When She Ended It With Divorce (Chiara and Titus) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

When Heather got home and spotted the uninvited guests, her expression frosted over. Charlie and Adele could tell Heather wasn’t happy, so Charlie cut straight to the chase and told them to leave.

“Heather invited us. If you didn’t get an invite, do yourselves a favor and show yourselves out. Don’t make me kick you out!” Charlie said.

Charlie had been a CEO for decades, and when he put on that stern face, it was pretty intimidating. Chiara frowned, wanting to speak up, but Heather caught her arm and held her back.

Yvonne shrank back, clearly terrified; she really couldn’t stay here a moment longer. She shot Titus a nervous look and whispered, “Titus, maybe we should just go.”

Titus glanced at her and said flatly, “Go back first.”

Yvonne wasn’t even hoping Titus would leave with her anymore; in fact, she was relieved he didn’t. If he really did walk out with her, the Goodmans and Lynchs would eat her alive. She couldn’t afford to mess with either of them.

So, playing it smart, she nodded. “I won’t bother you all anymore. I’ll head out now. Sorry about today.” With that, she practically bolted for the door. Seeing this, Chiara called for Ana to walk her out.

Once Yvonne stepped out of the Lynch residence, she realized she was trapped in this fancy gated neighborhood; there wasn’t even a car passing by. If the paparazzi caught wind that a celebrity like her had been thrown out, her reputation would be toast.

She tucked herself into a corner, pulled out her phone, and called her assistant, urging her to come pick her up as soon as possible. After hanging up, she stomped her foot, filled with regret so sharp it felt almost physical. If she had known it would turn out like this, not even wild horses would have dragged her here.

Once Yvonne was out the door, Charlie immediately put Titus in the hot seat. “And you, get out, now!” Charlie barked.

Adele shot Titus a cold glare, not bothering to defend him. She thought, ‘Way to go, Titus. You just ruined the whole vibe for everyone!’

They all felt guilty toward Chiara, but she was gracious enough to let them spend time with Ryan, putting her own feelings aside. No one wanted to get on Chiara’s bad side because of Titus.

“You should leave, too,” Charlie said coldly.

Titus just arched an eyebrow. Even with both his parents telling him to get out, he didn’t move an inch. He said coolly, “The kid doesn’t want me to leave, so I can’t go.”

Chiara shot him a look when she heard that, and Titus noticed, meeting her gaze. As if to prove his point, Titus set Ryan down. But as soon as he tried to walk away, Ryan latched onto his leg, wailing.

Everyone just stared, completely speechless. Heather’s expression briefly contorted, clearly annoyed. She couldn’t help but look at Chiara.

much

pretty She knew Chiara had been secretly teaching Ryan to recognize everyone from photos, so the kid knew who was who. But what Heather didn’t realize was that Chiara had even slipped pictures of Titus for Ryan to learn.

They were sisters; just one glance and they could read each other’s minds. Chiara gave a helpless shrug and explained softly, “I never showed Ryan any pictures of Titus. Yesterday, Ryan just clung to him and refused to let go, so I agreed to let Titus give us a ride home.”

Heather just stared, lost for words. ‘Seriously? Is this some kind of father-son telepathy or what?’ Heather thought.

Right in front of everyone, Titus scooped Ryan back up into his arms. This time, Ryan wrapped his arms around Titus’s neck and refused to let go, as if he did, Titus would disappear forever.

Even the Goodman family, who were usually never at a loss for words, just stood there, totally speechless. Adele gave Chiara a discreet, conflicted look. Chiara noticed and could only sigh, feeling helpless.

“Ladies, dinner’s ready!” Ana called out.

Chiara walked over to Debby and gently helped her up. “Let me help you to the table, Grandma. Hope our chef made something you like.”

“Alright, alright, let’s eat first,” Debby said, smiling warmly.

Adele shot Titus a glare and turned away, unable to help feeling a little embarrassed by how thick-skinned he

was.

Charlie just snorted, his face dark with annoyance; now that he had a grandson, it was like his own son didn’t even exist anymore. “What a nuisance!” Charlie muttered.

Titus arched an eyebrow, glanced down at Ryan in his arms, and let out a chuckle. “Guess I’m getting pushed further down the family totem pole,” he joked.

Since Titus refused to leave, and out of respect for the Goodman family, Heather couldn’t really tell him to go. Chiara walked over to Titus, ready to take Ryan from his arms.

“Let me feed him, Ryan. Come to Mommy,” Chiara said softly.

Ryan glanced at her, then turned his head away from her. Chiara pressed her lips together and frowned. It wasn’t that Ryan was naturally drawn to Titus; Chiara just figured, parents are always the closest people to a child, so she didn’t see anything wrong with it.

Titus glanced at her and said in a low voice, “Let me handle it.”

Chiara frowned and asked without thinking, “You sure you know how?”

Titus replied coolly, “I can figure it out.”

Seeing this, Adele chimed in, “Chiara, just sit down and eat. Let him handle feeding Ryan today. Let’s see if he can handle how tough being a parent really is.”

Chiara shot another look at Titus and Ryan, but with a reluctant sigh, she gave in and went back to her seat. Titus was so awkward with it that Ryan ended up with food smeared all over his face and clothes, and even Titus’s own collar and shirt weren’t spared.

Chiara had to fight the urge to step in and scoop Ryan up every time, but she managed to hold herself back. Chiara could tell Ryan was full when he clamped his mouth shut and refused another bite.

“Ana…” Chiara called out.

Ana came out of the kitchen, took a look at the two of them, wiped her hands, and walked over to Titus. “Let me handle it. I’ll get him cleaned up,” she said.

Titus looked a bit embarrassed; he and Ryan were both looking pretty rough. He nodded and handed Ryan over to Ana. But Ryan started fussing again, making little noises and clinging to Titus for dear life; he clearly didn’t want to be separated.

The sight left everyone with complicated feelings; nobody quite knew what to say. Chiara could only stand up and walk over. “Why don’t you take him upstairs? I’ll change his clothes.”

Titus glanced up at her, nodded, and got up with Ryan still clinging to him, following her upstairs. Everyone at the table just sat there in silence, watching as the two of them headed upstairs, one after the other.

Heather finally looked away. “Well, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“Alright, let’s eat…” Debby replied.

Once they got to the room, Chiara spoke softly to Ryan, “Ryan, your clothes are all messy. How about we change into something clean, okay?”

Ryan just looked at her, silent and unmoving. Chiara walked over to the closet, grabbed his favorite dinosaur onesie, and waved it enticingly in front of him. “Want to put this on next?” she coaxed.

Ryan’s eyes lit up when he saw his favorite outfit, and he finally nodded. Finally, Chiara reached out and scooped Ryan out of Titus’s arms. She spotted a stray veggie stuck to his chin and said dryly, “Go clean yourself up in the bathroom.”

Titus stood there, watching quietly as Chiara carried Ryan over to the couch, set him down, and then knelt on the rug, gently and patiently helping Ryan to change into clean clothes.

He looked down at his neck, feeling the sticky mess, and finally made his way to the bathroom to clean up. When Chiara heard the water running in the bathroom, her hands stilled for a moment, then carried on as usual, helping Ryan change his clothes.

Titus pulled off his tie and tossed it onto the counter. His collar was damp, and water trickled down from his chin.