My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 139

Chapter 139: He won’t leave her.

Dylan also locked his gaze on her, seemingly displeased. He had someone following her. The moment he had heard that she had been meeting Ethan, he had come there.

“You left the office early to see him,” he hissed.

“I finished my work,” Ava retorted.

Ethan held her hand. “Why are you explaining yourself to him?” He stepped forward, meeting Dylan’s gaze head-on. “Mr. Brooks, you have no right to question where she goes or who she meets. She is not answerable to you anymore.”

A vein in his forehead twitched as Dylan looked at Ethan’s hand holding Ava’s. “Get away from her.” He pushed Ethan aside, his movements quick and forceful. He wrapped an arm around Ava, pulling her close to him possessively.

Ethan stumbled but managed to regain his balance, his face contorted with anger and disbelief.

“Keep your hands off of my wife,” Dylan growled with a warning tone.

“Wife?” Ethan scoffed. “Are you serious? When she was with you, you treated her like trash. Did you ever consider her your wife? You only cared about your mistress. Now that you’re finally divorced, you’ve suddenly remembered she’s your wife. Sorry—EX-WIFE.”

“You…” Dylan’s face contorted with rage as he took a step forward, his muscles tense and ready to strike. Ava grabbed his arm and yanked him back forcefully.

“Stop it!” she cried out. “Why do you always want to resort to fighting? Can’t you handle things without violence?”

Dylan’s frustration only grew at her words. “Are you seriously telling me to deal with him calmly?” he snapped. “Some people don’t understand peace. The only language they know is a fist in their face.”

Ava stepped between the two men, her posture resolute. “If you’re so eager to fight, you’ll have to go through me first.” Her eyes locked with his in a silent challenge.

Dylan’s scowl deepened, a flicker of hurt crossing his face. “You are protecting him! You’re willing to stand up to me for him?”

“I’ll stand up to anyone to protect my family,” Ava countered, refusing to back down as they stared at each other in a silent standoff.

Ethan stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Ava’s shoulder. “Ava, that’s enough. Don’t argue with him—”

Dylan’s eyes snapped to his hand on Ava’s shoulder. He swatted Ethan’s hand away from her shoulder. In a blur, he swung his fist and hit Ethan right under his jaw, throwing him off balance.

The impact sent Ethan stumbling backward, his footing faltering as he hit the ground with a dull thud. He clutched his jaw, wincing in pain.

“Ethan!” Ava shrieked and hurried to help him. Just as she took a step, Dylan pulled her back by her arm.

“Where are you going?” Dylan growled. “You are coming with me.” He dragged her away.

“Let me go, Dylan!” Ava protested, struggling against his hold. But Dylan didn’t falter, pulling her firmly toward his car.

Ethan’s jaw clenched as he pushed himself off the ground, his fingers curling into tight fists. His teeth ground together, his eyes following Dylan’s car speeding off.

“This isn’t over,” he muttered under his breath.

“Is it painful?” Ethan’s head snapped toward the voice, his scowl deepening as he caught sight of a middle-aged woman standing a few steps away.

She held out a neatly folded handkerchief. “Wipe the grime from your face,” she said softly.

Ethan hesitated but took it, dabbing at the dirt on his face as his sharp eyes studied her. He recognized her. It was Lydia. Her presence here was both unexpected and suspicious.

“I feel sad for you,” Lydia said with a feigned sympathy. “You fought for her, yet she left with her ex-husband. Life can be so unfair, can’t it?”

“What do you want?” His voice was curt, laced with frustration.

Lydia smirked. “I want to help you—if you’re willing to let me.” The way she said it carried a blend of mystery and malice.

Ethan squinted at her, trying to discern the truth behind her words, his mind racing with possibilities.

“Come with me.” Before he could respond, Lydia turned and strolled toward the sleek luxury car parked nearby.

Ethan glanced around before following her and getting into the car. Settling into the plush seat beside her, he looked at her curiously. “Why do you want to help me?” he asked.

With a subtle wave of her hand, Lydia dismissed the driver, who exited the car without a moment’s hesitation.

“I know you like Ava,” Lydia said calmly as soon as she was left alone with Ethan inside the car, her expression indifferent.

The words landed like a bolt of lightning, sending a surge of unease through Ethan. His chest tightened. ‘How does she know?’ he wondered inwardly, anxious.

He had never uttered a word about his feelings for Ava, not to anyone. It was a secret he had buried deep. How could Lydia know about it? His heart trembled as he watched her with a sense of nervousness.

Ethan’s face betrayed a flicker of unease, but he quickly composed himself. “Yes, I like her,” he admitted cautiously, his expression guarded, “as my own family member. Her father helped me when I had nothing. Everything I am today is all because of him. I owe him a lot. Looking out for Ava is simply my way of repaying that debt.”

He hoped it was enough to deflect her probing, to extinguish her suspicion.

Lydia managed to keep her face emotionless. “Nice try, but you can’t hide your emotions. I know that you have feelings for Ava.” She turned her sharp gaze to him. “It’s written all over your face.”

Her words struck like a whip, and Ethan’s pulse quickened. A wave of unease washed over him as Lydia’s piercing gaze seemed to strip away his every defense. He felt exposed, as though she could peer into the deepest corners of his soul. This feeling of being exposed made him restless, vulnerable as if all the protective layers he had built around himself had crumbled.

Sensing his discomfort, Lydia’s lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile. “Relax. I didn’t bring you here to torment you. I genuinely want to help.”

Ethan’s brows knitted together, skepticism flashing in his eyes. Her words only deepened his confusion. “Why?” he ventured cautiously.

“It’s simple…I don’t want her in Dylan’s life,” Lydia replied flatly. “I don’t want Ava in Dylan’s life. And I don’t want the Brooks entangled with the Williams any longer.”

The realization hit Ethan like a wave. ‘All the Brooks are the same,’ he muttered to himself. Like Dylan, Lydia still harbored the belief that Thomas Williams was to blame for the tragedy that had befallen her family. The prejudice ran deep, like an unhealed scar.

“I think you’re worrying unnecessarily,” Ethan said, regaining his composure. “The connection between the Brooks and the Williams is already severed. Ava and Dylan are divorced. There is no need to meddle further.”

“Divorce means nothing if Dylan hasn’t let her go,” Lydia said sharply. “He has fallen for her, Ethan. He has blinded himself to everything, even the truth about what Thomas did to my family. He won’t leave her.”