After the CEO Divorced Me, He Wants Me Back (Aveline and Lucas)

"Wow!" Selena gasped loudly as she saw what was happening inside the room. She moved to burst in, ready to confront the pair.

But Aveline quickly stopped her, pulling the door shut.

Selena turned to her, furious. "Why are you stopping me? Let me go in there and tear those two apart!"

The dim lighting in the hallway cast a shadow over Aveline's pale face. Her eyes seemed lost as she bit her lip, finally speaking in a soft voice. "We're divorced." The implication was clear-Lucas was free to be with anyone he wanted now.

Selena fell silent, her anger cooling. She suddenly realized that, legally, Aveline no longer had any right to confront Lucas. They weren't together anymore.

"Let's go. We'll head to the police station and withdraw the missing person report," Selena said quietly, looping her arm through Aveline's.

Aveline didn't respond, allowing Selena to lead her away. The lively music of the bar droned on as they walked through the crowd, but Aveline's expression grew more numb with every step.

Suddenly, a dull ache began to spread through her chest, sharp and relentless. It started small but quickly intensified as if her heart was slowly being torn apart. The image of Lucas embracing that woman flashed through her mind, and her eyes began to sting with unshed tears.

It hit her-despite her words, she had already forgiven him, already let him back into her heart. But seeing him now, his focus elsewhere, brought a wave of panic and deep, unsettling anxiety.

Outside the bar, Aveline shut her eyes tightly, fighting to regain control of her emotions. She breathed deeply, struggling to stabilize herself.

"Are you alright, Ave?" Selena's worried voice broke through the haze.

Aveline shook her head. "I'm fine..."

But just as the words left her lips, a sudden wave of nausea surged up. She rushed to the nearest trash bin, heaving violently.

She emptied everything she had eaten, her body trembling as she continued to gag. Even when there was nothing left, the bitter taste in her mouth lingered painfully.

Selena quickly returned with a bottle of water, opening it and handing it to her. "Here, drink this."

Aveline accepted it gratefully, sipping slowly, her hands shaking as she tried to steady herself.

"Are you in a lot of pain, Ave? Should we go to the hospital?" Selena asked, her voice filled with concern. She had never seen Aveline like this and was unsure how to handle the situation.

Aveline rinsed her mouth, took a sip of water, and shook her head, her face pale. "I'm fine. Let's go to the police station first."

Selena frowned, clearly worried, but couldn't help muttering angrily, "That scumbag, why doesn't he just disappear?"

She had never had a kind word for Lucas and wasn't about to start now.

At the police station, Aveline didn't withdraw the report.

Instead, she provided some clues to help the police investigate the people who had held her captive Even though she was safe now, the people responsible for her abduction were still at large.

By the time they returned home, it was late. Aveline looked completely drained, her expression hollow, her eyes dulkand lifeless. She sat there as if all the energy had been sucked out of her, her body going through the motions without any spark of life.

Selena watched her, unsure of what to say. This version of Aveline was all too familiar-the same numb, lost state she had fallen into when Lucas had unexpectedly asked for a divorce. It was as if the world had abandoned her, leaving her

shattered and broken.

Without a word, Selena stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Aveline. "Ave, don't be sad. You still have me. We'll raise the baby together. You be the mom, and I'll be the dad!" Aveline's eyelashes fluttered as she lowered her hand to her belly.

The baby...

She still had her child.

She wasn't alone. The baby was her flesh and blood, her family, her everything.

It didn't matter if Lucas had found someone else. She could move on.

She and the baby would live a good life, with or without him.

"Yeah, we'll live well," Aveline murmured as she hugged Selena back, her voice soft but determined.