Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Sleep refused to come. Lucia paced her bedroom, bare feet silent on thick carpet. Each passing minute brought images she couldn’t escape.

Marco. Margaret. The kids.

She paused at the window, pressing her palm against the cool glass. The gardens stretched out below, dark and quiet.

Germany. A new identity. The chance to rebuild.

Images from the past days swirled in her mind. Marco’s cold face at the anniversary party. Margaret’s victorious smile. The kids choosing her. Choosing to discard their own mother.

She moved to the dresser where she had left her phone. Picked it up. Put it down. Picked it up again.

One call. That’s all it would take. One call to Monica. To beg. To plead.

Please remember I’m your mother.

But what would that accomplish? They’d made their choice. Clearly. Publicly. Cruelly.

Lucia set the phone down, turning instead to face the mirror. The woman staring back looked hollow. Defeated. Used up.

Is this who she was now? Who she’d always been? A woman so easily replaced?

No. Not anymore.

The truth hit her with sudden clarity. Marco hadn’t just taken her marriage. He’d stolen her children. Poisoned them against her. Made them participants in her destruction.

They needed to learn. All of them. That people couldn’t be discarded without consequences.

Morning found Lucia seated in the kitchen. She had dressed in the borrowed clothes, simple t–shirt and jeans. Her hair hung loose around her face.

She heard footsteps and looked up to see Alex approaching. He carried two mugs, steam rising.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, offering her one of the mugs.

“No.” She accepted the coffee, grateful for its warmth.

Alex sat across from her at the island. “Did you think about what we discussed?”

Lucia took a deep breath. “I want to leave today.”

Alex looked at her. “Today?”

“Yes. I can’t stay here anymore. Every second in this city, I feel like I’m drowning.”

“We can leave today,” Alex said. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

Relief washed through her. “Thank you.”

“What about your belongings? From the house?”

The thought of going back there made her stomach turn. “I don’t want anything from that place.”

14:16 Sat, May 30

Chapter 6

“You’ll need clothes.”

“Then I’ll get new ones. In Germany. I want a completely fresh start.”

Alex studied her face. “You’re sure?”

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“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” Lucia’s voice was steady. “For seventeen years, I’ve been living half a life. Being what Marco wanted. What the kids needed. What everyone expected. I forgot how to be just Lucia.”

“And now?”

“Now I want to remember.” She set her mug down. “I want to discover who I am without them. And then I want them to see that woman when it’s too late.”

Alex nodded slowly. “It won’t be easy.”

“I don’t want easy.” Lucia stood, restless energy filling her. “I want to grow. I want to transform. I want…”

“Justice,” Alex supplied quietly.

She met his gaze. “Yes. Is that wrong?”

“No.” He rose to stand before her. “It’s human. They hurt you deliberately. Wanting them to feel consequences doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“Monica laughed,” Lucia whispered. “My baby. She laughed when I signed those papers.”

Alex’s hands twitched at his sides. “Children can be cruel.”

“This wasn’t childish thoughtlessness. This was calculated.” Her voice hardened. “They participated in destroying me. And they need to learn I won’t be destroyed so easily.”

A smile curved Alex’s lips. “There she is. The Lucia I remember. The fighter.”

“Was I? A fighter?” Lucia searched his face. “Sometimes I can’t remember who I was before Marco.”

“You were magnificent,” Alex said simply. “Fierce. The girl who defended me against bullies. Who stood up for what was right.”

His words sparked something inside her. A memory of the girl she had been. The one with dreams. The one who didn’t back down.

“I want to be her again,” Lucia said. “Not exactly the same. But I want to find that strength. That sense of self.”

Alex nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We can leave this afternoon. The villa is ready.”

“What about my legal situation? The divorce?”

“My attorneys can handle everything. Marco won’t be able to rush through without proper proceedings.”

“And my things from the house?”

“I could send someone to retrieve them. Marco wouldn’t know,”

The offer tempted her. Her books. Her photos. Small treasures.

But something stopped her.

“No,” she said finally. “Let them go. They’re part of the old Lucia. She doesn’t exist anymore.”

14:16 Sat, May 30

Chapter 6

Alex studied her. “Some of those things have sentimental value.”

Lucia thought of the photo albums. The children’s artwork. Family souvenirs. Each one a knife now.

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“The memories aren’t in the objects. They’re here.” She touched her chest. “I’m taking them with me. Both the good and the bad.”

Alex nodded, respect in his gaze. “I’ll tell Lena our plans.”

“Lena is coming?”

“She insisted. She’s quite taken with you.”

The words touched Lucia deeply. This girl who barely knew her cared more than her own children.

Footsteps on the stairs. Lena appeared, face brightening when she spotted them. “You’re both up early!”

Alex turned to his daughter. “Lucia has decided to come with us. We’re leaving this afternoon.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s amazing!” She rushed forward to hug Lucia. “You won’t regret it.”

Lucia returned the embrace, surprised by how natural it felt. “I’m glad you’re coming.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Lena stepped back. “What about Marco and the kids?”

The direct question might have seemed insensitive from anyone else.

“I don’t know exactly,” Lucia admitted. “I know I want consequences. I know I want them to realize what they threw away. But the exact form…” She shook her head. “I need time.”

Lena nodded. “The best plans aren’t rushed. They’re crafted carefully.”

Alex shot his daughter a look. “Lena.”

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