MY BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND WANTS ME BACK

Elena Hart had spent five years trying to forget Adrian Blackwood. She had changed cities, changed her phone number, changed her appearance, and even learned how to smile whenever someone asked about her past. But there was one thing she could never change. She could not erase the way her heart reacted whenever she heard his name. And today, after five long years, she was going to see him again. Elena sat inside the back seat of a taxi, staring through the window at the familiar streets of the city. The buildings seemed taller than she remembered. The roads were busier. Everything looked different. Yet somehow, the memories remained exactly the same. She closed her eyes. Five years ago, she had walked out of Adrian Blackwood's mansion with one suitcase in her hand and tears running down her face. She had been pregnant. She had been terrified. And she had believed leaving was the only way to protect herself and the baby growing inside her. Three years later, their marriage had officially ended. Adrian had signed the divorce papers. She had signed them too. Neither of them had spoken during the process. She had expected freedom to make her feel better. It had not. Instead, every night she wondered whether Adrian hated her. Sometimes she wondered if he ever missed her. Then Noah was born, and her entire world changed. Her five year old son was the reason she had kept moving forward. He was the reason she had learned to be strong. He was also the reason she was returning now. Elena looked at the little boy sitting beside her. Noah was wearing a small blue shirt and jeans. He had fallen asleep with his head against the window, completely unaware of the storm waiting ahead. Elena reached over and gently adjusted his seat belt. She stared at his face. He looked so much like Adrian. The same dark eyes. The same straight nose. The same stubborn little expression whenever he was upset. There were days when Elena looked at Noah and felt guilty for keeping the truth from Adrian. But she had always been afraid. Afraid that Adrian would take Noah away. Afraid that his powerful family would discover the truth. Afraid that returning to Adrian would destroy the quiet life she had worked so hard to build. The taxi slowed down. Elena's stomach tightened. She looked ahead. The enormous glass building of Blackwood Holdings stood in front of them. She had not been here since the divorce. It was still exactly as she remembered. Cold. Elegant. Powerful. The headquarters of one of the richest business families in the country. Her hands became cold. The driver stopped near the entrance. "Madam, we are here." Elena swallowed. "Thank you." She paid the driver and opened the door. Noah woke immediately. "Mommy?" "I'm here." "Are we going to see Daddy?" Elena froze. She had not expected the question so soon. She crouched beside him. "Yes." Noah's eyes brightened. "I finally get to meet him?" Elena forced a smile. "Yes." "Will he like me?" Her heart broke. "Of course he will." "How do you know?" "Because you are impossible not to love." Noah smiled. Elena took his hand. They walked toward the entrance. Every step made her heart beat faster. Inside, the reception area was filled with employees dressed in expensive business clothes. The moment Elena entered, several people stared. Some recognized her immediately. Whispers began. "Is that Elena Hart?" "I thought she left the country." "That's Adrian's ex wife." "Who is the boy?" Elena ignored them. She kept walking. A woman behind the reception desk stood quickly. "Mrs Blackwood." Elena stopped. "Please don't call me that." The receptionist looked embarrassed. "Sorry, Ms Hart." "I'm here to see Adrian." The woman's expression changed. "Do you have an appointment?" "No." "I'm afraid Mr Blackwood is in a meeting." Elena nodded. "I'll wait." The receptionist looked toward Noah. Then back at Elena. "Of course." Elena found a seat. Noah sat beside her. He looked around with curiosity. "Mommy, is this Daddy's office?" "Yes." "Is it big?" "Very." "Does he have a big house too?" Elena smiled. "Yes." "Can we see it?" She looked away. "We'll see." She knew this was not going to be easy. Upstairs, Adrian Blackwood was standing at the end of a long conference table. The room was silent. Ten executives sat around him. Nobody dared interrupt him. Adrian looked at the financial report in his hand. "Explain this." The chief financial officer swallowed. "There was an unauthorized transfer from one of the company accounts." "How much?" "Four million dollars." Adrian's expression darkened. "Who approved it?" "We are still investigating." "You had better investigate faster." His voice was calm, but everyone in the room knew that calm Adrian Blackwood was more dangerous than an angry one. His assistant suddenly entered. She approached him quietly. "Sir." Adrian looked at her. "What?" "There is someone downstairs asking to see you." "I'm busy." "It's Elena Hart." The room went silent. Adrian's fingers tightened around the report. For five years, he had trained himself not to react whenever he heard her name. But this time was different. His heart had already betrayed him. He looked at his assistant. "Elena?" "Yes, sir." "Are you sure?" "Very sure." Adrian said nothing. Memories rushed through his mind. Elena laughing in their kitchen. Elena sleeping beside him. Elena crying during their final argument. Elena standing at the door with a suitcase. He had asked her where she was going. She had said nothing. He had asked her why she was leaving. Again, nothing. Then she had walked away. Adrian had spent years believing she never loved him. He had hated her for leaving. At least, that was what he told himself. The truth was much worse. He had never stopped loving her. "Where is she?" "Reception." Adrian looked at his watch. "Bring her up." His assistant hesitated. "Sir, there is something else." "What?" "She has a child with her." Adrian frowned. "A child?" "Yes." "Whose child?" "I don't know." Something about the woman's expression made Adrian uncomfortable. He pushed back his chair. "I'll go down myself." His executives exchanged nervous looks. Adrian walked out of the conference room. He took the elevator alone. As the doors closed, his reflection stared back at him. He looked exactly as he wanted the world to see him. Cold. Controlled. Untouchable. But inside, he was already losing control. When the elevator opened, he stepped into the reception area. Then he saw her. Elena. She was standing beside the windows. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders. She wore a simple cream dress and held the hand of a little boy. Adrian stopped walking. For several seconds, he could not breathe. She looked older. More mature. More beautiful. But her eyes were exactly the same. Then the little boy turned around. Adrian's heart stopped. The boy looked directly at him. Dark eyes. Dark hair. The same small scar above the left eyebrow Adrian had gotten as a child. Adrian stared. Elena saw him. Their eyes met. Five years disappeared in one second. Neither of them moved. Noah looked between them. "Mommy?" Elena squeezed his hand. "Yes?" "Is that Daddy?" Adrian's face changed. Elena closed her eyes. She had imagined this moment hundreds of times. She had imagined Adrian shouting. She had imagined him refusing to believe her. She had imagined him demanding answers. But she had never imagined how painful it would be to stand in front of him again. Adrian walked toward them. His eyes never left Noah. "What did you say?" Noah smiled innocently. "I said, are you my daddy?" The entire reception area became silent. Elena felt tears burn behind her eyes. Adrian looked at her. His voice was dangerously quiet. "Elena." She could barely answer. "Adrian." He looked back at Noah. Then at her. "How old is he?" Elena knew there was no escaping the question. "Five." Adrian's jaw tightened. "Five years old." "Yes." "When were you planning to tell me?" She looked down. "I wasn't." His expression hardened. "You weren't?" "I thought it was safer." "For who?" "For him." Adrian stared at the child again. Noah was still smiling. Completely unaware of the tension between the adults. Adrian crouched slowly until he was at Noah's eye level. "What is your name?" "Noah." "Noah what?" The boy looked at Elena. Elena whispered, "Tell him." "Noah Hart." Adrian stared at him. Hart. Not Blackwood. But the resemblance was impossible to ignore. Adrian stood. He looked at Elena again. "You kept my son from me." Elena's eyes filled with tears. "I was trying to protect him." "From me?" "From everything." "You don't get to make that decision alone." "I know." "Do you?" His voice cracked slightly. "You disappeared." "I had my reasons." "You left me with nothing." "I was scared." "I was your husband." "And I was pregnant." Adrian froze. Elena immediately realized what she had said. The silence between them became unbearable. Adrian's eyes narrowed. "You were pregnant when you left?" Elena nodded. He looked at Noah. Then back at her. "You knew he was mine?" She could not answer. Her silence was enough. Adrian stepped backward. For the first time since she had known him, Elena saw genuine pain in his eyes. "You knew." "Yes." "You knew I had a son." "Yes." "And you kept him from me for five years." "I'm sorry." He laughed bitterly. "Sorry?" Elena's tears finally fell. "I didn't know what else to do." Adrian looked at Noah again. The little boy smiled at him. Something inside Adrian broke. He had spent five years believing Elena had simply stopped loving him. Now he discovered that while he had been drowning in anger, his own son had been growing up without him. He turned toward Elena. "You are coming with me." She shook her head. "No." His eyes hardened. "We need to talk." "I don't want to do this here." "Then we'll go somewhere private." "I said no." Adrian stepped closer. "Elena, you don't get to disappear again." She looked into his eyes. "I am not the woman you married anymore." "I know." "And you are not the man I left." His voice softened. "No. I'm worse." She stared at him. Then Noah reached for Adrian's hand. Adrian looked down. The little boy was standing beside him. "Are you really my daddy?" Adrian could not speak. He slowly took Noah's hand. His fingers trembled. "Yes." Noah smiled. "I knew it." Elena covered her mouth. Adrian looked at her over Noah's head. There was anger in his eyes. Pain. Confusion. And something far more dangerous. Hope. Five years ago, Elena had walked away from Adrian because she believed their story was over. But standing there with their son between them, she suddenly realized something terrifying. Their story had never ended. It had only been waiting for them to return. And Adrian Blackwood had no intention of letting her walk away again. Chapter 1 End