Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 184

Chapter 184

Ria sat cross-legged on her bed, her phone in her hand, staring at a group chat with her siblings. Outside her window, afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees. Inside her chest, an idea had been growing all day. An idea that started small but now felt urgent and important.

She typed quickly. “Family meeting in my room. Now. It’s important.”

Within minutes, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Monica appeared first, still wearing her art club clothes, paint smudged on her sleeve. Lucas came next, sweaty from football practice. Lena arrived last, sketch pad

tucked under her arm.

“What’s going on?” Lucas flopped onto Ria’s desk chair. “Did something happen?”

“No.” Ria set her phone down and looked at each of her siblings. “Nothing bad. I just wanted to talk about something.”

Monica settled onto the floor beside Ria’s bed, pulling her knees to her chest. “About what?”

“About Mom and Dad.” Ria took a breath. “About everything they’ve done for us. Everything they keep doing every single day.”

Lena sat on the edge of the bed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we’ve been through so much. All of us. The divorce, living with our father and Margaret, the abuse, the video, the custody battle.” Ria’s voice grew stronger as she spoke. “And through all of it, Mom and Dad have been there. Protecting us. Fighting for us. Loving us even when we didn’t deserve it.”

Lucas’s expression softened. “Yeah. They have.”

“I was thinking about how scared I was after Margaret threatened me.” Ria continued. “How I went to their room and completely broke down. And they didn’t get angry or tell me I was overreacting. They just held me and promised to keep us safe.”

“Mom came to my art therapy sessions.” Monica spoke quietly. “Even when Dr. Williams said she didn’t have to. She sat there for hours while I worked through stuff. Just being present. Just loving me.”

“Dad helps me with my applications.” Lucas added. “And he never once makes me feel bad for wanting to go away to college. Even though I know he’s worried about me leaving.”

“They came to my art exhibition.” Lena’s voice came soft. “Both of them. And they bought three of my pieces. Not because they felt sorry for me. Because they actually thought my work was good.”

Ria felt her throat tighten with emotion. “Exactly. They show up for us. Every single time. And I was thinking, when was the last time we showed up for them? When was the last time we did something to show them how much we appreciate everything?”

The room fell quiet. Her siblings looked at each other, then back at Ria.

“What did you have in mind?” Monica asked.

“I want to do something special for them.” Ria leaned forward. “Something that shows them we see all their sacrifices. All their love. All their effort.”

“Like what?” Lucas sat up straighter.

“We could decorate the sitting room. Make them dinner. Create an evening that’s just about appreciating them.” Ria’s words came faster now, excited. “Nothing fancy or complicated. Just us showing them that we notice. That we’re grateful.”

Lena’s face lit up. “I could make them cards. With drawings. Something personal from each of us.”

“I could help cook.” Monica’s eyes brightened. “Mrs. Chen has been teaching me some recipes. I could make Mom’s favorite pasta.”

“And I could set up music.” Lucas grinned. “Make it feel like a real celebration.”

Ria felt warmth spreading through her chest. “So we’re doing this?”

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“Absolutely.” Monica nodded firmly.

“When?” Lena asked.

“Today.” Ria checked her phone. “They’re both at the foundation office until six. That gives us three hours.”

Lucas jumped up. “Then we better get started.”

The next three hours turned into controlled chaos. Ria and Lena raided the storage closet for decorations, pulling out strings of soft white lights and candles that would make the sitting room feel warm and special. Monica disappeared into the kitchen with Mrs. Chen, their voices mixing with the sounds of pots clanging and water running.

Lucas took charge of the music setup, connecting speakers and creating a playlist of songs he knew their parents loved. Soft jazz and old classics that would fill the room with warmth instead of noise.

“How does this look?” Lena held up a banner she’d painted. Simple white letters on soft blue paper. “Thank you for loving us.”

Ria’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s perfect.”

They hung the banner across the fireplace mantel. Then they strung the lights around the room, making everything glow soft and golden. Candles went on the coffee table, unlit but ready. Cushions were fluffed. The space transformed from just another room into something that felt like a hug.

In the kitchen, Monica worked alongside Mrs. Chen, her hands moving carefully as she stirred sauce and checked pasta. The smell of garlic and herbs filled the house. Fresh bread warming in the oven. Salad being tossed in a wooden bowl.

“You’re doing wonderful, dear.” Mrs. Chen’s voice came warm with approval. “Your mother will love this.”

Monica’s hands shook slightly as she plated the food. Not from nerves. From the weight of wanting to do this right. Wanting to show her mother that she’d been paying attention. That she’d learned. That she was healing enough to give instead of just receive.

Lucas set the table in the sitting room instead of the formal dining room. Closer. More intimate. He folded napkins the way Alexander had taught him, creating simple shapes that looked elegant without being fussy. Silverware placed just so. Water glasses filled and waiting.

At five-forty-five, Ria gathered her siblings in the kitchen. “They’ll be home any minute. Everyone ready?”

“Ready.” The word came in chorus.

“Then let’s wait in the sitting room.”

They positioned themselves around the space. Not hiding. Just waiting. Ria stood by the fireplace. Monica near the couch. Lucas by the music setup. Lena perched on the arm of a chair.

The sound of a car in the driveway made them all straighten. Doors opening. Closing. Footsteps on the front walkway.

“I’m exhausted.” Lucia’s voice carried through the front door as she and Alexander stepped inside. “That meeting with the lawyers took forever.”

“At least the foundation paperwork is finally filed.” Alexander’s response came tired but satisfied.

Their footsteps moved toward the sitting room. Ria held her breath.

Lucia appeared in the doorway first, still in her work clothes, her briefcase in hand. She stopped so suddenly that Alexander nearly walked into her back.

“What…” Her voice trailed off as she took in the scene.

The room glowing with soft lights. The banner thanking them for their love. The table set for six with food still steaming. The four children standing there watching with expressions that mixed nervousness and hope and so much love it hurt to look at.

Alexander moved to stand beside Lucia, his arm automatically going around her waist. His face showed the same shock, the same emotion building behind his eyes.

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“Surprise” Ria’s voice came out smaller than she intended. “We wanted to do something special for you.”

“For us?” Lucia’s hand went to her mouth.

“To say thank you.” Monica stepped forward. “For everything you do. For all the ways you take care of us.”

“We know it hasn’t been easy.” Lucas’s voice was steady. “Dealing with our father. Margaret’s threats. The legal stuff. Taking care of four kids who came with a lot of baggage.”

“But you never made us feel like we were too much.” Lena added. “You just kept loving us. Kept showing up. Kept fighting for us.”

Lucia’s eyes filled with tears. She set down her briefcase and pressed both hands to her face, shoulders shaking.

“Mom?” Ria moved closer, suddenly worried they’d done something wrong. “Are you okay?”

“I’m more than okay.” Lucia’s voice broke on the words. She lowered her hands, revealing tears streaming down her face but a smile that lit up her whole expression. “I’m just so overwhelmed. This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for us.”

Alexander pulled Lucia tighter against him, his own eyes bright with unshed tears. “You kids didn’t have to do this.”

“We wanted to.” Monica spoke firmly. “We needed to. Because you need to know that we see you. That we appreciate everything.”

“The late nights dealing with lawyers.” Ria continued. “The early mornings making sure we get to school. The therapy appointments and parent-teacher conferences and all the small things that add up to you putting our needs first every single day.”

“You gave us our lives back.” Lucas’s voice wavered. “Both of you. You gave us a home where we feel safe. Where we can just be kids instead of always walking on eggshells.”

Lena walked over and took Lucia’s hand. “You chose to love me even though I’m not yours. You made me feel like I belong here. Like I’m part of this family not because I have to be but because you want me to be.”

Lucia pulled Lena into a tight hug, tears falling freely now. “Oh sweetheart. Of course you belong. You’re ours. You’ve always been ours.”

Alexander opened his arms and the other three children moved into them, creating a group hug that left no one outside. Six people holding each other in a room that glowed with candlelight and smelled like home- cooked food and felt like the safest place in the world.

They stood like that for a long moment. Just being together. Just feeling the love that had grown between them through all the pain and healing.

Finally, Lucia pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Okay. Someone needs to tell me what smells so amazing before I cry myself into a puddle.”

“Monica made your favorite pasta.” Ria grinned. “With Mrs. Chen’s help.”

“You cooked?” Lucia looked at Monica with wonder.

Monica’s face flushed with pride. “I wanted to do something that showed I was getting better. That I can take care of people now instead of just being taken care of.”

“Oh baby.” Lucia cupped Monica’s face. “You don’t have to prove anything. But thank you. This means everything.”

They moved to the table, settling into chairs. Lucas turned on the music and soft jazz filled the room. Ria served the food while Monica explained each dish. Lena passed around the cards she’d made, each one with drawings and handwritten messages that captured something specific about why they loved their parents. Alexander read his card slowly, his finger tracing the drawing Lena had made of him teaching Lucas to throw a football. “You captured that perfectly. That exact moment.”

“Because it mattered.” Lena spoke quietly. “You spending time with Lucas. Making him feel seen. That matters.”

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Lucia held her card to her chest, fresh tears forming. “I’m going to frame this. All of these.”

They ate slowly, savoring not just the food but the moment. The conversation flowed easy and warm. Stories shared Laughter bubbling up naturally. The weight of the past weeks lifting just enough to let joy in.

As dinner wound down, Alexander set down his fork and looked around the table. “I need to say something.”

Everyone quieted, giving him their full attention.

“This family.” His voice came thick with emotion. “What we’ve built together. It’s the most important thing in my life. More important than the company. More important than money. More important than anything.”

He reached across and took Lucia’s hand. “Your mother and I, we made a promise when we took you kids in. That we would protect you. That we would love you. That we would give you the childhood you deserved.”

“And we meant it.” Lucia continued, squeezing Alexander’s hand. “We still mean it. No matter what happens with your father or Margaret or anyone else who tries to hurt this family.”

“We know things have been scary lately.” Alexander’s voice grew firmer. “The threats. The confrontations. The worry that something bad might happen.”

“But we want you to know something.” Lucia looked at each child in turn. “We will protect you. With everything we have. With every resource at our disposal. With every breath in our bodies.”

“You are safe here.” Alexander spoke with absolute certainty. “In this house. In this family. You are loved and you are safe.”

“And nothing.” Lucia’s voice rang clear and strong. “Nothing is going to change that. Not your father’s anger. Not Margaret’s threats. Not anything.”

Ria felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Beside her, Monica was crying too. Lucas’s jaw was clenched tight with emotion. Lena’s hand found Lucia’s again, holding on like an anchor.

“We love you.” Lucia’s voice broke but she kept going. “More than you’ll ever know. More than we can ever express. You kids are our whole world.”

“And we’re going to keep fighting for you.” Alexander added. “Keep protecting you. Keep loving you. No matter

what comes.”

The room filled with emotion too big for words. These promises wrapped around them like armor. Like shelter.

Like love made solid and real.

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Chapter 185