Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband? novel Chapter 428

“Do you like it?”

That night, back at the hotel, Mila stepped out of the bathroom and immediately noticed the jeweled dagger resting on the nightstand.

It was a work of art—small, exquisite. The hilt was inlaid with emeralds, and the solid gold sheath, etched with ancient patterns, glittered with diamonds. It looked less like a weapon and more like a priceless antique. When she drew the blade, the cold, curved steel caught the light, gleaming sharply—a crescent moon of silver.

Exactly what she’d wanted.

She hadn’t expected him to find it so quickly.

Mila gave the dagger an experimental flick, slicing cleanly through the loose front of a man’s robe with barely any effort. The fabric fell away, revealing a chest still misted from a recent shower, muscles taut beneath the skin.

“Haven’t you gotten enough of me tonight, darling?”

Despite nearly getting nicked, Lysander didn’t even flinch. He just grinned, lazy and unbothered, as if the threat of a blade was an everyday amusement.

Mila shot him a look, not dignifying his nonsense with a response. She sheathed the dagger and examined it with curiosity. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s an antique,” Lysander replied with a chuckle, utterly casual. “You said you needed one urgently. I couldn’t find the right kind on short notice, so I sent Leonard to the local auction house and had him buy this for you. Supposedly, it was once a royal gift between two Western empires.”

An antique, after all.

Well—sharp enough, and that’s what mattered.

Now that she had what she wanted, Mila ignored the man and decided she’d sleep with the dagger by her side tonight.

But just as she turned away, his hand closed around her arm.

“My dear,” Lysander pulled her into his arms, lowering his head until his chin rested on her hair, laughter rumbling in his chest. “You get your gift and now you’re just going to ignore me? Aren’t you forgetting something in return?”

So she couldn’t just walk away.

After a pause, she asked coolly, “What do you want?”

“You know.”

She felt the vibration of his laughter above her, heard the teasing in his voice. Mila shut her eyes briefly, then opened them again. Suddenly, she spun around, grabbed the torn edge of his robe, and yanked him down, retaliating with a fierce bite to his lips.

Bastard.

She didn’t hold back—a drop of blood beaded at his mouth.

For a moment, Lysander’s fox-like eyes went wide, pupils trembling in surprise. He barely had time to react before the bedroom door rang with an ill-timed knock.

“Sir.”

It was Leonard’s voice from outside.

If Leonard was interrupting at this hour, it had to be urgent. Lysander pressed a hard kiss to Mila’s lips, lingering until his breath was ragged, then let her go.

“I’ll be back.”

—

“What is it?” Lysander shut the bedroom door behind him, running a hand through his still-damp hair.

“He’s here,” Leonard said, handing over an ornate invitation.

The gold-edged card opened to reveal a party invitation. At the bottom, the host’s name stood out in bold: Cossio.

“A real invitation to a knife fight,” Lysander scoffed, tossing the card back to Leonard, his smile mocking. “He wants to play games with me—a foreigner, trying his hand at tricks my ancestors perfected centuries ago. Amusing.”

“Will you go?” Leonard asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Lysander’s confidence was absolute as he grasped the doorknob, twisting it open with a cocky grin. “Tell Francis to be ready tonight.”

“The show’s about to begin.”