Dear Ex Wife, Please take me back novel Chapter 84

ATHENA

My breath halts. My spine locks.

Because the hand holding my waist in a firm, grounding grip belongs to him.

My sworn enemy!

His touch scorches right through the fabric of my coat despite the glacial look on his face.

Up close, he’s even more infuriatingly gorgeous. His blonde hair is slicked back like a halo of arrogance, sharp cheekbones set in stone, and those green eyes, God, those eyes narrow with a cold disapproval.

He looks older and harder. But even more good-looking! It's more like the devil with an angel's face.

I jerk away from his grip like it burns. “I’m fine,” I say through clenched teeth, already bracing myself for the venom.

“Clearly,” he mutters, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve like I’ve contaminated him.

Iann turns, and he frowns upon seeing Alex.

I guess I'm not the only shocked one.

“Quinn.” Alex acknowledges.

“Am I supposed to get offended that my best friend showed up without giving me a heads up?” Ian pouts, and Alex rolls his eyes.

I step away as far away from him as possible.

“I thought you were on call, and this hospital is the last place I expected to see you.” He responds, his eyes focused on me.

The way he looks at me only makes me angry.

I turn to face Ian, “I'll wait for you outside.”

I don’t wait for permission. I just turn and walk, no, storm down the hall, ignoring the heat in my cheeks, ignoring the way my heart is punching against my ribs like it wants to escape.

Ignoring the burning fighting to stay leveled.

As I walk away, I can feel his gaze burning in my back, and it's taking every ounce in my body not to look back and throw two middle fingers at him.

What the hell is he doing here anyway?

This place was supposed to be a fresh start.

But clearly, every demon from my past keeps haunting me.

Who cursed me?

I feel memories pulling me back to that dark place. It grips my heart so hard breathing becomes a challenge.

The elevator dings ahead of me, and I pause, exhaling hard as I plant my palms against the cool wall beside it.

Get it together, Athena. You’re not that girl anymore.

“Still running away, I see.” Alex says behind me, and I almost jump out of my skin. But I hold my ground, not giving away the fact that he just scared the shit out of me.

I don't turn around. “Still following me, I see.”

Alex steps into view, not even trying to mask the sarcasm in his smirk. “Relax. I wasn’t looking for you.”

“Oh?” I say, pushing off the wall. “ Could have fooled me!”

I bite my lip, refusing to react. My fingers are shaking as I press the button again.

The elevator doors finally open, and I don't waste any second stepping in.

By like a ghost hunting me, he follows, and from how unlucky I've been lately, the elevator is empty.

I could turn and wait, but I refuse to give him that kind of power over me.

So, I step in. Ignoring his overwhelming presence as he sucks out all the air, making it feel so small when it's able to hold ten people at once.

The steel doors shut, and it starts descending.

Remember what I said about luck?

Well, today seems like I'm extremely low in that regard.

My heart hammers against my ribcage as the elevator lurches to a halt, the sudden darkness swallowing me whole.

The weight of Alex’s presence is suffocating, a storm in a small box. I can feel his every breath, his every shift in the silence, and it's like the air is getting thinner by the second.

"Of course," I mutter under my breath, trying to keep my voice steady. "This is just perfect."

I press the emergency button, but the lack of response only adds to the growing panic in my chest. The lights flicker once, then die completely. We're plunged into an unnerving quiet.

"Relax. It'll be fine," Alex says from behind me, his voice too calm, too knowing. I can practically hear the smirk in his tone. "You’ve always been the dramatic one."

"Not the time, Alex," I snap, gripping the railing in front of me. My pulse races, my body too aware of the fact that I’m trapped in this small, dark space with the one person I can't stand.

The fact that we’re stuck here feels almost like some sick joke the universe is playing on me.