My Ex Husband Wants Me Back

Chapter 8

MICHELLE’S POV

The man standing in front of me looks like a ghost from my past.

For a second, I genuinely forget how to breathe. I stare at him—frozen. I can feel my heart thundering in my chest like a warning bell. He has Warren’s jawline. His height. Even the same crooked smirk that Warren used to give me when he was trying to charm me out of an argument.

But the eyes… the eyes are different. His eyes are a little darker and sharper. A little colder. Like they’ve seen more than they let on.

“Michelle, right?” His voice is smooth, deep, confident. He takes a small step closer. “I’m Steve. Warren’s brother.”

I blink, completely thrown off guard. Warren’s… brother?

The name rings a small bell in my head. I remember Warren mentioning him once, in passing. Something about his brother living overseas, tied up with work. When I asked why Steve hadn’t attended our wedding, Warren just shrugged and said, “He’s away. Can’t make it.” That had been the end of that.

But now, here he is. Standing right in front of me.

“What… what are you doing here?” I finally manage to ask.

He tilts his head. He narrows his eyes slightly like he’s observing my every reaction. “I came to talk to you. I know what my brother did to you, Michelle. I know everything.”

A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Everything?” I cross my arms, still studying him warily. “So, what… You came to offer an apology on behalf of the family? A bouquet of guilt? Sorry, I’m not interested.”

Steve doesn’t flinch. Instead, he gives me a look that makes my skin prickle. It isn’t pity. It isn’t apology. It’s something else entirely. It’s dark and calculated.

“No. I came to help you destroy them.”

Silence.

I just stare at him in shock and disbelief.

“You… what?”

“I want to help you take revenge, Michelle,” he says slowly “On Warren. On the people who hurt you. On the family who stood by and did nothing.”

The words echo in my head over and over again.

“What’s in it for you?” I ask. I don’t bother to hide the suspicion in my voice. “Why would you want to help me go after your own brother?”

Steve chuckles dryly. “Because I know who Warren really is. I’ve known it for years. I just never had the right reason to act until now.”

He steps closer, looking at me intensely. “He’s always been the golden child. The manipulator. The liar in a silk suit. He destroys everything he touches, and no one ever holds him accountable. But you... you’re the first person who he really did a number on. You’re the first person I feel sorry for. You have no idea how rare that is.”

I’m silent for a moment and I can feel my heart pounding even more. Everything in me screams not to trust him. Not another man. Not another risk. But there’s something in Steve’s eyes. Something raw.

Still, I hesitate. “You could be lying. You could be trying to trick me.”

He nods slowly. “You’re right. I could be. But if I wanted to protect my brother, I wouldn’t be here talking to you. I’d be sitting beside him, pretending like none of this ever happened.”

I look away, chewing the inside of my cheek. “So what… we become partners in crime?”

Steve smirks. “Call it what you want. But you and I? We want the same thing. And I know how he operates. His secrets. His patterns. His weaknesses.”

I study him for a long moment. Something in my chest shifts. I have walked through fire. Been lied to. Cheated. Broken. But now... maybe this is the beginning of something else.

Maybe this is the beginning of taking it all back.

I nod “Okay. I’m listening.”

He smiles. “Good. I’ll be in touch. Soon. We’ll take him down, piece by piece.”

As he turns and walks away, I stand there, stunned. My hands are trembling, but not from fear. No. This time, it’s something else entirely. Something dangerous. Something alive.

I close the door and lean against it, trying to catch my breath.

But before I can process anything, my phone buzzes.

Lukas.

His name lights up the screen. The detective. The man who helped me when everything fell apart. I answer it without thinking.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Michelle,” he says softly “How are you holding up?”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “Honestly? I’m not doing too well.”

“I figured,” he says gently. “That’s why I’m calling. I’ve been thinking about you a lot. And I was wondering… maybe I could take you out? Just dinner. Just to breathe. You don’t have to say anything. We don’t even have to talk about what happened.”

My chest tightens. Lukas is sweet. He seems kind and safe, like the kind of guy you’ll trust at first instinct. But I’m not. Not anymore. Whatever’s left of my heart… it isn’t whole. It isn’t even warm.

“I appreciate that,” I say “I really do. But I don’t think I have it in me right now to be… someone’s anything.”

There’s a pause. Then his voice drops, “I didn’t mean it like that. You don’t have to go through this alone, Michelle.”

I swallow. “You still want to help?”

“I’m in,” he says without hesitation. “Whatever you need.”

I hesitate just for a second. Then I nod slowly, even though he can’t see me. “Good. Because I need you on my side, Lukas. I’m going after them. I want revenge on Warren”

“Then I’m with you,” he says firmly.

With those words, the call ends.

I walk to the mirror and stare at the reflection in front of me. The woman looking back isn’t the same person from a few months ago. No. She’s colder. But she’s still standing.

It’s high time I stop feeling sorry for myself. Warren f****d me over. Why can’t I do the same?

My lips curl into a smirk.

They have no idea what’s coming.

Revenge begins now.