Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 189

Chantes 189

Chapter 189

Margaret lay in bed beside Marco the morning after their reconnection, her head resting on his chest as pale sunlight filtered through the curtains. His fingers traced lazy patterns on her shoulder, his breathing slow and steady. Content. Peaceful.

She waited until he was fully relaxed before speaking.

“I’ve been thinking about something.” Her voice came soft, almost hesitant. “Something important.”

Marco’s hand stilled on her shoulder. “What is it?”

“Us. Our future. What we’re building together.” Margaret propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. “I know we’ve been through so much pain. Lost so much. But I think there’s still hope for us.”

“Hope for what?” Marco asked, his expression cautious.

“For a family.” Margaret let the words hang in the air for a moment. “For children. For building something beautiful together.”

Marco’s face closed off immediately. He pulled away slightly, sitting up against the headboard. “Margaret, we just lost a baby. We’re not ready to talk about having another one.”

“Why not?” She kept her voice gentle, non-confrontational. “The doctors said there’s no medical reason we can’ t try again. My body has healed. And we love each other.”

“It’s not about medical reasons.” Marco ran his hands through his hair. “It’s about everything else. Our marriage is falling apart. My children hate me. The business is struggling. This is not the time to bring a baby into our lives.”

Margaret moved closer, placing her hand on his chest over his heart. “Or maybe it’s exactly the time. Maybe a baby is what we need to remind us why we’re fighting. Why we’re together.”

“No.” Marco’s voice came firm. “I’m not ready for this conversation.”

“When will you be ready?” Margaret pressed, her fingers tracing circles on his skin. “When your children finally forgive you? When your business magically fixes itself? When everything is perfect?”

“I don’t know.” Marco’s frustration was building. “But not now. Not like this.”

Margaret sat up fully, pulling the sheet around herself. “You deserve to have children who love you, Marco. Children who see you as a hero instead of a villain.”

Marco flinched at her words.

“Your children with Lucia, they’re so ungrateful.” Margaret continued, her voice taking on a harder edge. “After everything you did for them. All the years you worked to provide for them. And this is how they repay you? By calling you abusive on camera? By choosing Alexander over you?”

“Margaret, stop.” Marco’s voice came quiet but strained.

“I’m just saying what you already know.” She moved to kneel beside him on the bed, taking his face in her hands. “You gave those kids everything and they threw it back in your face. But we could have children who actually appreciate you. Who love you unconditionally.”

“They’re not ungrateful.” Marco pulled her hands away from his face. “They’re hurt. There’s a difference.”

Margaret felt a flicker of surprise. This wasn’t the response she’d expected.

“They’re acting like spoiled brats who got everything they wanted.” She tried again, her voice sharp. “Lucas calling Alexander ‘Dad? Ria refusing to even talk to you? That’s not hurt. That’s manipulation. Lucia poisoned them against you.”

“No” The word came out of Marco like a confession torn from deep inside. “She didn’t.”

Margaret stared at him. “What?”

“Lucia didn’t poison them.” Marco’s voice broke. “I did this. I ruined my family with my own hands.”

Chapter 180

The admission hung in the air between them. Margaret felt her carefully constructed manipulation starting to crumble

“Marco, that’s not true. You were trying your best. You were under pressure. Lucia didn’t support you the way she should have…”

“Stop.” Marco’s eyes filled with tears. “Just stop. I spent weeks blaming everyone else. Blaming Lucia. Blaming Alexander. Blaming the kids. But I went to our old house yesterday. The one where we started our family. And I remembered.”

“Remembered what?” Margaret asked, genuine confusion in her voice.

“Who I was before I destroyed everything. Before the affair. Before the anger. Before I became someone my own children were afraid of.” Marco’s tears spilled over. “I hit Lucas. My own son. I let you treat them like they were obstacles instead of children who needed love.”

“I tried to love them.” Margaret’s voice rose defensively.

“You tried to replace their mother. There’s a difference.” Marco wiped his eyes with shaking hands. “And I let you. I stood by and watched you make them miserable because it was easier than facing what I’d done to Lucia.”

Margaret felt panic rising. This wasn’t how this conversation was supposed to go. Marco was supposed to blame Lucia, agree with her, let her manipulate him into wanting a baby and giving her the money.

“You’re being too hard on yourself.” She tried to soften her voice. “Yes, mistakes were made. But Lucia shares the blame too. She could have fought for your marriage instead of running to Alexander so quickly.”

“She fought for seventeen years.” Marco spoke with absolute certainty. “She forgave me over and over. And I kept cheating. Kept lying. Kept choosing you over my family.”

“Because you love me!” Margaret grabbed his hands. “Because we have something special that you never had with her!”

“We have an affair built on lies and betrayal.” Marco pulled his hands away. “That’s not special. That’s toxic.”

Margaret felt her control slipping. She needed to redirect this conversation back to where she wanted it.

“Okay. Fine. Let’s say you made mistakes. Let’s say you ruined your first family.” She spoke quickly, desperately. “That doesn’t mean you can’t build a better one now. With me. We can learn from those mistakes. We can create something new.”

Marco looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

“You really think I deserve another chance at being a father?” His voice came quiet.

“Yes.” Margaret grabbed onto the opening. “Yes, I do. You’re a good man, Marco. You just need children who will love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

“I don’t deserve anything.” Marco spoke slowly. “But maybe you do. Maybe you deserve to be a mother. To have a family. To build something that’s yours.”

Margaret felt hope flickering. “So you’ll think about it? About trying for another baby?”

“I’ll do more than think about it.” Marco took her hands in his. “I’m ready. I’m ready to make a family with you. To have children with you. To try to be the father I should have been the first time.”

Margaret’s heart raced with triumph. “Really? You mean it?”

“I mean it.” Marco pulled her close. “But I need you to understand something. This doesn’t mean I’m giving up on my children with Lucia. I still hope that someday, somehow, they’ll forgive me. That we can have some kind of relationship.”

“Of course.” Margaret forced the words out even though they tasted like poison. “Of course you do.”

“And you can’t blame them anymore. Or Lucia. What happened to our family, that’s on me. Not them.”

“I understand” Margaret lied smoothly, her mind already working on the next phase of her plan.

Marco pulled her into his arms, kissing her with a tenderness that made her stomach turn. Not because she