My Possesive Ex-Husband

Chapter 2

​"The court hereby decrees: Evelyn Almira and Alex Archer are officially divorced."

​The sharp crack of the judge’s gavel echoed through the room, sounding like a death knell for their five-year marriage. Exactly three months since Madam Viola had hurled those divorce papers onto the living room table, it was finally over. Everything had truly come to an end.

​Beside Alex, Madam Viola wore a triumphant smirk. She shot Evelyn—who sat composed next to her lawyer—a look of pure victory, as if she had finally kicked a bothersome pebble out of her path.

​But Evelyn didn't wither. Instead, she retaliated with a mocking smile. She knew better than anyone that Alex was still desperately in love with her. In that moment, she made a silent vow: she would make it impossible for him to ever forget her. Was she losing her mind? Perhaps. But after being discarded so cruelly and abruptly, what woman wouldn't be driven to the edge?

​"See you soon, Mother," Evelyn mouthed silently, her lips forming the words without a sound.

​Madam Viola’s eyes bulged. She hadn't expected Evelyn to still have the audacity to defy her, especially after losing her status as an Archer.

​Evelyn walked out of the courtroom with her head held high. The moment she spotted Alex emerging from the doors, she immediately slipped her arm through the arm of Jovan, her friend and lawyer.

​Jovan glanced at her in confusion, but he didn't pull away.

​"Jo, we’re still grabbing lunch after this, right?" Evelyn asked, her voice loud enough to carry to the man who had just become her ex-husband.

​Alex’s gaze turned into a searing, burning glare. His jaw tightened so hard it looked ready to snap; the sight of her with another man was clearly more than he could handle.

​Madam Viola let out a derisive sneer. "Look at that. Barely divorced and she’s already secured a new man. Cheap woman." She turned to stroke her son’s arm. "Don't you worry, darling. I’ve already prepared several candidates I know you’ll adore. Hmm?"

​Alex didn't have the stomach to answer. His mind was a chaotic wreck, fixated on the sight of Evelyn acting so affectionately toward another man. Another man! Not him!

​The reality made him feel physically ill. The thought that he could no longer "punish" her under his control, or monopolize her every breath, turned his face a deep, furious crimson. The obsession began to throb in his skull, more potent than ever before.

​.

​.

​"Who was that man you were with yesterday?!"

​Evelyn, who was focused on sketching a new logo for her fashion label, froze. She looked up at Alex, who stood agitated in the middle of her boutique. A month had passed since the court's decision, but instead of staying away, Alex had become more relentless. He kept showing up just to demand answers about things that Evelyn felt were no longer his business.

​Evelyn let out a cynical chuckle. She rose from her chair and walked slowly until she stood directly in front of him.

​"Why are you so curious? Remember, we are no longer husband and wife. I am free to walk with whomever I choose," she said flatly.

​"We’ve only been divorced for a month, and you already have someone new?!" Alex’s voice rose, his eyes flickering with a mix of pain and rage. "Our love... everything since college... are you just throwing it all away?!"

​"And what am I supposed to do? Should I stay locked away, weeping for you every hour?" Evelyn stared him down without blinking.

"After all, you’ll be marrying your mother’s choice soon enough after throwing this 'barren' woman away, won't you?"

​She spat the word 'barren' with deliberate venom, letting it strike Alex’s ego like a physical blow.

​Alex shook his head frantically. He lunged forward and grabbed Evelyn’s arms, gripping her so tightly as if afraid she would vanish the moment he let go. He demanded her absolute attention.

​"My feelings haven't changed. I still love you so much, Ev," he whispered hoarsely. "Please, don’t let any other man touch you. Even if I marry someone else, I am still yours. Only yours."

​Evelyn let out a crisp, hollow laugh—a sound that felt like a knife in Alex’s ears.

​"Say that in front of your mother. Do you have the courage?" she challenged.

​"Ev..." Alex choked, his tongue suddenly heavy.

​"If you're still a coward, then don't you dare try to control me! Even if I choose to walk with five different men in a single day, it is no longer your concern!" Evelyn shouted as she shoved his shoulders with all her might, forcing him out of her shop.

​.

​.

​Alex stood on the sidewalk across from Evelyn’s boutique. His jaw set as he watched a luxury car pull up to the entrance. Jovan stepped out—the man who had made Alex feel sick with jealousy only a day ago.

​Inside his jacket pocket, Alex’s hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists. He pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling with suppressed fury as he began to type.

​"Stop laughing with him, Evelyn. You still belong to me," he whispered to his phone screen, which displayed a photo of Evelyn he had taken secretly from a distance.

​Inside the shop, Evelyn’s phone chimed. She glanced at the screen and found a message from a number she should have blocked—but Alex always found a way to reach her with a new one.

​Alex: Jovan isn't right for you. He’s only after your body. Go back inside now, or I’ll be the one to drag you in.

​A shiver ran down Evelyn’s spine. She scanned the busy street in front of her shop. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his eyes on her. It felt like a noose tightening around her neck, inch by inch.

​"Is something wrong, Ev?" Jovan asked, noticing the sudden change in her expression.

​"It's nothing, Jo. Let's go inside," she replied quickly, masking her fear with a forced smile.

​Watching Evelyn enter the shop with Jovan, Alex slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the horn blaring in a long, discordant note.

​"You think you can escape me that easily? Never, Evelyn. Never!"

​He immediately dialed a number. "Find out everything about Jovan. His address, his office, his entire family tree. I want him gone from my ex-wife’s life by tomorrow morning."

​Alex curled his lips into a chilling, crooked smile. If he had to become a monster to keep Evelyn, then so be it. To him, she was the only beauty left in a life made barren under his mother’s thumb.

​.

​.

​Alex threw his suit jacket onto the sofa in a fit of rage. His breath came in ragged gasps, his tie already yanked into a messy heap. The image of Evelyn looking so close to the man who had been her lawyer made him lose all composure.

​His chest felt tight, as if a fire was consuming his heart. He couldn't accept it! He absolutely could not stand to see Evelyn by another man's side, especially if that man could draw out the smile that used to belong only to him.

​"I have to get rid of him. I have to get rid of him!" Alex muttered in a terrifying, raspy voice. "That man... I have to tear him away from Evelyn."

​He suddenly let out a soft, hollow laugh that echoed through the empty living room. Madness. He was well aware he was losing it. Driven mad because the immense love he still held for Evelyn had been severed by his mother's hand.

​The shame of letting her go had mutated into a dark, suffocating obsession to reclaim what he had discarded.

​"If I can't have you legally, Evelyn... then no man in this world will be allowed to touch you," he whispered sharply, staring at their wedding photo—the one he was supposed to have destroyed a long time ago.