Stop Chasing Me, Ex— My New Wife Is Out of Your League!

Everyone on both sides of the law knew two things: Valerie Pelt, the Pelt family heiress, loved to play around, and her husband oved to threaten divorce. So the last time Valerie and I got divorced, she signed the papers without batting an eye and asked, "So how long are you going to sulk this time? A week? Two?" Everyone assumed it would go the way it always did, that before long, I'd come crawling back with my tail between my legs. But this time, I moved, changed my number, and vanished without a trace. A year later, I ran into her by chance while representing my company in a partnership pitch. I presented the proposal for two hours, and she sat there in silence the entire time. Only when my expression darkened did she finally speak, her voice lazy. "Are you done? My patience is running thin. How about dinner tonight?" I glanced at the time and shook my head. "I have to pick up my kid from my mother-in-law's. If you'll excuse me." After all, my wife had been investigating her all along, and I was in no hurry to see her caught just yet. Chapter 1 Valerie Pelt's expression shifted slightly, but her voice stayed nonchalant. "A year apart, and now you've learned to lie? Matt, you should know that act doesn't work on me." Of course I knew. She responded to a gentle approach, never to force, and she'd always liked it when others bowed their heads first. That was true in love, and just as true in business. So I put my smile back on. Under her faintly expectant gaze, I held the contract out to her again. "Our company is truly sincere about this project. If..." "Is the project all you care about?" Displeasure flickered in Valerie's eyes. She knocked the contract off the desk, her mood turning on a dime. "You know I'm not talking about the contract. To be honest, you talked for two hours just now, and I didn't hear a single word." The smile froze on my face. After a long moment, I crouched down, humiliated, to gather the papers scattered across the floor. Suddenly, the office door swung open, and Patrick Newman's voice rang out. "Ms. Pelt, the people from Aronowitz Corp are here. You can sign now." I froze. The anger I'd been holding in for so long flared up, and I couldn't stop myself from snapping, "Aronowitz is our competitor. You never planned on working with us at all? Then why did you ask for me by name and make me talk for two hours?" She shot Patrick a cool glance. "Didn't I tell you we'd discuss this in the afternoon?" Patrick lowered his head and said nothing. That meek, long-suffering look was a carbon copy of how I used to be. "I'll consider signing with your company," Valerie said, turning to me, "but only if you come back. "Have dinner with me tonight. We'll talk about the contract, and about us. "Agree, and I'll sign right now." Patrick was stunned. "Ms. Pelt, the head of Aronowitz is my brother. You promised me..." "Get out." Valerie frowned and cut him off, her voice cold. His mouth hung half-open. He shot me a vicious glare, but in the end, he left. "Since you never meant to work with us, let's forget it. Just do me a favor and say so sooner next time instead of jerking people around." I left her with those cold words and turned for the door too. Valerie finally couldn't sit still. She got up, came over, and grabbed my wrist. "Matt, you really don't know what I want? "It's been a year. What's so hard about giving in? Didn't you always come back on your own within a few days?" "That was then!" I yanked my hand free. But the moment those words left my mouth, Valerie's face darkened. She snatched the phone from my hand and stared at the lock screen, at the photo of me with another woman. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "A wedding photo. You got married?" Chapter 2 "So not only have you learned to lie, you've learned to Photoshop too?" Valerie sneered. "Dragging this out for so long over one little thing wasn't enough? Now you're faking wedding pictures just to get under my skin?" "Give it back!" I snatched my phone back. "You're not important enough for me to waste time on something this pointless!" She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Patrick is my secretary. Thanks to his help, the company landed a huge project. I rewarded him with a vacation. What's wrong with that?" She was dredging up what had happened a year ago, still in that same tone, as if she couldn't fathom why I was upset. "I missed your call because he suddenly had stomach pains and ended up in the hospital. I didn't check my phone. It's that simple. "How many times do I have to tell you? Why won't you believe me?" I gripped my phone so hard it hurt, just to stop myself from punching her in the face. Simple? She made it sound so easy. In three years of marriage, we'd fought countless times over Patrick. The worst was when my mother was seriously ill in the hospital. I rushed to Valerie's company to figure out what to do with her, only for Patrick to block me at the door, stone-faced. "Ms. Pelt is working. No one is allowed to disturb her." Everyone at the company knew I was Valerie's husband. They all turned to stare in shock. I was humiliated, but I still forced a smile to save Valerie's face. "It's just a work matter. I'm here on behalf of my company. Let me go up first. This project is urgent." As I headed for the stairs, Patrick grabbed my wrist. "Even work matters need an appointment two days in advance. Don't you know Ms. Pelt's rules?" I couldn't hold back anymore, and my face darkened. People around us began to whisper. "Told you something was going on between Ms. Pelt and Patrick. A male secretary keeping the boss's husband out at the door? That's a first for me." "Looks like Ms. Pelt doesn't care much for her husband. Otherwise, how would Patrick dare?" "Obviously. Just the day before yesterday, she bought Patrick a watch worth over fifteen thousand dollars. Look at the one her husband's wearing. Seventy bucks, maybe?" The whispers went on and on. Shaking with rage, I pulled my hand free and started up the stairs again. "You're not going up!" Patrick came after me and gave me a hard shove. The steps were wet and slippery. I tumbled all the way down and blacked out on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital. With no one to look after her, my mother's condition had worsened, and she had passed away. I sobbed my heart out while Valerie frowned beside me. "Patrick did the right thing. You broke the rules by coming to see me without an appointment. Matt, your mother's death isn't our fault. You shouldn't be so impulsive." I couldn't believe what I had heard. I screamed and raged hysterically. In the middle of my breakdown, I asked her for a divorce for the first time. Her expression didn't even change. She was quiet for a while, then stood up. "I'll give you some time to think it over properly." After she left, we didn't see each other for about two weeks. During those two weeks, she had Patrick contact my company and claim I'd botched the partnership, demanding they assign someone else. My company docked my bonus and demoted me. My father was still alive back then. When he heard we were divorcing, the shock triggered a heart attack. To calm him down, I went back and begged Valerie. From then on, she believed she had me wrapped around her finger. So when I asked for a divorce again a year ago, she thought I was just angry, just making a scene. After all, I'd swallowed my pride and come back even after my mother died. Why would a mere phone call be any different? But she'd forgotten that my father had since passed away. A man with no weak spot left, nothing but grievance and hatred in his heart, had nothing left to fear. Besides, if she'd used her head at all, she would have realized that night was never as simple as whether she picked up the phone. But she never did. "Matt, I've waited a whole year for you. Not everyone gets that kind of treatment." Valerie's chilly voice pulled me back to the present. She pressed her lips together and looked at me. "I'll find out whether you're really married. If you're lying to me, you know what happens next." Chapter 3 I left Valerie's company and headed straight to my mother-in-law's place to pick up my son. Theodore Colton, Teddy for short, had been sickly since birth. With my wife, Harper Dwyer, away, my mother-in-law had to help look after him. Before I left, I made a point of warning her, "Mom, if anyone comes looking for you, don't be scared. My ex-wife found out I've remarried. Harper knows all about her too." My mother-in-law laughed. "Don't worry, Matt. Over the years, plenty of the people Harper and her father put away have tried to make trouble. None of them have ever succeeded. "I'm not scared, and you shouldn't be either. If anything happens, call Harper. Her mission should be wrapping up soon anyway." I nodded and left. Teddy stayed quiet the whole way. He was so tiny in my arms, no bigger than a newborn, and my heart couldn't help but melt. As I walked toward the building entrance, I kissed his cheek. Then, out of nowhere, Teddy started crying and fussing. I frowned. A bad feeling welled up in me, and I quickened my pace. Sure enough, the moment I stepped off the elevator, I saw Valerie standing at my door. Two men stood behind her, both her people. The moment she saw me, her eyes narrowed. Her gaze landed on Teddy in my arms, and she ordered coldly, "Take the child." My heart lurched. I turned and ran. But someone pinned me from behind, and Teddy was snatched away. "Give him back!" I screamed, my eyes going red. Teddy was still crying. One of the men clamped a hand over his mouth, and the sight nearly drove me out of my mind. "You said you got married and had a kid," Valerie said. "But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a single record of you getting married." Her face darkened. "How did you raise him like this? He's over a year old, and he's the size of a newborn. "Matt, you know my career is taking off. You know I don't want kids. How dare you decide to keep him behind my back? "No wonder you left so easily back then. Were you afraid I'd make you give him up?" Back then, Valerie's wild ways had saddled me with a child whose father no one even knew. "Your child died right after birth! This baby is my wife's!" My heart was in my throat as I struggled with everything I had. "Her identity is classified. That's why you couldn't find anything. Give Teddy back right now, or she won't let you get away with this when she's home!" Valerie laughed in disbelief. "You're still lying at this point? Whether he's mine or not, a DNA test will tell." With that, she turned and ordered, "Take the child to the hospital." "Yes, ma'am." The man holding Teddy nodded and went downstairs. Teddy's cries slowly faded. "Give Teddy back! Valerie, you monster!" Drenched in cold sweat, I screamed like a madman. "You can't afford to cross my wife! Give him back now!" My wrists were rubbed raw from being held, but no matter how I struggled, it was useless. Valerie treated my hysterical shouting like a joke. "Is there anyone in Moores City I can't afford to cross? "Relax. If he isn't mine, I won't keep him. "But if he is mine, I can't leave him with you." With that, she turned and headed downstairs. I was dragged down after her and shoved into her car. I fought with all my strength the whole way, but they held me down so tightly that I couldn't move. I tried to call the police, but Valerie snatched my phone before I could even pull it out. "Once the results are back, you can go home," she said impatiently. "What's with all the fuss?" I was so furious and frantic that I wanted to grab a knife and stab her to death. "Teddy's health is fragile. If anything happens to him because of you, I'll fight you to the death! Valerie, you're a monster through and through!" She let me curse at her, her eyes indifferent the whole time. She never said a word. Half an hour later, my voice was hoarse from screaming. The skin on my arms had scraped open from struggling, and blood was seeping through. Valerie swung her long legs out of the car. I was about to follow her out and grab Teddy back in the chaos, but she shoved me back inside. "Wait here. Until the results are in, you're not going anywhere." Chapter 4 After the DNA test, Valerie forcibly took me back to her house. It was the same house we'd moved into as newlyweds, the place where we had once been so in love. Now she had me tied tightly to a chair. "Expedited results take time. Calm down first, and let's talk." I glared at her, eyes bulging with rage. "What is there to talk about? You've broken the law!" She was about to answer when my phone suddenly rang in her pocket. It was Harper calling. Valerie pulled it out. When she saw the contact name, "Wife," her face darkened sharply. She clamped her hand hard over my mouth and tapped to answer. Harper's voice came through, warm with a smile. "Honey, I've got good news. I'll be home tomorrow. How are you and Teddy doing? Did you miss me?" I made as much muffled noise as I could. Valerie's eyes went cold. She hung up at once and switched the phone off. "You even hired an actress. That must have been a lot of trouble," she said in a low voice as she let go of me. I gasped for air, but at the same time, I felt a wave of relief. I never hung up and turned my phone off for no reason. Behavior that out of character was bound to put Harper on alert. Besides, the GPS watch on my wrist let her know where I was at any given moment. "Let's be frank. I've actually been waiting for you to come back this whole year." Valerie's next words caught me completely off guard. "I know you're stubborn, and I'm willing to indulge you. That doesn't mean my patience is endless." She rarely bared her true feelings like this. Once the words were out, she probably felt embarrassed herself, because her tone stiffened. "You've been fighting with me for a year for the sake of one phone call. Aren't you tired? If Patrick and I really had something going on, we'd have gotten together the moment you left." "I don't want to hear it!" I bristled like a cat with its fur on end. "Give Teddy back to me right now. He's not your child!" Valerie's face darkened. She was about to say something when a phone rang again. This time, it was hers. The caller was Patrick. She frowned and answered, and Patrick's voice came through. "Ms. Pelt, it's confirmed. That child is yours." "Impossible!" My pupils shrank, and I shouted in shock. "Teddy can't be Valerie's child. You're behind this!" "Ms. Pelt, how should we handle it?" Patrick ignored me completely. Valerie glanced at me, looking as if she had everything under control, and said flatly, "I don't care how you do it. A children's home, an adoptive family, whatever. Just get rid of the child first." It felt as if I had plunged into ice water. The last thread holding my sanity together snapped. "Give Teddy back to me!" I roared in fury. Even though I was still tied up, I strained with all my might to stand. I lost my balance and crashed to the floor. The impact landed with a loud thud. Valerie's expression changed slightly, and she hung up to help me up. My knee hurt as if someone had smashed it with a hammer. I broke out in a cold sweat, my face twisted with pain. "Valerie, I'm going to kill you!" The words were barely out before I rammed my head toward her with all my strength. She frowned and brought her hand down hard on the side of my neck. The next second, everything went black, and I passed out. Chapter 5 When I opened my eyes again, it was the next day. I woke drenched in cold sweat and realized I was in the hospital. I immediately tried to get out of bed. "Teddy! Where's Teddy?" Valerie grabbed my hand. "The child is fine. He'll be sent to the children's home soon." Her hand was a little cold, and her touch gave me goosebumps all over. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. Eyes red, I choked out, "Please, give my child back to me. He really has nothing to do with you. "That DNA test has to be fake. Patrick did this on purpose! He wants to hurt my child and destroy me!" At the sight of my tears, Valerie's tone softened slightly. "I promise I'll bring him back once he's an adult and let him take his rightful place in the family. "But now really isn't the right time. I still have my career to focus on. I can't afford the distraction." She simply couldn't hear a word I was saying! I lost control again. "I told you he's not your child! Why won't you believe me? You can call my wife and..." "Enough!" Valerie cut me off irritably. "The DNA results are in. If he's not mine, then whose is he? Matt, are you addicted to this act, or do you think I'm that easy to fool?" Maybe my emotions were running too high. As soon as she finished speaking, the room began to spin again. She steadied me, sounding exasperated. "Fine. I'll take you to the children's home with me later so you can see the child one more time. "Tomorrow, we'll remarry. From now on, I'll keep my distance from Patrick too. "Can you stop this? I'm really tired." I couldn't speak. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst, and my head spun so badly I wanted to throw up. She stroked my head soothingly and had her people help me out of the hospital. Once we got in the car, she held my hand the whole time. "Matt, as long as you behave, I'll give you anything, except the child." Soon, the car pulled onto the highway. Wave after wave of despair washed over me. Hollow inside, I stared out the window as the tears kept coming. The car suddenly screeched to a halt. My body pitched forward, but Valerie quickly pulled me back into her arms. She looked coldly at the driver. "Are you trying to kill us?" The driver stared straight ahead, badly shaken, voice trembling. "Th-those are military vehicles... Ms. Pelt, they've cut us off!" Valerie's face turned grave in an instant. I glanced out the window, and my heart began to race again. Four military vehicles had boxed Valerie's car in from every side. "Out of the car!" a commanding voice thundered. A woman in camouflage strode toward us, backlit by the sun. She raised her arm and aimed the dark muzzle of a gun at Valerie. She'd finally come...