My Billionaire Ex-Lover

The Visit

I had Ethan sleep in my bed that night, although I barely slept a wink. My eyes kept darting to the window, and I kept expecting Liam to show up in the middle of the night with a custody order in hand. Every sound outside made my heart jump. The wind, a car passing by in the distance, all made me jump.

I wrapped my hand around my son and held him close, squeezing him a little too hard and breathing in the lavender scent of his hair that always calms me. He slept peacefully, oblivious to the turmoil inside me

I kept imagining what would happen if Liam and Victoria succeeded in taking Ethan from me. I had no idea what I would do then. I would lose my mind if that should ever happen.

I pulled my son closer and kissed the top of his head. I needed to stay strong, but I felt fear sitting on my chest like a heavy weight I couldn’t shake off.

By morning, Cathy had sent me her cousin's number, and I wasted no time in calling her.

The woman’s voice was crisp and direct. She wasted no time on pleasantries.

“Isabel Hayes?” she asked.

“Yes, Cathy gave me your number.”

“I’m Rachel Bates. She told me you’d be calling. I understand you need help with a custody case.

“Yes," I said, gripping the phone tightly. “My ex, Liam Sinclair, and his stepmother are planning to fight me for custody of my son. I need to be ready for them.”

There was a pause

“Sinclair?” She repeated the name like it left a bad taste in her mouth. I guess Cathy didn’t mention it to her. “You mean Sinclair as in Sinclair Empires?”

“Yes,” I said

Another pause. “You understand what going up against the Sinclair means, right?

I swallowed hard. “I don’t have a choice. Ethan is all I have.”

“They don’t fight far, Ms Hayes. They don’t play by the rules. If you step into that arena, you need to be prepared for war. Real war.” She said

Her words sliced through me, “I’m not afraid of them,” I said

“You should be,” she said quietly

I stayed quiet

“I’m not saying this to scare you. I’m saying it because you need to be mentally prepared. If you’re going to do this. There is no halfway. Once your name is on their radar, they will make it their mission to destroy you.”

A chill ran down my spine

“They already started,” I said softly, “I understand exactly what you are saying,” I added.

“Good, let’s meet tomorrow by noon to go over everything. I’ll send you the address of my office,” Rachel said “we’ll build your case from the ground up. But you need to be honest with me. No secrets. No surprises”

I nodded, even if she couldn’t see me, “okay.”

After we hung up with the promise to meet and discuss the following day, I went to the kitchen to make coffee. My hands were still shaking as I poured the hot liquid into a mug. I stood by the window and took a sip, hoping the coffee would steady my nerves.

That’s when I noticed the car.

A sleek black car was parked across the street. The kind that didn’t belong in our neighborhood.

It wasn’t there before, was it?

And it looked familiar, just like the car I thought I saw outside the building the day before. I had brushed it off, thinking it belonged to someone visiting one of the neighbors. But now something felt off about it. Too deliberate. It was as if the car was positioned strategically right across from my apartment on purpose.

The windows were tinted pitch black, making it impossible to see inside. The engine wasn’t running but the car hadn't moved in hours. I narrowed my eyes. My gut told me someone was inside the car, even though I couldn’t see through.

Was someone watching me?

A sudden wave of panic spread through my body. I stepped away from the window and closed the blinds.

Ethan was still sleeping, and so I went inside to check on him. He was there, sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling softly. His calm, angelic face gave me some relief.

I went back into the kitchen, softly pulled the blinds apart, and peered outside. The car was still there. Was it Victoria? I had no proof but my gut screamed yes. This had her fingerprints all over it.

I forced myself to eat something, then got Ethan ready for when Lopez came later to take him to his weekend playgroup. I was going to be working from home today, creating the designs I was going to send to my tailors to sew.

Once Lopez came and took Ethan away, the apartment felt too quiet. Too still.I started working to keep myself busy, checking my phone every few minutes.

That’s when I heard a soft sound at the door.

I froze.

For a second, I thought maybe it was the mailman or someone dropped off a package. I hesitated, heart thudding and tiptoed to the door.

I looked through the keyhole but saw no one on the other side.

I slowly turned the knob and opened it. No one was there, but sitting on the floor, just inches from the threshold, was a plain white envelope

I bent down, picked it up, and flipped it over. There was no return address. No stamp. My fingers trembled as I opened it. Inside was a single sheet of paper.

Just three words written across in black ink

You can’t win this

I dropped the envelope like it was on fire

They know where I live.

Someone had been here. Up to my door. Close enough to leave a message like this while I was inside.

I ran to the window and yanked the blinds aside.

The black car was gone. Vanished

My breath caught in my throat as I backed away from the window

They were trying to scare me, and it was working.

I dialed Rachel immediately

“They were here,” I said, voice shaking, “someone left a message on my doorstep.”

“What kind of message?”

I told her everything

“You need to document this. Take pictures. Save the envelope, don’t throw anything away. This is evidence

“Should I go to the police?”

“You can file a report, but unless there is a direct threat or physical harm, they can’t do much. These people know how to dance around the law”.

“What if they come near Ethan?” I said, panic rising in my chest. If they know where I live, that means they had access to my son, too. I remember Victoria showing me all those pictures of my son at the dinner. They obviously had eyes on us.

“They won’t. Not yet. That would ruin their image. But you need to be careful. Don’t go anywhere alone if you can help it. Change your locks. Get a camera installed. And Isabella, don’t tell anyone else about this yet. Not until we know who we can trust.”

“Okay,” I said and nodded, even though I was shaking.

After I hung up, I paced my apartment like a trapped animal. I checked every lock, every window, every crack in the floorboard. I called Lopez every hour to make sure Ethan was okay. I felt exposed, like a spotlight was fixed on me and I couldn't hide.

By nightfall, I was exhausted even though I wasn’t able to do much work throughout the day. Ethan was already back from his playgroup and Lopez had gone home. I gave Ethan a warm bath, read him a story, and tucked him into bed.

Just before going to bed myself, I checked the front door one more time. I tested the lock, made sure the chain was in place, and slid a chair underneath the handle for extra security. I had already reached out to someone who was going to come install the cameras the following day.

It was past midnight when I finally lay down. I didn’t expect to sleep, but at some point, I must have drifted off.

I woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. My eyes snapped open, and I sat up quickly, my heart pounding.

I checked the clock on my bedside.

It was 3am,

Who would be at the door at this hour?

I got out of bed quietly and walked to the door. I peeked through the keyhole, and then my stomach dropped.

Liam Sinclair was standing on the other side of the door.