Rise of the Formidable Ex-wife (Lucia and Alex) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Chapter 73

tena trad been in the kitchen since noon. Not because anyone asked her to, but because she wanted to.

The house had been too quiet lately. Not the peaceful kind of quiet. The heavy kind. The kind that sat in your chest and made breathing feel like work. She had noticed it. The way Lucia moved slower. The way Alexander spoke less. Even the staff kept their voices low, like something fragile might break if they spoke too loudly

So she decided to do something about it.

“Careful with that,” Amelia said as Lena carried a stack of plates into the dining room. “Those are part of the formal set.”

“I know,” Lena replied with a small smile. “That’s why I’m using them.”

Amelia raised a brow. “This is serious, then.”

Lena laughed softly. “Very serious.”

She set the plates down carefully, adjusting them until they were just right. It had to be perfect. Not for appearance, but because this meant something.

“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” Amelia asked as she laid out the cutlery.

Lena hesitated, then spoke more quietly. “They’ve been through a lot. Both of them. I can feel it, even when they don’t say anything.”

Amelia didn’t interrupt.

“They smile. They act normal. But it’s not the same. It’s like they’re carrying something heavy all the time.” Lena’s fingers tightened slightly around a napkin. “I just want them to feel light. Even if it’s just for one night.”

Amelia’s expression softened. “That’s a beautiful thing to want.”

Lena glanced around the room. The table, the flowers she picked herself, the candles waiting to be lit. “I don’t want them to forget what we are.”

“And what is that?”

“A family.”

The word settled between them, simple and important.

By the time everything was ready, the sun had set. The candles were lit, the food was warm, and the room felt soft and inviting. Lena stood back and looked at it, hoping it would be enough.

The front door opened a little after seven.

Lucia stepped in first. She looked tired, not physically, but in a deeper way. Alexander followed behind her, loosening his tie.

They both stopped when they saw the dining room.

“What is this?” Alexander asked.

Lena stepped forward, a little nervous. “Surprise. I just wanted to do something nice for you both. No reason. I just… wanted to.”

୮

Lucia didn’t respond immediately. The candles, the table, the effort, it all hit her at once. It reminded her of something she didn’t want to remember. A night that had once meant something before everything broke.

She pushed the thought away.

This was different.

“Come sit,” Lena said, pulling out a chair. “Please.”

Lucia nodded and walked over slowly. Alexander smiled more easily as he sat down. “This is impressive.”

“I had help,” Lena admitted. “But I planned everything.”

“I can tell,” he said. “You did well.”

Dinner started quietly, almost awkward at first, like they were all trying to remember how to be normal again. Lena filled the silence. She talked about her day, a book she was reading, something funny one of her teachers said. She spoke easily, without weight.

Lucia listened, really listened, and it hit her harder than she expected. This was what she used to have. Before everything fell apart. Before dinners became cold and tense and full of silence.

“Mom?”

Chapter 73

Lucia blinked and looked up. “I’m listening.”

Bud, Lena said with a small laugh. “Because talk a lot.”

“You do,” Alexarider said, amused.

“And you love me anyway.”

“I do.”

Lucia looked down at her plate. Love. Simple. Easy. Untainted. She hadn’t felt it like this in a long time.

Halfway through dinner, Lena leaned back slightly. “I just want to say something.”

Lucia looked up.

“I’m happy,” Lena said. “I know things have been stressful. I can feel it. But I want you to know I’m really happy.”

She looked at Lucia. “You’re a wonderful mother.”

Lucia froze. The words hit too deep, too fast.

“And you,” Lena said, turning to Alexander, “you’re the best dad I could ever ask for.”

Her voice softened. “I’m lucky.”

Lucia’s throat tightened. Lena meant every word. There was no doubt, no hesitation, no hidden meanirig. Just love.

“Thank you,” Lucia said quietly.

After dinner, Lena insisted on cleaning up. “Go relax. This is my night.”

Later, in the study, Alexander closed the door behind them and placed a folder in front of Lucia.

“Open it.”

Lucia frowned slightly but did as he said. At first, it didn’t make sense. Then it did. Her eyes moved faster as she read, and her breathing slowed.

She looked up at him. “Alexander… this isn’t real.”

“It is.”

She looked back at the documents. Fifty-one percent of Marco’s company stocks. Her hands went cold.

“How long?” she asked.

“Three months.”

“You bought it?”

“I acquired it. For you.”

She stared at him, then back at the papers. Marco’s company. The thing he chose over everything. Over her. Over their

marriage.

And now she owned it.

‘He doesn’t know,” Alexander said.

“When will he?”

‘Tomorrow. Board meeting.”

r

Her heart started beating faster. Tomorrow. Marco would walk into that room thinking he still had control, and then everything would be taken from him in a single moment.

‘I could destroy it,” she said quietly.

“Yes.”

‘I could take everything from him.”

“Yes.”

She stared at the file. “Or I could rebuild it.”

Alexander nodded. “That choice is yours.”

Lucia leaned back slowly. “I don’t know what I want.”

“That’s because this isn’t about him anymore,” Alexander said. “It’s about you.”

Those words stayed with her long after she left the room.

She stopped outside Lena’s door and knocked softly.

Chapter 73 “Come in.”

Þeria was in bed, reading. “You’re still awake,” Lucia said.

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