Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband? novel Chapter 379

Forrest watched with a cool detachment, his tone calm but resolute. “Striking someone without asking for the reason first is wrong. Hitting her? Even worse.”

The room fell silent.

He stepped in front of Mila, standing his ground. His gaze flicked to Giselle, who was sobbing into Lysander’s arms, then shifted back to Lysander himself. Forrest wore a gentle smile, but his words cut deep.

“From where I’m standing, it looks like the Harvey family is throwing their weight around—trying to use power and numbers to bully my friend, who’s never had any advantages in her corner. Ms. Harvey, I’d love to hear how you managed to push someone as kind and gentle as my friend to this point. That’s a talent in itself.”

“What’s any of this got to do with you?” Lysander’s voice grew cold. He gently moved the woman in his arms aside and made a move for Mila, but she sidestepped him.

He tried to close the distance again, but Giselle clung desperately to his sleeve, her tearful voice trembling with grievance. “Lysander—”

He frowned, but stayed put.

Mila stood just behind Forrest, now composed—her eyes sharp and icy as they swept across Lysander’s face, then over Giselle, still sobbing with her face in her hands, then Rosalind, Charles... finally circling back to Giselle.

The other woman refused to meet her gaze, just kept crying.

Mila spoke coldly, each word like the slice of a knife, her meaning unmistakable.

“You’re not the least bit afraid of karma, are you?”

People like them—who treated lives like they were nothing—made her sick. Breathing the same air as them was revolting.

She spun on her heel and pushed through the crowd, leaving without looking back.

Her steps were brisk. Right now, her aunt’s failing health worried her far more than anything here.

...

“Leaving now?” Forrest asked as the car sped down the highway through the deepening night, heading toward Maplewood Grove. He glanced over at Mila, who sat beside him, her expression composed to the point of being unnatural.

He already had a good sense of what had happened—but Mila’s calmness seemed almost too much.

And...

“Didn’t you say Giselle was trying to force you out of the country? You still don’t know what tricks she’s got up her sleeve. If you leave now, you could be walking straight into danger.”

“Forrest, I don’t have a choice.”

Mila gripped her gold-threaded clutch tightly, turning her face toward the window. Half her face was swallowed by the darkness, her lips trembling ever so slightly.

“Forrest, I can’t even bear to think—what if, what if...”

She couldn’t finish the thought.

But Forrest understood. What if something happened to her aunt? What if this was the last time she’d ever see her?

She couldn’t risk it.

Her aunt was her only family, the guiding light of her childhood. Mila had never allowed herself to imagine a day when that light might go out. The thought alone made it hard to breathe.

When family is at the edge between life and death,

But she couldn’t let Miranda come along, too.

She was willing to risk her own life, but not her best friend’s.

“I’m coming with you. That’s final,” Miranda declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Mila, remember when I crashed my car late at night and nearly ran into Roland and his gun? Even then, I called you for help without a second thought. I dragged you into my mess because I trust you—so why can’t you trust me now?”

“And besides, I’ve been overseas more than once. I know more people over there than you do. Besides your aunt and me, do you have anyone else you trust as much?”

Mila fell silent.

“Relax. If things get hairy, I’ll make a run for it.” Miranda grinned from where she sat cross-legged on the couch, rocking slightly. “But if you think I can just sit back and do nothing while you’re in trouble—no way. I made a promise: I’ll never leave you alone again.”

“And anyway, it’s just Giselle. Are we really supposed to be scared of her? That bitch—she’s going to get what’s coming—”

Before Miranda could finish, Mila pulled her into a fierce hug.

She held her closest friend tightly, throat thick with emotion, unable to find the words, so she just held on even tighter.

Miranda smiled, gently patting Mila’s back, and whispered in her ear—

“Mila, don’t be afraid.”

“This time, I’m putting my life on the line too. Go all in—no matter what comes, I’ll be right beside you.”

“We’ll fight them together.”