My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 149

Chapter 149: This is unexpected.
Ava closed her eyes, turning her head aside. “Dylan, please,” she pleaded, her voice shaking.

“Do you have any idea how much I missed you?” he murmured, his gaze lingering on her lips.

“Dylan…” She wriggled.

“Shh…” His grip on her wrists tightened slightly. “I’ve prepared a gift for you. I haven’t shown it to you yet.”

“I’ll check tomorrow.” Ava wanted to get out of his grasp. She was afraid he would force himself on her under the influence of alcohol. “You need to rest. Please.”

“Mm, okay,” he agreed like an obedient child, but he didn’t release her.

“Can you sleep now?” she ventured cautiously. “I am tired.”

Dylan didn’t reply. He caressed her cheek as if he hadn’t heard what she had just said. “You are beautiful,” he whispered, “just like you used to be.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed his lips against hers. It wasn’t the fiery, possessive kiss she had prepared herself to resist, but a gentle caress that caught her off guard.

Ava’s stomach fluttered and fluttered. She didn’t remember when he had shown such tenderness before. For a fleeting moment, she felt herself melting into it, her defenses faltering. Her body craved more. But then her mind screamed at her to stop, to remember the boundaries she had set. They were divorced; whatever tenderness he showed now didn’t erase the pain of the past.

‘This isn’t right.’

“Stop…” Ava pressed her hands firmly against his chest, creating space between them. “We can’t do this.”

Dylan groaned, his frustration evident. For a moment, she thought he might argue, but to her relief, he didn’t push further. Instead, he let her go, his gaze heavy with regret as he turned onto his side, facing away from her. His body curled slightly as he threw an arm over his eyes, muttering something she couldn’t quite catch.

Ava sat up quickly, her breath shaky. She glanced at him, sprawled out on the bed. She needed space and clarity—time to think without his overwhelming presence clouding her judgment. Without a word, she slipped off the bed and padded to the closet, pulling out her nightclothes.

Once she slipped into her pajamas, she climbed into the bed’s farthest corner, careful not to disturb him. Wrapping the blanket around herself, she closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to take her away from the turmoil in her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sharp, relentless ringing of a phone pulled Ava from the edges of her sleep. She stirred, reluctant to wake up. She nudged Dylan beside her. “Dylan, your phone’s ringing.”

Dylan didn’t respond, his deep, steady breathing signaling he was utterly lost in sleep. The ring continued, grating on Ava’s nerve.

“Dylan,” she groaned, shaking his shoulder.

“Mm…” He mumbled something incoherent and, instead of waking, pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. The unexpected gesture jolted her awake, her eyes snapping open.

She didn’t move for a few seconds, watching his peaceful, unaware face so close to hers. A strange mixture of emotions swirled in her chest, but the incessant ringing of the phone shattered her thoughts.

Ava wriggled free from Dylan’s hold and reached across him, stretching toward the nightstand where his phone buzzed insistently. Just as her fingers brushed against it, the ringing stopped.

She sighed in frustration. “You can’t even check your own phone,” she muttered, glancing at the screen. Her annoyance turned to curiosity when she noticed the name on the screen.

It was Justin who had just called. ‘Why would Justin call this early? Could it be something urgent at the office?’ she mused.

She debated waking Dylan, but seeing his serene face as he slept, she hesitated. Instead, she placed the phone back on the nightstand. But the phone rang yet again.

Her pulse quickened, a mix of apprehension and urgency overtaking her.

‘This has to be important,’ she thought as she swiped to answer.

“Hello?”

“Madam…” On the other end, Justin sounded surprised to hear her voice. “Um… I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour,” he began awkwardly, “but I need to speak with Mr. Brooks.”

Ava glanced at Dylan, still deep in slumber. “He is still sleeping.”

“I see…Uh, okay…I’ll call later.”

“Wait,” Ava interjected quickly before he could hang up. “Is something wrong, Justin? Is everything okay?”

“Nothing serious,” Justin reassured her, though his tone held a hint of urgency. “I just wanted to remind him about the meeting with the client later today.”

‘So, he has a meeting too,’ she mused, her mind already piecing together her own plans for the day. She had been worrying about what excuse she would come up with to go out of the house. ‘This works perfectly. If Dylan will be busy, I can meet Nicholas without making him angry.’

“I’ll remind him,” she said.

“Thank you.”

With that, the call ended.

Ava was about to set the phone aside, but she paused. A surge of temptation coursed through her as an idea took root. ‘What if I check if he has been in contact with Gianna?’ she thought, her heart beating a little faster. But almost immediately, another voice inside her mind chided, ‘This is an invasion of privacy.’

Yet, another, sharper voice countered, ‘He hurt you and your family in the past. What if he is scheming again? This isn’t just curiosity—it’s about protecting yourself and those you love.’

Ava shunned the first voice and decided to check the phone. She scrolled through the call log first, her eyes scanning for anything suspicious. Nothing stood out. Feeling emboldened, she swiped to the messages, and her gaze landed on the latest one—sent by Ethan.

The name made her frown. “Ethan?” she mumbled in astonishment. “Why would he be contacting Dylan?”

She opened the message, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the photos. It was only at that point she realized how Dylan had discovered about the birthday party. Her finger moved swiftly as she swiped quickly through the photographs, she froze when her eyes landed on an image of herself with Nicholas.

“You took pictures of us?” she muttered in disbelief, her grip around the phone tightening a bit. “What are you up to?”

Then she read the text accompanying the photos. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she realized the intent behind Ethan’s actions. He had sent the pictures to provoke Dylan, to ignite jealousy.

“Ethan,” she grumbled, her mouth twisting. “This is unexpected. I can’t believe you did this. We’re going to have a long conversation about this.”

Closing the message app, Ava carefully placed the phone back on the nightstand. Her emotions swirled like a storm as she slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom.