Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Margaret could not breathe in that house anymore.

It was not the walls. It was not the space. It was the silence.

Marco barely spoke. When he did, it was short, distant, like she was someone he no longer knew. The children did not even pretend. Their eyes followed her when she walked into a room, cold and sharp, like she was something dirty they could not

throw away.

And her phone.

It would not stop.

Buzzing. Lighting up. Again. Again. Again.

She stopped checking after the first hour. She had seen enough. Headlines. Comments. Videos. Her name everywhere, dragged through mud she could not wash off.

She left it face down on the table.

Still buzzing.

Still reminding her that the world was watching her fall apart.

She grabbed her bag.

She had one meeting left.

Just one.

LuxeLine Fashion.

Three million a year. Her biggest deal. The one that mattered most. The one she could not afford to lose.

If she could just hold on to that, then maybe everything was not gone yet.

Maybe she could still rebuild.

Maybe.

She stood in front of the mirror longer than usual.

Careful. Precise.

Foundation. Concealer. Powder. Nothing too heavy. Just enough to hide the tiredness under her eyes. Her lips steady as she applied lipstick. A neutral shade. Professional.

Her hair was perfect. Smooth. Not a strand out of place.

She chose a fitted suit. Cream. Clean. Expensive.

Armor.

That was what it was.

If she looked untouched, maybe they would treat her that way. If she walked in like nothing had changed, maybe they

would believe it.

She took a deep breath.

Then another.

Then she walked out.

The car ride was quiet.

She did not check her phone.

She did not look outside.

She sat there with her hands in her lap, fingers pressed together so tightly they hurt.

When the car stopped, she did not move immediately.

“This is it, ma’am,” the driver said gently.

Margaret nodded.

She stepped out.

The air felt different.

Successfully unlocked!

Chapter 67

Heavy.

then she saw them

Cameras.

So many cameras.

They were not just standing there. They were waiting.

For her.

The moment she stepped forward, they moved.

Like a wave.

Microphones pushed toward her. Lights flashing. Voices rising all at once.

“Margaret, is it true you had an affair with your sister’s husband?”

“Did you get pregnant?”

“Did you terminate the pregnancy to hide it?”

“What about the other allegations? Multiple affairs with married men?”

“Did you sleep your way into your contracts?”

Her heart slammed against her chest.

Too fast.

Too loud.

She tried to keep walking.

“No comment,” she said.

Her voice sounded wrong. Thin. Not strong enough.

“I have no comment.”

They followed her.

Closer.

“Is it true you cheated on Marco before your wedding?” “Were you involved with Kenneth Davis from LuxeLine?”

“Did you receive money from Trenton Navajo?”

The name hit her like a slap.

Her steps faltered.

Just for a second.

But they saw it.

They always saw everything.

‘No comment,” she said again, louder this time. “Please move.”

They did not move.

They pressed closer.

A hand grabbed her arm.

Not a reporter.

A woman.

Margaret turned.

And froze

She knew that face.

Sarah.

Sarah Davis.

Her eyes were red. Swollen. Her whole body shaking.

“You ruined my life,” Sarah said.

Chapter 67

Not shouting.

Not yel

Just a quiet, broken voice that somehow felt worse.

Margaret pulled her arm back “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

It came out too fast.

Too defensive.

Sarah laughed.

A sound that did not sound like laughter at all.

“You don’t know?” she said. “You really want to do this here?”

Then her voice rose.

“You slept with my husband!”

The crowd went silent for half a second.

Then chaos.

Cameras turning. Reporters shouting louder. Everyone pushing closer.

“You slept with him while we were still married!”

Sarah’s voice broke.

“You got pregnant!”

Margaret shook her head. “That’s not true.”

It was a lie.

They both knew it.

“There are records,” Sarah said. Her hands were trembling as she pulled out her phone. “There are messages. There are photos. You think you can stand here and pretend it didn’t happen?”

Margaret looked away.

She should not have.

But she did.

And that was enough.

“You were engaged!” Sarah continued. “You were about to marry another man and you were still sleeping with my husband

“I said I have no comment!” Margaret snapped.

Her chest was tight now. Her breathing uneven.

She needed to get inside.

She pushed forward.

Security finally stepped in, blocking the crowd just enough for her to slip through the doors.

The noise did not follow her in.

It cut off.

Like someone had turned the world off.

She stood there in the lobby.

Still.

Her hands shaking.

Her reflection in the glass looked perfect.

Too perfect.

Like a stranger.

A receptionist looked at her, then quickly looked away.

Margaret swallowed.

She walked to the elevator.

Chapter 67

The ride up felt too long.

460 quiet.

When the doors opened, someone was already waiting.

“Ms. Hart,” the assistant said “They’re ready for you.”

Margaret nodded.

She walked into the meeting room.

Three executives.

All seated.

All calm.

Too calm.

“Please, sit,” one of them said.

She did.

No one smiled.

No one greeted her.

They just looked at her.

Like they were already done.

“Ms. Hart,” the man in the middle began, “we’ll keep this brief.”

Margaret felt it before he finished.

“We are terminating your contract effective immediately.”

Her stomach dropped.

“I can explain,” she said quickly. “The things being said, they are not what they seem. Someone is targeting me.

The woman on the left spoke this time. “We have reviewed the information thoroughly.”

“It’s incomplete,” Margaret insisted. “It’s taken out of context.”

“There are medical records,” the man said. “Financial transfers. Messages. Photographic evidence. And multiple individuals have come forward.”

Margaret’s hands tightened in her lap.

“This is a misunderstanding,” she said, but her voice was softer now.

Even she did not believe it anymore.

“Our brand cannot be associated with this level of controversy,” the woman said. “The decision is final.”

Just like that.

Three million.

Gone.

“Security will escort you out,” the assistant said quietly.

Margaret stood.

She wanted to say something.

Anything.

୮

But nothing came.

So she walked out.

The elevator ride down felt heavier.

Like something inside her had sunk and refused to rise again.

When the doors opened, the noise hit her again.

Louder this time.

More aggressive.

They had been waiting.

Chapter 67

“Margaret? Any comment on the termination?”

it true more women are coming forward?”

“How many affairs have you had?”

She stopped.

Something inside her snapped.

“You want a comment?” she said.

Her voice was loud.

Clear.

Sharp.

The crowd went quiet.

“Here it is,” she continued. “My private life is mine. You don’t get to decide what is right or wrong for me.”

Murmurs.

Cameras closer now.

“You all act like judges,” she said. “Like you’ve never made mistakes. Like you’re better than me.”

She pointed at them.

“You’re not.”

A reporter shouted, “Did you sleep with Kenneth Davis the night before your wedding?”

Her jaw tightened.

“Answer the question!” another voice called.

“Did you have multiple abortions?”

The word hit harder than anything else.

Abortions.

Plural.

Her hands curled into fists.

“You don’t get to ask me that,” she said.

But her voice had lost its strength.

Another voice shouted, “Marco left Lucia for you. Do you think he regrets it now?”

That one hurt.

More than she expected.

She turned away.

Pushed through the crowd.

Got into the car.

The door slammed.

Silence again.

But not peaceful this time.

Heavy.

Suffocating.

Her phone lit up.

She stared at it.

Did not touch it.

Then it buzzed again.

And again.

Finally, she picked it up.

Notifications.

୮

Chapter 67 Dozens.

Hundreds.

Headlines.

“NEW AFFAIR EXPOSED”

“INSIDE MARGARET’S SECRET RELATIONSHIPS”

“MULTIPLE PREGNANCIES REVEALED

Her breath caught.

Her thumb hovered.

Then she tapped.

Photos.

Messages.

Dates.

Names she had forgotten.

Or tried to forget.

One stood out.

A date.

One day before her wedding.

Her stomach turned.

“No…” she whispered.

Her hand shook as she scrolled.

More.

More.

More.

It was all there.