My Billionaire Ex Begs for a Second Chance

Xanthe Yarnall had finally gotten a divorce, three years after donating her liver to Hector.

It was because Hector's unattainable first crush had returned, bringing with her his child.

...

After a passionate moment, the room temperature soared.

Xanthe was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the bed.

The room was warm, but she felt cold, cold to the bone.

Just a few minutes ago, Hector had taken her in every degrading way imaginable, humiliating her through their lovemaking.

Her body was covered in the cruel evidence of his actions.

He hadn't held back at all, making her feel every bit of pain.

After a long silence, Xanthe, filled with hope, looked at him. "This time, it is what you wanted, not an accident, right, Hector?"

At the sound of her voice, Hector Stewart paused for a moment as he was buttoning his shirt. He looked at her questioning gaze and spoke with mocking amusement. "Does it really matter, Xanthe? Don't you enjoy doing this with me?"

He grinned wickedly, then lowered his head to bite her ear.

It felt soft and tender, and her unique fragrance lingered in his nose.

"Hiss..." Xanthe glared at him, biting her lower lip to keep herself from reacting.

Hector didn't love her. In the three years they had been married, this was only their second time in bed.

"I don't like it." Xanthe's eyelashes fluttered slightly, her heart aching, and her voice was cold.

Hector gave a cold laugh, reaching over to grab her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. The passion from moments ago still hadn't faded, and a faint blush remained on her face, making her appear even more alluring.

His voice was dripping with insinuation. "Xanthe, are you still holding on to that guy? Oh my god, it's terrible, right? You've had my child, even if he's gone now. You have been my woman."

The pain in Xanthe's heart intensified.

'That guy is you,' she silently screamed in her mind.

Hector had a first crush, someone he had always longed for. When they had agreed to a contractual marriage, she had deliberately mentioned her own feelings for another man, just so it wouldn't make her feel too embarrassed.

Thinking about their child tore Xanthe apart.

Hector didn't love her, and he could speak so nonchalantly about the death of their child.

Xanthe remained silent, and Hector took her silence as agreement.

His gaze was cold, like a bottomless abyss, filled with unspent desire, adding an extra layer of mystery to his presence.

"Xanthe, Vonnie's back. She gave me a son. Let's get divorced." When he mentioned their son, a deep smile spread across Hector's face.

Boom!

A barrage of thunder exploded in Xanthe's mind, and the smile in Hector's eyes cut through her heart like a sharp blade.

Only at that moment did she truly understand the depth of Hector's cruelty. Her fists clenched tighter and tighter.

She regretted it. She deeply regretted marrying Hector.

She had thought that three years of companionship could warm his heart, but in the end, all it had done was leave her broken and scarred.

As she realized this, Xanthe finally understood the truth. 'A man who doesn't love you will never care how much pain you're in.'

She agreed to the divorce.

She had just found out that Yvonne Lindsay had come back.

Yvonne had been back for two months now, and Hector had kept them in a villa in the suburbs.

Xanthe had seen that child. If her own baby had still been alive, he would have been about the same age.

But sadly... her baby was long gone.

Xanthe blinked slightly, and tears started flowing uncontrollably.

Yvonne often posted pictures of their family of three to provoke Xanthe.

Yvonne: [Xanthe, did you see? You took my place and became his wife. But Hector's heart is still here with me. Look at our son. Do you also think he looks so much like Hector?]

Yvonne: [Xanthe, you bitch, how long do you think you can hold on to this position? You have no shame, seducing Hector while I was gone. Do you want my child to grow up without a father?]

For the past two months, Yvonne had bombarded her with messages like these every single day.

Each word felt like a sharp needle, stabbing deeply into Xanthe's heart.

Xanthe had endured it in silence, wanting to see how Hector would resolve it.

Today, Hector finally spoke, but it was to ask for a divorce.

Xanthe's expression changed suddenly, no longer as docile as before.

Hector took a divorce agreement that had already been prepared from the cabinet and tossed it onto the table.

He spoke coldly, his lips barely moving. "Xanthe, sign this divorce agreement. You helped me build the company into what it is today. What I'm giving you is what you deserve. Once you sign, we'll be done."

Wrapped in the blanket, Xanthe stood up. Her legs felt weak, but she gritted her teeth against the discomfort in her body. Squatting down, she picked up the pen with determination in her eyes. "Fine. I'll sign."

Hector's gaze darkened, a dangerous gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Xanthe, if you had agreed on it from the beginning, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much," he said, his handsome face still carrying a mischievous grin.

Xanthe gripped the pen tightly, smiling brightly. "Hector, thank you. You've shown me your true nature. Now I can completely give up on you."

She lowered her head, quickly scanning the divorce agreement.

Hector had been fair in the distribution of assets and hadn't wronged her.

"I don't want any of the assets. Turn it into cash and transfer it to my account. The money will be in my account by tomorrow morning. At 9 AM tomorrow, we'll go to the Courthouse to finalize the divorce," she said.

If they were to deal with the assets, they would be entangled for a long time.

This marriage had always been a transaction.

She had just played the role of Hector's wife for these three years.

She loved him, but she couldn't live without boundaries.

In this love, she had been nothing but a fool.

Hector's playful gaze grew darker, his cold stare turning into a faint sneer. "So eager to go find that man?"

Xanthe felt a deep ache in her heart, but she hid the pain with a faint smile on her face.

"Hector, we're not even divorced yet, and you're already so eager to bring Yvonne back. You two even have a child now. What right do you have to criticize me?" she mocked.

Hector furrowed his brows, staring at her in silence, his heart inexplicably stirred.

He watched as she signed her name, each stroke deliberate.

After signing, Xanthe stood up. Her eyes, now sparkling, were beautiful, yet cold. "Hector, from this moment on, I will take back all the kindness I ever gave you."

Hector froze, his heart inexplicably tightening. He sneered. "You'd better take it back. When we got married, we made three rules. One of them was that you couldn't fall in love with me."

Xanthe's heart tightened as if it had been struck with a heavy hammer, and waves of pain spread across her body like countless needles piercing her skin.

Hector left with the divorce agreement in hand.

His back remained as straight and imposing as a pine tree.

She stood in place, watching his figure fade away, feeling as though her heart had been slashed open by a sharp knife, the pain so intense she could barely breathe. The agony swept up from the soles of her feet, coursing through every part of her body.

He was truly heartless.

Three years ago, Xanthe was eighteen, when she saved Hector, and he fell for her at first sight. Due to Hector's uncle, Logan Stewart, who had intentionally set him up, the Stewart Group went bankrupt, and Hector had a car accident, leaving him paralyzed.

Hector had once saved her life, and Xanthe always remembered that debt. She secretly found investors for him and took care of him for the next three years. After six months, under her covert treatment, his legs were healed.

Hector's grandfather, George Stewart, was grateful to Xanthe and insisted that Hector marry her. By then, Xanthe had already fallen for Hector and agreed to the contractual marriage.

Xanthe believed that over time, he would eventually love her.

In the years they were married, Xanthe used her hidden identity to help him become a commercial giant, the talk of the business world in just three short years.

It wasn't until now that Xanthe realized it had always been a transaction.

A man who didn't love her could never warm her heart.

Xanthe collapsed to the ground, tears that she could no longer hold back falling like pearls from a broken string.

She hugged her knees tightly, letting the pain spread through her body.

Her heart slowly began to ice over.

The next morning at eight, Xanthe received the money from Hector, 40 million dollars.

Xanthe sneered, pulling her suitcase, glancing back at the villa she had lived in for three years. Without a second thought, she headed to the Courthouse.

Hector was already waiting outside the Courthouse, his presence commanding in the early morning light, restrained and alluring.

This was the man she had tried so hard to follow, but in the end, they would never walk side by side.

When Hector saw Xanthe approaching with her suitcase, his gaze flickered slightly. "You can stay in the villa for now."

Xanthe coldly rejected him. "No need. Let's go inside and take care of the paperwork."

Ten minutes later, Xanthe and Hector exited the Courthouse.

In front of Hector, Xanthe threw the divorce certificate into the trash, turning and walking away without a second glance.

Hector watched everything, and in his deep eyes, it seemed as though a cold arrow shot toward Xanthe's slender back.

He sneered, a puzzled expression on his face. 'I let her go to reunite with the man she loves, but why does it feel like I'm the one who let her down?' he wondered.

His brow furrowed, and with steady steps, he got in the car and left. He was going to see his son.

Xanthe dragged her suitcase down the sidewalk, walking slowly, aimlessly, lost in her sorrow.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of a horn broke her thoughts.

Startled, she looked up to see a luxurious sports car parked by the curb. She was shocked. "Owen, what are you doing here?"

"Ms. Yarnall, I finally found you. Mr. Yarnall sent me to take you home," he said.

Owen Palmer's deep and concerned voice rang clearly in Xanthe's ears, providing brief comfort to her aching heart.

Xanthe swallowed, her heart heavy. She hadn't been home in three years.

She nodded, opened the car door, and got in.

Owen's gaze lingered on her, his eyes deep with a murderous intent.

'Hector, you're finished,' Owen wondered.

The red car sped by, like a flash of lightning, narrowly missing Hector's.

Hector noticed Xanthe in the passenger seat and let out a cold smile. She really couldn't wait to throw herself into another man's arms.

'But who is that man?' Hector thought.

Melissa Manor covered several thousand square yards, a true emblem of the affluent elite in the capital city, Diortewin. Everything related to Melissa had an utterly irreplaceable status in high society.

Xanthe stood before the luxurious mansion she hadn't set foot in for three years, her visits limited to daily video calls with her grandfather.

When the car came to a stop, Owen stepped out with measured, steady strides. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door with deliberate respect.

"Ms. Yarnall, this way please," he said, his tone formal. "Mr. Yarnall is waiting for you inside. He asked me to remind you that the three-year agreement is up, and you must return to take over the family business. Several shareholders have been making moves during your absence. If you want to command respect, Ms. Yarnall, you'll need to start from the ground up."

For a moment, Xanthe had nearly forgotten about the three-year agreement.

Now she understood. She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Okay." Her tone was detached, her pain long since buried, leaving only icy resolve in her gaze. Her breathtakingly beautiful face carried a frosty, impenetrable chill.

With graceful steps, she entered the villa.

Owen followed close behind, and her cool, commanding voice broke the silence. "Owen, make the announcement. Melissa Yarnall has returned."

Xanthe had always held two identities, and her real name was Melissa Yarnall. From this moment on, she would only be Melissa. Xanthe no longer existed.

Hearing the determined edge in her voice, Owen knew that the poised and formidable noble young lady of the past had finally returned.

Melissa walked into the grand hall and saw the elderly man seated on a beige sofa.

Her beautiful eyes welled with unshed tears, and her voice choked as she said, "Grandpa, I'm home."

Steven Yarnall looked at the Yarnall heiress, the granddaughter he had raised personally, his expression filled with nothing but affection.

Yet, when he thought of the man who had wronged her, his cloudy eyes flashed with an unmistakable, lethal fury.

"Sweetie, without consequences, he'll never regret it. You're my heir. Being dumped by a scumbag is an embarrassment to our name." Steven declared, his tone sharp.

'Hector is such a jerk. If I don't teach him a lesson, I won't be able to swallow this insult.' Steven's thoughts simmered.

Melissa's chest tightened as her lingering sorrow threatened to overwhelm her. "Grandpa, I'm back. What happened is in the past. I promise you that, from now on, I'll focus on running the company properly."

Years ago, she had stubbornly pursued a worthless man and squandered Steven's care and trust.

She lowered her gaze, guilt weighing heavily on her heart.

"That's more like my granddaughter," Steven said warmly.

His cloudy eyes softened with fondness as his voice turned kind. "Rest for a few days. I'll announce your return to the public. The company is in turmoil right now. Do you understand what I mean?"

Melissa nodded, her tone resolute. These past three years, she had kept a close watch on the company's situation from the shadows. "Yes, Grandpa, I know it."

An hour later, news of the Melissa Group's heiress reclaiming her position as head of the company spread rapidly online.

Returning to her room, unchanged after three long years, Melissa felt a rare sense of peace amid the familiarity.

But the thought of Hector's ruthless actions stirred a fresh wave of pain in her chest.

Her gaze instinctively drifted to the window. The weather had turned cold. 'His legs... he must be in discomfort again,' she wondered.

A faint, chilly breeze brushed past, jolting Melissa back to reality. Her expression froze as a bitter realization struck her.

'What am I doing?' she muttered to herself. 'Hector has nothing to do with me anymore.'

Between her and Hector stood Yvonne, like an unbridgeable chasm that would never close.

A wry smile tugged at her lips. Now she truly understood the devastating power of a first crush.

Thinking of Hector's cruelty and the death of her son, Melissa felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

'Was that tiny life taken from me because this home was so unhappy?' she wondered bitterly.

Melissa curled up in bed, her slender body trembling with pain.

After what felt like an eternity, she forced herself to suppress the agony in her heart. When she finally straightened up, the icy detachment in her eyes was commanding and awe-inspiring.

The company was in shambles, and Melissa had no time for grief.

The next day, she pulled herself together and threw herself into her work.

The Melissa Group was established for her, named after her, and represented the culmination of Steven's life's work.

Steven had no sons or daughters. He had poured all his efforts into raising Melissa, meticulously cultivating her from a young age to be the perfect heiress. Except for those three years when she was obsessed with loving Hector, Melissa had never let Steven down.

Instead of returning to the company's headquarters, Melissa headed to the Melissa Branch, which was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

After a long day of work, Melissa went to a nearby restaurant with Owen for dinner.

As soon as she stepped inside, she ran into Hector and the other two.

Her steps halted abruptly when she noticed them seated by the window. Hector was holding a child, playing with him. The boy bore an uncanny resemblance to Hector.

Seeing the child's joyful laughter, Melissa felt a wave of sorrow wash over her.

Three years ago, Yvonne had briefly returned before leaving again. That night, Hector got drunk and slept with Melissa. It was during that time that she became pregnant.

Hector and Yvonne must have conceived their child around the same time.

If Melissa's son had survived, he would be about the same age as this boy now.

Pain darkened Melissa's gaze, her emotions swirling beneath the surface.

"Ms. Yarnall..." Owen said softly, concerned.

"I'm fine," Melissa replied as she continued walking further into the restaurant.

Melissa hadn't expected Yvonne to notice her so quickly.

"Hey, Xanthe?" Yvonne called out.

Melissa stopped in her tracks, turning to face Yvonne.

Yvonne hadn't changed much. She was still beautiful, with sparkling eyes. A soft, sweet smile adorned her face.

Hector's expression, however, shifted the moment he saw Melissa. His sharp eyes narrowed, instantly radiating a cold, oppressive aura.

'Is this the man she has been yearning for over the past three years? He's handsome, no doubt, but somehow, he and Xanthe don't seem to match. He's certainly not good enough for Xanthe,' Hector thought bitterly.

Hector, catching himself, felt a twinge of annoyance, surprised by his own thoughts.

"Xanthe, it's been so long since we last saw each other. Why don't we have dinner together?" Yvonne said with a warm, gentle tone, her voice soothing to the ear.

"No, thanks. Sharing a meal with a mistress might make me sick." Melissa shot back before walking toward a private room with Owen.

Yvonne's face fell, her expression wounded. "Hector, does Xanthe blame me?" she asked softly, her voice delicate and sweet, enough to make Hector's resolve waver.

Hector glanced at Xanthe's retreating figure, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. "You don't need to feel guilty. I've already given her what she deserves. From now on, my focus is on you and the baby."

Reassured by his words, Yvonne smiled and relaxed.

As she glanced at the child in Hector's arms, a strange smile crept across her face. 'Xanthe, this is my trump card. Thank you for getting pregnant back then,' she mused silently.

...

Halfway through her meal, Melissa's phone rang. She excused herself to answer it and stepped outside.

While passing by the fire escape, she heard a familiar voice echoing from within. "My plan has succeeded. Now that Xanthe is still in Diortewin, kill her."