The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

After finishing the meeting, Victor rubbed his temples in exhaustion. He thought of the call Leon had made in the afternoon, sobbing into the phone. An uneasy feeling stirred stronger inside Victor.
After a long pause, Victor finally decided to head straight to Powell Manor.
At Powell Manor, the engine went quiet as the car came to a stop. Victor stepped out quickly and shoved open the heavy front door.
"Dad, how could you say something like that to Leon? He's just a kid," Victor said.
Inside, the white-haired elder, Albert, put down his newspaper and glanced up at Victor, speaking calmly, "I told him the truth. It's all written clearly in the divorce agreement. Serena walked away with nothing and gave up custody of Leon. She's already left the country."
Victor muttered, "That's impossible. She wouldn't be that cruel."
Seeing the disbelief on Victor's face, Albert snorted. He pulled a document from the drawer and tossed it in front of him. "See for yourself. She left with nothing. She didn't even take a cent. She just wanted to be done with you."
Victor's hands trembled as he picked up the document and skimmed through it. Serena's signature stood out sharply on the divorce papers, stinging his eyes.
Albert walked up to him, his tone stern. "Even without Serena, I still wouldn't agree to you marrying Eliza. Let it go."
"I want to go home. I want Daddy," Leon yelled. He ran out of the room crying and threw himself into Victor's arms.
"Leon, it's okay. I'm taking you home," Victor said as he picked Leon up, his expression dark with anger. He didn't look back as he walked out of Powell Manor.
All the way back, Leon kept complaining about Albert's strictness, crying, "Daddy, Grandpa's so mean. He always makes me study and never lets me go out and play. He even said that wretch doesn't want me anymore."
When they got home, Eliza came up to greet them, "Vic, Leon, you're back."
"Ellie, Grandpa said that wretch doesn't want me anymore. Is it true?" Leon asked.
Eliza replied, "Of course not. Your mom loves you so much. Why would she not want you? Your grandpa must've been teasing you."
A flicker of surprise crossed Eliza's face but quickly vanished. She reached out to take the coat Victor had taken off and hung it on the rack.
She then asked casually, as if it were nothing, "What's going on with Leon? Why does he keep saying his mom doesn't want him?"
"My dad said Serena already signed the divorce papers. She walked away with nothing, gave up custody of Leon, and now she's left the country," Victor answered.
"How could that be? Why would she do something like that?" A glint of joy flashed in Eliza's eyes, but she quickly hid it.
She gently stroked Victor's back and spoke in a soft voice, comforting him, "The truth is, I didn't want to leave either. I only went abroad for that arranged marriage because I had no choice. I've always had feelings for you."
Hearing that, Victor turned to her, and memories flooded back all at once.
Back then, he had been deeply in love with Eliza, but ended up marrying Serena. And Eliza had been forced to marry abroad, starting a miserable life she never wanted. Now, Eliza was finally back.
Victor pulled Eliza into his arms and held her tightly. "Ellie, you've suffered so much all these years. I don't blame you, really. I never blamed you." His voice trembled with emotion and sympathy.
Eliza shivered lightly in his embrace, tears soaking into his collar. "Vic, it's so good to see you again."
Victor comforted her, "Don't cry. It's all in the past now. From now on, I'll take care of you. I won't let anything hurt you again."
"Ms. Gray left you and Leon behind and left alone." Eliza didn't say anything more.
She let out a quiet sigh, as if holding back sorrow, and shook her head. "How could she be so heartless? Leon is still so young. How are you supposed to take care of him all by yourself?"
Victor still held onto a shred of hope, hoping Serena had only left out of spite. He took out his phone, intending to call and confront her.
The ringtone dragged on for a long time until it was cut off by a cold, automated voice. "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."
Victor thought, 'No longer in service?' He shot to his feet and dialed again. The result was the same—disconnected.
He pondered, 'This can't be. There's no way. How could the number be out of service?'
Victor then spoke, "Leon, come here. Call your mom."
Hearing Victor's voice, Leon ran over. He took out his smartwatch and obediently dialed Serena's number.
After a while, confusion spread across Leon's face. He looked at the screen, then up at Victor. "Daddy, it's not going through."
"Call again," Victor demanded.
Leon tried once more, but the number was still disconnected.
A wave of indescribable panic surged through Victor. He thought, 'Could Serena really be that cruel? Did she really leave me and Leon behind like this?'
"Vic, don't be upset. Maybe Ms. Gray had her reasons," Eliza said cautiously, sniffling. "Vic, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have come back. I shouldn't have disrupted your life."
Victor replied, "Ellie, this has nothing to do with you. Don't say that."
Eliza cried, "No, Vic, it is my fault. If I hadn't come back, maybe Ms. Gray wouldn't have left."
She thought, 'Serena's gone for good. I finally don't have to worry about her anymore. I don't have to be afraid Victor will go back to her. I waited so long for this. Wasn't this what I've been waiting for all along?'
Eliza covered her face, her shoulders trembling as tears slipped through her fingers, looking utterly heartbroken. "I never should've come back."
Heartbroken, Victor held Eliza in his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her. The panic he had just felt over Serena's departure had already faded from his mind.
He remarked, "Ellie, stop blaming yourself. This really isn't your fault."
"But Vic, if I hadn't come back, maybe the three of you would've still been happy. It's all because of me," Eliza cried.
Victor let out a weary sigh and pulled her closer, patting her back like he was soothing a child. "Ellie, don't cry. You didn't do anything wrong. Even if you hadn't come back, things between Serena and me would've fallen apart eventually."
Back in Glonia, Serena was staring blankly at the design drafts on her computer screen. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, feeling stifled.
She had been at this company for several days, but all she was given were trivial tasks. It felt like she was nothing more than an errand girl.
Inside the villa, Albert's call came through. He ordered, "Victor, bring Leon back to Powell Manor immediately."
Victor rubbed his temples in frustration and glanced at Leon, who was happily playing with Oliver. "Dad, Leon doesn't want to go back yet," Victor replied.
Albert said, "He doesn't want to? That's not his decision. The heir of the Powell family shouldn't be spending so much time outside. Bring him back now."
Victor hung up helplessly and walked over to Leon. "Leon, your grandpa wants you to stay at Powell Manor for a few days."
As soon as Leon heard that, he dropped his toy and wrapped his arms around Victor's leg, crying out loudly.