After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage novel Chapter 102

Elijah recalled how, when Gloria still had feelings for him, she would daydream about their future kids.

She'd said if they had a daughter, she'd spoil her rotten—make her the happiest little girl on the planet.

If they had a son, she'd raise him to be just as driven and successful as Elijah.

Her eyes would sparkle talking about these what-ifs. She'd even sketched dozens of imagined portraits of these hypothetical children.

The moment she'd handed him those drawings, he'd torn them up and tossed the pieces into the fireplace without a second thought.

He'd told her, with ice in his voice, that he might have children someday, but certainly not with her.

He'd told her to quit wasting time on childish fantasies.

Now, the irony hit him like a physical pain. Back then, she'd been the one clinging to his arm, sharing her dreams. Now he was the one haunted by visions of a life with her that could never happen.

A knock interrupted his brooding.

"Sir, your driver's waiting."

Elijah grabbed the wrapped gift from his desk and headed out.

En route to the airport, he leaned back against the leather seat with his eyes closed, mentally scripting what he'd say when he finally saw Gloria and her baby.

Without warning, blinding high beams flooded the car's interior from the side.

Tires screeched followed by a sickening impact. The collision threw Elijah against the roof before slamming him forward.

Shattered glass rained everywhere, slicing into his exposed skin.

BOOM!

His car, T-boned by a commercial truck, went airborne before crashing back to the pavement with crushing force.

Blood poured from multiple wounds, but strangely, Elijah felt nothing—just a hollow disappointment.

He wouldn't see Gloria after all. Wouldn't meet the little girl who supposedly had her mother's eyes.

The chaos around him—screaming bystanders, approaching sirens—began to fade as darkness closed in. Soon, the world went silent.

At the hospital, the Phillips family huddled outside the OR, tension written across their faces.

The wall clock ticked through the endless night. As morning light filtered through the windows, the surgery doors finally swung open.

Mrs. Phillips' face drained of color as understanding dawned.

When Jenna was first arrested, her family had launched a campaign of harassment against the Phillips household.

At its worst, they'd orchestrated "accidents" that had hospitalized both Mr. and Mrs. Phillips.

When Elijah returned from London, he'd finally hit back hard, using his corporate weight to nearly bankrupt the Wright family empire.

Their key players ended up either behind bars or in hospital beds themselves.

The Phillips had considered the matter closed, never imagining the Wrights still had one final card to play.

Raw regret and fury twisted in Mrs. Phillips' gut.

So when prison officers brought in a shackled Jenna for questioning, Mrs. Phillips lost all composure.

Her open palm connected with Jenna's face with a crack that echoed through the room.

"You psychotic bitch!"