Married To My Ex-Husband’s Rival by Jobet GraySon

Chapter Fifty Third Person POV.

Richard’s nerves were on edge as he paced back and forth in front of Amber's apartment. He doubted whether he should ring the doorbell or if it would be better to leave, knowing that she was upset with him. The guilt gnawed at him, pushing him further into a state of unease.

After Amber had stormed out of the restaurant the day before, Richard had made the conscious choice not to follow her. He knew Kayden, alongside himself, had hurt her deeply, and she deserved the space to process everything that had been revealed. Instead, he had tasked a few of his men to ensure her safety and keep a watchful eye from a distance.

Half an hour had passed, and Richard’s mind was spinning with incessant worry when he finally, gathered the courage to press the doorbell. He expected to wait for a while before receiving a response, but to his surprise, Amber swung open the door almost immediately, greeting him with an eye roll.

“Took you long enough,” she said.

Richard blinked in confusion. “Wait...you knew | was out here? How?” Amber crossed her arms, a small smirk dancing on her lips. “I've been watching you pace about for the past twenty minutes. It's impressive how you managed to just pace about for so long without getting tired.” A flush of embarrassment crept up Richard's neck as he mentally scolded himself for not realizing that she could have been watching him on the screen.

For a moment, he felt frozen, not quite sure what to say or do. He silently hoped that Amber would invite him in, but he didn’t dare asshe could and just walked in like he owned the place. Like Ethan had advised him, he was here to beg for forgiveness and explain himself, and for that to happen, he needed to let go of his pride and be ready to open up to her.

Seeing Richard's hesitation, Amber rolled her eyes again and gestured for him to cinside. “Well, are you just going to stand there? You might as well cin.

Richard's surprise deepened as he stepped into Amber's living room. He had expected to find her 1/3 ROGER Play now CLOSE 14 30 Fri, 1 Mar Du Copter City Up to 50% off disheveled, her eyes puffy from crying all night. Instead, he was met with a composed and collected Amber, her demeanor poffed and shockingly confident.

Amber caught Richard's gaze lingering on her. “You seem surprised. Did you expect to findin tears-a complete mess? Were you thinking you were going to meetlooking like | had the weight c the whole world on my shoulders?” Richard stammered, “I...I thought... I'm just relieved to see you okay. | was worried about ut how you would handle everything that happened, but it's really good to see you handling everything well. It goes to show that | was wrong about you.” Amber scoffed. “You were very wrong, Richard. You need to stop thinking that I'm such a weakling who would crumble at any slight inconvenience or bad news.” “So, are you okay, Amber? And you're certain that you are?” wou here? Amber sighed wearily, her irritation evident in the deep lines etched across her forehead. “I'm fine,” she muttered. “And | don’t need you to worry about me. Now tell me, Richard, why are you Did you cto apologize?” Amber silently hoped that Richard wouldn't confirm her suspicions. The last thing she wanted was for him to admit he had csolely to apologize. It would only fuel her anger and disappointment, reminding her of how he had kept the truth from her in the first place.

Richard met Amber's curious gaze. He mulled over his response, choosing his words carefully. “Apologizing is one of the reasons | came, but it's not the main one.” Her brow furrowed as she leaned close. “Why do you need to apologize? And what is your main reaso for coming here?” Taking a deep breath, Richard said, “Amber, | want to apologize for not telling you the truth sooner.

I know I should have told you that Kayden was responsible for hitting your mother with his car, but | was afraid it would be too much for you to handle. The situation with Kayden and your sister was still so fresh, and | was worried that you'd break down completely if | told you so soon.” Amber rolled her eyes. “Don’t you dare decide my reactions for me, Richard,” she snapped, her voice sharp. “You don’t knowwell enough to judge how | would react to anything. Just a reminder, we've only been in each other's lives for less than two weeks, so you have no right to act like your understand me.” 273 ROGER Play now 14:30 Fri, 1 Mar Chapter Filty Up to 50% off He sighed deeply. “You're fight, Amber. | apologize for getting ahead of myself. | shouldn't have presumed to know what you needed or how you would feel. It was a mistake on my part” “Now, let’s put that aside, Richard. What's your main reason for coming here?” Amber asked.

As soon as she asked, Richard's palms becsweaty, and he started to feel extremely nervous.

Amber observed Richard's shaky demeanor, a sense of concern stirring in her. She met his gaze, her eyes searching his face for any hint of the reason behind his anxiousness. She asked softly, “Richard, are you okay?” Richard let out another sigh. He knew what he was about to reveal was a secret that he had never shared with anyone besides his parents and Ethan.

The shweighed heavily on him as he prepared to expose his vulnerability to Amber.

Amber's concern deepened as he hesitated to reply. She studied him intently, her mind racing with possibilities of what he could be finding so difficult to share. “Richard, I'm listening. Tellthe real reason you chere today.” His breath caught in his throat as he mustered the courage to speak. His voice quivered slightly as he began to unravel the truth. “The reason | was in that car, Amber, is because | was being beaten.

and tortured by Kayden and his friends, and that night, they planned to taketo a secluded place and buryalive. To sum it up, Kayden was my high school bully.” ROGER Comments for this chapter Continue Reading