My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 216

Chapter 216: Fractured relationship Chapter 216: Fractured relationship Thomas stared at the door, his expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

“What am I seeing?” he wondered in a daze.

While he was still trying to process what he had just learned, Ava returned with a coffee sleeve in her hand.

She was surprised when she didn’t find Dylan.

“Where is he?” she asked, her gaze darting to her father.

Thomas blinked, snapping out of his daze.

“He just left.” “Left?

So soon?” Ava’s astonishment turned to suspicion.

“What happened?” She thought her father had said something that upset Dylan further.

Thomas sighed.

“I just wanted to understand why he helped me.

He used to hate me.

For years, he blamed me for his parents’ deaths.

I asked him what changed.

He said he doesn’t hold me responsible anymore.

How could that be?

What made him let go of that hatred?” Ava froze, her grip tightening around the coffee sleeve.

Her mind reeled as memories of her conversations with Dylan resurfaced.

He had once claimed to have discovered someone else behind his parents’ deaths, someone pulling the strings from the shadows.

At the time, she hadn’t believed him as she had assumed he had been playing with her emotions, only to hurt her later.

Her regret gnawed at her heart.

Had she been wrong about him all along?

Summoning a composed smile, she masked her inner turmoil.

“Isn’t it a good thing that he’s realized his mistakes?

He has let go of his grudges against you.

That’s progress, isn’t it?

You shouldn’t overthink it.

You need to rest now.” Thomas didn’t seem convinced.

His sharp eyes lingered on her face, reading between the lines.

“Did you forgive him?

Are you thinking about getting back together with him?” Thomas’s question caught Ava off guard.

She wasn’t prepared for it.

Her hesitation was etched across her face.

After a deep breath, she spoke carefully.

“Forgiving him doesn’t mean I’ll get back together with him.

Dylan has changed-there is no doubt about that.

But the pain he caused…

it’s not something I can easily forget.

It’s etched in my heart, and no matter how much time passes, that bitterness will remain.

With it, I can’t imagine a future together.” Thomas studied her closely, his expression softening but still thoughtful.

He had seen Dylan’s unwavering determination earlier, a fire in his eyes that promised he would stop at nothing to win Ava back.

Taking her hands, he asked persuasively, “If he has truly changed for the better, why not consider giving him a second chance?

He seems serious, Ava.

He is fighting for you in a way I’ve never seen before.” Ava lowered her gaze, her eyes falling to the hands that held hers.

A pang of sorrow surged through her chest.

“Once time is gone, it’s gone forever.

I loved him once, but that love…

it faded.

It withered under all the hurt and neglect.

I don’t feel the same way about him anymore.

Right now, I need to focus on myself-on rebuilding what I lost.” When she looked up, she forced a small.

“Don’t worry.

I won’t be hostile toward him anymore.

Even if we can’t be together again, I’ll treat him nicely.” Thomas nodded.

“If this is what you truly want, then I’ll support you.” ~~~~~~~~~~  Ava returned home, half-expecting Dylan to be there, but as she entered the bedroom, it was clear that he wasn’t.

Her heart sank a little.

‘Would he even come back?’ The thought nagged at her, unsettling her.

Despite everything she had said, despite her determination to move on, the idea of Dylan leaving for good sent a ripple of worry through her.

Her eyes darted to the cupboard.

She rushed over and opened the door.

Seeing his clothes still hanging there brought a fleeting sense of relief.

“He has not gone yet.” She exhaled softly, the tension easing for just a moment.

“He’ll be back soon.

I’ll cook for him.” She hurried to the kitchen and set about preparing the meal, her thoughts drifting to the shrimps she had picked up on the way home.

‘He’ll love these.’ A small smile touched her lips as she looked at the shrimp.

She focused on cooking.

As the last touches were added, she heard the front door open, and instinctively, her heart skipped a beat.

She turned toward the sound and saw Dylan.

For a brief moment, she felt that old surge of affection, the urge to run to him, to welcome him with open arms.

But something held her back.

Dylan, too, hesitated in the doorway.

His eyes locked onto hers.

He wanted to rush to her, pull her close, and tell her how much he missed her, how sorry he was.

But the words he longed to say caught in his throat.

The memory of her stern rejection kept him rooted in place.

The space between them felt vast, the silence heavy and painful.

Finally, Dylan broke the stillness.

“I-I’ll pack my things and leave.” Ava’s heart tightened as she watched Dylan stride toward the bedroom, his decision sinking in.

A part of her had been resolute in wanting him to leave, to move on from their fractured past.

But now, seeing him prepare to leave, an unexpected wave of restlessness coursed through her.

‘Why does it feel so wrong?’ she thought, even as her mind screamed that it was for the best.

She wanted to call out, to stop him, but the fear of giving him false hope held her back.

They couldn’t go back to what they once had, not after everything.

But she wouldn’t let him leave without having dinner.  “Wait.

The dinner is ready,” she blurted.

“Why don’t you eat first?” Dylan’s steps halted just as he was about to disappear into the bedroom.

He turned slowly, his eyes searching hers with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

The thought that she was still willing to share a meal with him, even if they weren’t reconciling, felt like a lifeline.

It meant there was still a thread of connection, a small window of opportunity.

‘I can use this moment to leave a good impression in her heart,’ he thought.

“Okay.

I’ll go freshen up first.” Ava nodded quietly as he turned to head toward the bedroom.

Her gaze lingered on his back for a moment before she shifted back to the kitchen.