. “Your fears are valid. And we’re going to make sure you never have to

r face them.”

Ria nodded, gave them both one more hug, and left the room. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Alexander and Lucia alone.

Lucia stood frozen for a moment, staring at the door her daughter had just walked through. Then her face changed. The gentle mother disappeared, replaced by something harder. Colder.

“I’m going to confront Margaret.” Her voice came out flat. Final.

Alexander turned to look at her. “What?”

“You heard what she said to Ría. The threats she made. I’m going to that hospital and I’m going to make it very clear what happens if she comes near my children again.”

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