I'm Your Ex Now! Novel by WriterLola _ Novel




I'm Your Ex Now! Chapter 01

"Hey," he said, his breath hitching slightly. "Leave the door unlocked for me tonight."
"Who is that?" Jennifer's voice came through the speaker, high and sugary.
"Just my roommate."
I stood in the hallway and tried to laugh at the absurdity of it, but the sound caught in my throat and turned into a sob.
I'd known I was going to marry Theodore since I was a kid.
Our families were tight, and our dads always joked about the match. Nobody took it seriously except me.
I loved him. That was the simple, stupid truth.
So when the Ashford family went under, I married him without blinking.
I walked away from the Clarke family legacy, built a new life from scratch, and paid off every cent of his debt.
I did all that just to be reduced to the "roommate" he was currently dismissing to another woman.
Something inside me finally snapped.
"Sorry," I said, wiping my face slowly. "I can't do that."
He let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Locking me out again? Van... Aren't you tired of these games?"
"This isn't a game."
"Yeah, you think I believe that?"
His voice rose in frustration, the sound from the phone syncing perfectly with the muffled shouting behind the wooden door right in front of me.
I stared at the paneling for a second, hung up, and pressed the doorbell.
"Open the door."
Chapter 1
By the second half of the meal, Jennifer was incredibly attentive to Theodore.
She piled food into his plate, including shrimp, which he was allergic to.
Theodore picked up the shrimp and ate it without a second thought.
"Tastes good, right?" Jennifer asked.
"Yeah. Good."
The table roared with laughter again. "Theo's reply may be short, but he's sure enjoying the food Jen served."
"At least she got a response. When Vanessa asked him the same question just now, he didn't even glance her way. Guess he's just pretending to be cool around us."
"We all know what's happening here. Better start saving up for the wedding gift."
In the noisy, crowded room, I sat silently in the corner.
Theodore and I had been married for five years.
Yet he insisted that our relationship would look unprofessional at the university, so I told everyone my husband worked out of town long-term.
I even made a point to sit as far away from him as possible at dinners.
And now, I had to watch him be set up with someone else.
"Everyone has to bring a plus-one to the reception," Jennifer laughed, swiveling her gaze toward me. "Vanessa, you should bring your husband, too. It's been so long, and all we've ever seen is that one photo of his back on your Instagram."
Her tone shifted, dipping into something suggestive. "Does he forbid you from making it official?
"Or... is it the kind of relationship that has to be kept in the dark?"
The air in the room grew heavy. Dozens of eyes turned to stare at me. But Theodore just kept eating with his head down.
My heart sank.
Remembering the papers tucked in my bag, I felt a surge of resentment.
"Theo, what do you think?" I asked.
Theodore paused, setting down his fork with a look of pure annoyance.
"What does that have to do with me?
"How would I know about your business with your husband?"
He shot me a warning glare.
"Exactly," Jennifer chimed in, covering her mouth to hide a smirk. "Nessa, there's no need to be embarrassed. A marriage certificate is just a piece of paper. It's not as practical as a limited edition Hermès bag, right?"
Her insinuation drew disdainful looks from the table.
I had run into Jennifer at a store once, and to protect Theodore's identity, I'd lied and said my husband gave me the bag. I didn't realize she had filed that information away to weaponize it later.
I let out a soft laugh.
"Why should I be embarrassed that my husband bought me a bag?"
I asked Jennifer, "You seem awfully interested in him—are you trying to steal him from me?"
Jennifer's smile vanished, and she instinctively glanced at Theodore. My stomach dropped.
Did she know about us?
That was infinitely more revolting than if she didn't.
In the sudden silence, her eyes began to rim with red.
"Nessa, I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't know you were so sensitive about it... Please don't be mad."
She suddenly grabbed Theodore's wine glass, downed it in one gulp, and collapsed into his arms, her eyes welling up from coughing.
Theodore frowned instantly, turning to scold me. "Do you realize how mean you sounded? Does assuming the worst of everyone make you feel superior?"
I stared at him, enunciating every syllable. "Was I the one who started it?"
"She was just asking out of curiosity!" Theodore's voice was ice-cold. "Do you have to be so aggressive?"
He held Jennifer protectively, staring me down across the round table.
And yet, he was my husband.
Someone stepped in to smooth things over. "Vanessa, don't hold it against Jen. She's young, and she doesn't always think before she speaks."
"Theo is already protecting his future wife. Nessa, just let it go for his sake."
"Yeah, stop fighting. It's unnecessary. We all know you aren't a gold digger."
A vein throbbed on Theodore's temple—a sign he was about to explode.
All for a manipulative bitch.
He used to stand in front of me and fight for me, but now he was protecting Jennifer, the very person who had slandered me.
A crushing wave of exhaustion rolled over me.
I was completely done with this marriage.
I gave Theodore one last, long look, then turned and walked out of the hotel, leaving Jennifer sobbing behind me.
Once inside the car, I pulled the divorce papers from my bag.
A few days earlier, when I handed Theodore a rental agreement, I had accidentally mixed the divorce papers into the stack.
He had signed his name without even glancing at the contents.
All I had to do was sign mine.
Suddenly, a tube of lipstick rolled out of my bag.
Just a few hours back, Theodore had kissed me in the passenger seat, his earlobes blushing red.
He told me he saw a junior in his research group buying one for his girlfriend, so he followed suit.
I had applied it immediately, even though it was a dark orange-red shade—the color I hated most.
A vague, lingering hope surfaced in my mind again. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help getting out of the car and lighting a Marlboro on the street corner.
"Maybe I should talk to him," I told myself, making an excuse. "I'll sign after that."
By the time I finished the pack, the group from the dinner stumbled out of the hotel. When they spotted me, their chatter died at once.
"Where is Theodore?" I asked.
No one answered. Instead, they started lecturing me.
"Nessa, look, we know you like Theo. But... you're married."
"Have you considered your husband's feelings? He even bought you that expensive bag."
"This is cheating. Though it's an emotional one, it's still cheating..."
I took a deep breath and cut them off.
"So, where the heck did he go?"
"Theo took Jen upstairs to get a room," someone replied. "She got drunk and refused to go back to the dorms."
I looked down at the cigarette butts scattered on the concrete and felt like a complete joke.

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