My Husband Doesn't Let Me Accept My Ex's Flowers

Three years after our divorce, my ex-husband, Julian, showed up at my door holding a massive bouquet of red roses.

He had that same smug, confident smile I used to know so well.

Chloe, I kept my word. I'm back, right on time, to take you back.

Three years ago, he played a game of Truth or Dare with his friends and lost to his childhood friend, Serena.

Serena had proposed a dare:

"I want to see if you and Chloe are actually true love."

"So, get a divorce and don't see each other for three years."

"If she still wants to remarry you after three years, I'll admit it's true love."

Julian had never set any boundaries with Serena.

We fought about her constantly because of things like this.

At the time, I thought there was no way he would agree to something so ridiculous.

But to my horror, he agreed without a second thought.

"Sure! A bet's a bet!"

His friends tried to talk him out of it: "Dude, think about this. Divorce is a major deal!"

But he just looked at me with absolute certainty.

"I trust our relationship. Chloe only loves me in this lifetime. She will definitely wait to remarry me!"

I didn't say a word.

He didn't realize that was the very last chance I was ever giving him.

My thoughts snapped back to the present as he tried to shove the roses into my arms.

I didn't take them. I stepped back, my voice completely flat.

"Sorry, my husband doesn't let me accept flowers from other men."

A confident, knowing smirk played on Julian's lips.

"Still mad?"

"Alright, alright. I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Babe, stop being childish."

His tone was dripping with patronizing affection. He honestly thought I was just playing hard to get to punish him.

Just like he used to, he stepped forward and reached out to pull me into his arms.

I took another step back, my expression freezing over.

"Control yourself, Mr. Gray."

His hands froze in mid-air. The gentle, mock-tender look in his eyes never wavered from my face.

"Did I really make you that mad this time?"

"Just tell me what you want, and I'll buy it for you. Anything to make it up to you."

He was still so utterly convinced that a few sweet words and a credit card could fix the wreckage he left behind.

As he spoke, he took another step toward me.

For every step he took forward, I took one back.

The look in his eyes shifted, darkening with a sudden urge to conquer, to force me to submit.

"Julian, three years is a long time. It's enough to change everything."

He nodded, seemingly agreeing. "True."

I backed up until my shoulders hit the cold brick wall. There was nowhere left to run.

He slammed both hands on the wall on either side of my head, trapping me in his space. It was the same old wall-pinning trick he used when we were dating.

Back then, he loved trapping me in corners under the moonlight just to kiss me breathless.

"So, did you give me a son or a daughter?"

He murmured, reaching out to gently stroke my cheek.

At the mention of the child, a sharp, stabbing pain flared in my chest.

Three years ago, he knew damn well I was pregnant. Yet, after losing a stupid game, he still divorced me just to please his precious Serena.

And for three years, he completely vanished. Not a single text, not a single phone call.

Yet here he was, standing before me with the sheer audacity to assume I had quietly given birth to his child and waited around like a loyal dog for his return!

A mocking laugh escaped my lips. Before I could tell him that I had aborted that pregnancy, Julian's phone started buzzing.

He pulled it out.

The caller ID flashed with the name: *My Princess*.

That was his contact name for Serena.

I had seen it countless times during our marriage. I remembered how he used to pat her head and tell everyone that she had been his little princess since they were kids.

He never cared about how I, his actual wife, felt.

And just like before, he answered her call instantly.

"Julian, you need to come quick... my cramps are so bad, my stomach hurts so much..."

Serena's whiny, tearful voice echoed through the speaker.

Panic instantly flooded Julian's eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm coming right now."

He hung up.

He reached out and hastily patted the top of my head, like he was soothing a harmless pet.

"I have to go check on Serena first. I'll come back to find you later tonight."

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, he was already running down the street.

Serena was still up to her old tricks, using Instagram to passive-aggressively flaunt her hold over Julian.

Her latest post showed her lying in Julian's arms, looking pale and sweaty.

Julian's hand was resting gently on her stomach, rubbing it.

Her caption read: *Since we were kids, he's always been the one who loves me most. No matter how busy he is, or who he's with, the second I'm not feeling well, he drops everything to fly to my side. He really is the best man in the world!!!*

I casually tapped the heart to leave a like.

In fact, over the past three years, Serena had posted her "flexes" every single day.

For three years, she posted 1,095 brag-posts on Instagram, and I liked every single one of them.

She boasted about everything.

For instance, she didn't have a job, but Julian gave her his black card to spend whatever she wanted.

She lived in the house that was supposed to be our marital home.

She used my old things whenever she wanted, or threw them in the trash if she felt like it.

For the past three years, they lived exactly like a married couple.

I knew she was doing it entirely to torment me.

But every like I left was nothing but my pure contempt and indifference.

Serena, however, convinced herself that I was just going crazy with jealousy, desperately trying to make my presence known.

The next time I saw Julian, he walked into my coffee shop with Serena clinging to his arm.

They were wearing matching beige casual outfits. Julian, who had always insisted on wearing stiff, formal suits when he was with me, was wearing a trendy, relaxed blazer today.

Back when we were married, I had begged him to wear matching outfits with me. He always brushed me off, saying he hated changing his style.

Serena looked around my coffee shop, her eyes scanning the place with mock pity.

She gasped dramatically.

Julian frowned, looking at me with disapproval.

"I gave you so much money in the divorce. Why are you doing such grueling manual labor?"

When we divorced, I demanded half of his assets.

He had signed them over without hesitation, probably thinking it was just a temporary deposit.

I stopped wiping the espresso machine and looked up at him, my face entirely blank.

"Because I want to. And it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Julian's face didn't change. He still thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

Serena offered me a fake, sugary sweet smile.

"Chloe, it's been three years. How have you been?"

"Great."

Serena seemed taken aback by how calm I was.

Just then, Julian's phone rang. He turned around and walked outside to take the call.

The second he was out of earshot, Serena's sweet mask fell off.

Her smile turned into a smug, venomous sneer.

"Cut the act, Chloe. But don't get your hopes up too high."

She looked down her nose at me, a cold laugh escaping her lips.

"Even if you remarry Julian this time, so what?"

"His mother still despises you. Her perfect daughter-in-law has always been me."

"Julian is only marrying you out of a sense of obligation."

"In fact, he only came to find you today because I gave him permission."

"And you'll have to sign a prenup."

"By the way, I drafted it myself."

She reached into her designer bag, pulled out a document, and threw it onto the counter.

I looked down at it with sheer amusement.

The terms were hilarious.

I would have zero claim to any of the Gray family's assets.

After marriage, I was not allowed to call his mother "Mom"I had to call her "Mrs. Gray."

I was forbidden from identifying myself as Julian's wife in public; to the world, I had to remain his "ex-wife."

This absurd, insulting document actually made me laugh out loud.

I slid the papers back over to her.

"If Victoria loves you so much, why are you still just his side-chick?"

"It's been three years, Serena, and Julian still sleeps with you without giving you a ring. How pathetic."

Serena's face flushed with rage. She raised her hand, ready to slap me.

But then, the sound of Julian's approaching footsteps echoed from the doorway.

Her expression changed faster than a theater mask. Tears immediately welled in her eyes, and she adopted a look of tragic, selfless understanding.

"Chloe, I really do want you and Julian to be happy. I just want him to have a good life."

"As his childhood friend, his happiness is all I care about. This prenup is just a formality, please don't be mad at him..."

She was still the same cheap actress she was three years ago.

And Julian, seeing her tears, lost all ability to think rationally, as usual.

"Serena, what's wrong?"

Julian immediately pulled Serena into his arms, his eyes filled with intense concern.

Serena shook her head, putting on a brave, suffering face.

"It's nothing... it's my fault. Don't blame Chloe."

The more she played the victim, the more Julian was convinced I had bullied her.

"Chloe!"

He barked at me, his face turning incredibly cold. "Apologize to her right now!"

He spoke to me like a master commanding a servant.

A cold smile touched my lips.

He frowned, looking at me with frustration.

"Serena grew up with me. She's like a sister to me!"

"She is my family. Can you stop being so incredibly hostile to her every single time?"

"Even if it's just for my sake, can you try to be nice to her?"

I remained silent. I had seen this exact show countless times three years ago.

I was completely sick of it.

Just as I was about to kick them out of my shop, my phone on the counter began to ring with a FaceTime call.

The caller ID read: *My Baby Boy*.

Julian's eyes lit up the second he saw the screen.

Before I could stop him, his hand shot out and swiped the green button to accept the call.

I quickly snatched the phone back. My two-year-old son's adorable, chubby face appeared on the screen.

"Mommy, I miss you!"

Hearing that sweet little "Mommy," Julian practically vibrated with excitement.

He was absolutely certain that I had given birth to his son.

I quickly mumbled a few words to my son and hung up just as Julian lunged to grab the phone to talk to him.

"Let me see my son!"

He was grinning from ear to ear, his anger from a moment ago vanishing as if it had never existed.

Beside him, Serena's face turned incredibly dark.

"He is not your son," I said, my voice ice-cold.

"Don't ever come near me again, you pathetic psychopaths."

He didn't even get mad, still trying to play the understanding partner.

"Alright, stop fighting. I know you're mad."

"But I really miss you and our boy."

At that moment, I realized that a self-absorbed narc like him would never believe I had moved on until he saw my husband with his own eyes.

Suddenly, Julian spoke up again.

"My mom's birthday is in a few days."

"You're a great cook. Prepare a few of her favorite dishes."

"Use this opportunity to fix your relationship with her."

"Now that you've given her a grandson, she won't be hard on you anymore."

Ah. So he did know. He knew that during our three years of marriage, his mother had treated me like dirt.

Victoria had always looked down on my middle-class background.

Even though I was Julian's legal wife, Victoria never allowed me to attend any family dinners.

If she was present at an event, I wasn't even allowed to sit at the same table as her.

And during all of his mother's psychological abuse, Julian had always remained completely silent.

A mocking sneer played on my lips. "Julian, tell me. Why didn't I even have the right to have dinner with your mother back then?"

He hesitated for a second before mumbling, "Well... that's just because you didn't know how to please her."

Serena chimed in helpfully, "Chloe, begging your elders isn't embarrassing. Mrs. Gray actually loves it when people crawl back and beg on their knees."

She was openly mocking me.

I let out a dry laugh, locking my eyes onto Julian's.

"Julian, it's been three years. The world has moved on."

"I am married. And the child is not yours."

Then, I turned to Serena.

"Maybe you should try begging on your knees more often. Who knows? Maybe Victoria will finally let you through the front door."

Serena burst into tears.

"I shouldn't have said anything," she sobbed, covering her face as she ran out of the shop.

Julian's face twisted in fury. He glared at me.

"How long are you going to keep up this stubborn act!"

With that, he ran out to chase after Serena.

My phone buzzed in my hand. It was a text from my husband:

*Hey beautiful, the project is officially wrapped up. I'll be home tomorrow afternoon.*

A wave of relief washed over me.

I figured that once Julian saw Alexander in the flesh, he would finally stop his delusional fantasies.

The next day, right after I arrived at the coffee shop, I got a frantic call from my son's daycare teacher.

She said that a man claiming to be my son's father and a woman claiming to be his godmother had just taken Leo away.

My heart instantly jumped into my throat. I drove like a maniac straight to the Gray estate.

When I burst through the doors, my blood ran cold.

Serena had put my son inside a massive dog enclosure, forcing him to sit on the floor with a bunch of shedding dogs and cats.

Leo had been severely allergic to animal dander since birth.

He couldn't touch dogs or cats under any circumstances.

My poor baby was sobbing hysterically, his face flushed bright red.

Red, angry hives were already breaking out all over his neck.

Serena completely ignored my son's panic.

Instead, she was trying to force a black cat into his trembling arms.

"Don't be scared, Leo. This cat is three years old, so technically she's your big sister."

"She's my favorite baby. Hold her! Don't be so rude, crying so loud is going to scare her."

My son screamed, waving his tiny hands to push the animal away.

The black cat, startled, lashed out with its sharp claws, leaving several bloody scratches across my son's face.

Leo let out a piercing shriek of pain.

Serena tutted. "Look what you did. You scared my baby cat."

Her eyes were filled with a sick, threatening gleam as she stared down at my sobbing toddler.

"Get your hands off my son!"

I screamed, charging forward in a blind rage.

Just as my fingers were about to reach Leo, Julian suddenly materialized from the side, grabbing me from behind and dragging me back.

"Serena was just trying to be nice and let Leo play with some pets."

My eyes were bloodshot. I spun around and slapped Julian across the face with all the strength I had.

"My son is highly allergic to animal dander!"

"He can't be around animals!"

I tried to push past him to grab Leo, but Julian grabbed my wrists in a vice grip.

Serena looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"Today is my cat's birthday. She loves playing with kids."

"I just thought since Leo is coming back to the Gray family, they should get to know each other."

As she spoke, the black cat on Leo's lap was still scratching frantically.

My son's arms, neck, and face were covered in angry red welts and bloody scratches.

Serena added helpfully, "Don't worry, my pets are fully vaccinated. They're very clean. I sleep with them every night."

Looking at my son, who was crying so hard he could barely breathe, panic consumed me. I thrashed wildly against Julian's grip.

Julian held me tight, trying to soothe me.

"He's a boy, Chloe. Don't raise him to be so soft."

"He's going to inherit the Gray Group one day. We need to build his courage. He can't be afraid of a stupid cat."

Suddenly, Leo's eyes rolled back, and his head slumped forward.

I let out a guttural scream.

"He's going into anaphylactic shock!"

Only then did Julian realize how grave the situation was.

I broke free, scooped my limp son into my arms, and ran toward my car.

Julian and Serena scrambled to follow me to the hospital.

When we arrived, Leo was immediately rushed into the emergency room.

A doctor walked out holding a consent form.

"Are you the father or mother? I need a signature immediately."

Julian stepped forward eagerly.

"I'm the father! I'll sign!"

But just as his hand reached for the pen, a deep, commanding voice boomed down the hallway.

"Since when did my son become yours?"