The Unwanted Wife's Return (Ex-Husband Wants Me Back) novel Chapter 186

Smiles, Secrets, and Staring Eyes

HANNAH’S POV:

Martin immediately choked on his iced lemonade. The guys had all teased him mercilessly earlier for making lemonade from scratch instead of just drinking beer like a normal person.

Lucas scoffed loudly and very obviously darted his eyes back down to the magazine he’d been pretending to read. He’d brought an entire stack of magazines because this trip had specific rules. We weren’t supposed to use our phones during the day.

The idea was to actually disconnect and be present with each other.

Of course, since we were all CEOs running companies, we understood that completely disconnecting wasn’t realistic. So we’d compromised. The house staff collected our phones every morning and returned them to us at night so we could check emails and handle any emergencies.

“Personally, I’m completely fine,” Lucas said way too quickly, his voice tight. “I can’t speak for him, obviously.”

“I’m good too,” Martin added just as quickly, unnecessarily adjusting his already perfect shirt. “I’m great, actually. Better than great.”

I just stared at them both, not buying it for a second.

Jacob and Elijah exchanged knowing looks, communicating silently the way men who’ve been friends for years can do.

Cherry reappeared from inside the house, holding a bowl of fruit like the fruit had personally offended her entire family. She plopped down heavily beside me on the couch.

“You’re both lying,” she said bluntly, popping a grape into her mouth. “And honestly, it’s getting really annoying to watch.”

I had to admit, I was genuinely enjoying this new brutally honest version of Cherry. Pregnancy had apparently stripped away her filter completely. She’d always been kind and diplomatic before, carefully choosing her words.

But pregnant Cherry just said exactly what she was thinking with zero concern for people’s feelings.

It was refreshing, honestly.

“Thank you,” I muttered to her, grateful someone else had said it.

Lucas rolled his eyes dramatically. “Can everyone please stop psychoanalyzing us? Some of us are actually trying to enjoy a relaxing vacation here.”

“You called off your engagement,” Cherry stated matter-of-factly, popping another grape into her mouth. “That automatically makes you public property for concern and discussion. Also, you didn’t even bother to tell any of us why. Your best friends. The people who love you.”

Martin opened his mouth like he was going to respond, then just closed it again without saying anything.

Cherry was absolutely right, and everyone knew it.

Lucas hadn’t told anyone why he’d called things off. Not even me, and I was supposed to be his best friend in the entire world. But I hadn’t pushed him for details because I knew he would open up when he was ready. I knew him well enough to understand that.

I also knew he genuinely loved Martin with his whole heart. Calling off an engagement with someone you loved that much couldn’t have been an easy decision. There had to be a serious reason.

A heavy silence stretched across the porch. It wasn’t uncomfortable exactly, just weighted down with everything that was being left unsaid.

I watched Lucas and Martin quietly, a familiar ache settling in my chest. This group, this messy and stubborn and deeply loving group of people, had been through far too much together to fracture cleanly and permanently.

“Elijah…” I warned, but it came out breathy instead of firm.

“I’m thinking that you look good enough to eat,” he murmured against my skin, his kisses becoming more, intense, turning into light sucking that would definitely leave marks.

“Uhn uhn,” I said, even though my body was responding to him in ways that made me want to give in. “You need to keep the little man in your pants. We have dinner with our friends, and I’m actually hungry for real food.”

Elijah pulled back and laughed out loud. “Little man? You know for a fact there is absolutely nothing little about him.”

“I genuinely can’t believe it’s really happening,” I said, my voice coming out softer and more vulnerable than I’d intended. “Six months ago, I was terrified to even let myself dream this far ahead. I was afraid to hope for good things. And now the collection is completely done. The fashion show is all set up. The early reviews from industry insiders are already insane.”

I’d worked so inicredibly hard on this collection. It was designed to honor my real mother, Mirada. Her photograph was going to be the centerpiece of the entire campaign.

“You earned every single bit of this success,” Elijah said firmly, squeezing my hand and kissing the side of my head. “Every accomplishment. Every good review. You worked for it.”

I exhaled slowly, trying to let myself actually feel proud instead of waiting for something bad to happen.

As we continued eating, with laughter and easy conversation flowing around the table, my phone suddenly rang

I frowned, confused, glancing at my watch. I’d been expecting the daily video call with Amelia and Andrew, but it was too early for that. They usually called around bedtime.

The number on the screen showed “Unknown.”