She Shows Up Pregnant, I Rise Stronger

The words had barely left my mouth when Nicole suddenly barked, “Ryan, do you even hear yourself right now? What makes you think you’re in any position to talk like that?”

“You really think our lives fall apart without you? Let me tell you something—Drew’s way more capable than you ever were. With him around, the company’s only going up. And you? You’re nothing. A pathetic loser who’ll never amount to anything.”

I didn’t say a word. Just smiled to myself.

I’d heard that kind of garbage more times than I could count.

Even after I took over the Morgan Group and business started booming, Nicole’s parents never missed a chance to belittle me—like it was their way of keeping me in check.

I knew why. They were scared. Afraid I might get ideas. That I might actually have a voice. So they kept trying to keep me small, thinking they still had control over me.

And now that Nicole was back, they tossed me aside without hesitation.

Four years of marriage, four years of giving everything I had to that family—and this was how it ended.

I ignored Nicole and asked Lauren to drive me home.

When I got there, my parents were waiting. Dad looked especially pleased. He told me he’d already prepared everything for my return and handed over the majority of the company’s operations to me.

He said just having me back was enough. He and Mom were ready to retire. The company was mine now.

With his help, I took over smoothly. In no time, I had things running better than ever.

Then one day, I got a call from Nicole.

“Ryan, where are you?” The moment I picked up, her voice came through, tense and frantic.

“Where I am doesn’t concern you,” I said calmly. 

I could guess what was happening. One of those brilliant business deals she and Drew had taken on was starting to go sideways.

And Nicole? She had no idea how to fix it.

As for Drew—hell, even when he was just an intern, I knew exactly how useless he was. There was no way he could handle something like this now.

Nicole sounded increasingly desperate. “Ryan, get back to the office. Now!”

“Did I miss something here? Have you forgotten that I don’t work for you anymore, Nicole? We’re divorced. I have zero obligation to step foot in your company ever again.”

“You’re unbelievable,” she snapped. “I’m giving you a chance here because I didn’t want to see you end up jobless and starving!”

I chuckled. “Thanks for your concern, but I’m doing just fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

I was about to hang up when she suddenly yelled, “Wait! That contract you signed before you left—there’s a problem with it! If you don’t come fix it, I’ll sue you for causing damages to the company!”

Her voice was practically shaking with rage.