Knowing My Ex-Wife After The Divorce Novel by Yetta Horace

“Oh, I just thought we wouldn’t keep in touch anymore,” Natalie said.

T**s expression darkened instantly.

Natalie quickly added, “But thinking it over, I should give you my new number. You’ll probably want to reach out for your lover someday.”

“I’ll say it again, she’s not my lover.”

“Okay, okay, whatever you say.” Natalie stayed calm. “Did you call me to the restaurant just to talk about your lover?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?” Feeling curious, Natalie wondered what else Tobias could want to discuss besides that.

Her tone gave it away, and he replied flatly, “I want to ask you how I can sleep with you.”

Natalie was caught off guard. Great, that was all this guy cared about. “There are plenty of women in the world, Mr. Reese; you don’t have to focus on just me. I’m still your ex-wife.” She felt a bit frustrated. “Do you only want your ex-wife?”

T**’s gaze deepened. “You.”

‘Me? What does he mean? Does it have to be me? Or is it just because I am his ex-wife?’ No matter what the answer was, Natalie didn’t want to keep this conversation going. She didn’t want to get tangled up in anything personal with him again. Realizing this chat wasn’t going anywhere, she remembered Evan’s request from earlier and asked, “So, scaring off Evan earlier was because of that, right?”

“Yeah,” he replied c**y.

Natalie said, “Since the misunderstanding is cleared up and I didn’t mean to stand you up, let’s not stay angry anymore, okay?” As soon as she said that, both of them paused. The way she spoke reminded her of how she used to talk to him before their divorce. Whenever she wanted to smooth things over with Tobias, she’d naturally soften her words.

Usually, he would just say “mm” in agreement, going along with it. Just like now. After she finished speaking, Tobias responded with an “mm.”

Natalie always thought she had moved on from the ten years she spent with Tobias and that she was finally herself again. But in that moment, it felt like she was being pulled back in. The atmosphere in the car turned a bit awkward, and she cleared her throat twice to break the tension. “Thanks for that.”

Tobias snapped back to reality and said casually, “Don’t forget, you owe me a favor.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “What favor?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet, so we’ll talk about it later.” He looked at her, his eyes deep as if he was trying to plan something.

Natalie felt uneasy under his gaze. It seemed like he had an agenda, like he was trying to outsmart her, but it also felt harmless. “Whatever you say.” She thought to herself that she’d find a way to make him owe her too. Fair’s fair.

Before today, she never thought she’d be easily tricked by a simple promise. If Tobias wanted to play games, he better be ready for some real fun. She wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction of getting his way..

When Natalie got home, she expected Maddie and Yara to be back, but the house was empty. She quickly called Maddie, but there was no answer. Reaching out to Yara, the kid replied right away, telling her they were still at the kindergarten and that Maddie had gotten into an argument with someone.

*

With no other choice, Natalie decided to head over to Clusia International Kindergarten to find them. She thought it might be a h**le, but when she arrived, she saw a crowd gathered outside. Before getting any closer, she could hear Maddie’s loud voice. “I, the noble Ms. Carter, would never be a third wheel!”

“Oh really? If you’re not a third wheel, what are you doing here?” Karen shot back, standing toe-to-toe with Maddie in ripped jeans that showed a lot of skin, her face full of contempt.

It was a classic case of two people who just didn’t get along.

Karen looked at Yara and sneered, “Is this the kid you had for your sugar daddy? She looks decent enough; must’ve inherited your talent for chasing men.”

Maddie fired back, “Chase men? Please! What man would deserve me? I’m just here to help my friend’s kid enroll in school.

“Friend? Which friend?”

Rolling her eyes, Maddie shot back, “None of your business.”

“I bet this kid’s yours. With your background, there’s no way you could meet anyone important in Jonton, not to mention get a kid into this fancy kindergarten.”

Yara blinked, not really understanding the adults arguing, but she caught the last part. “But I got in right away!”

“Of course-you’re a genius who speaks ten languages! Just like the little prince from the Reese family, you don’t even need an entrance exam, right? The kindergarten must be eager to have you to boost their status,” Karen retorted.

Maddie rolled her eyes again. “Just drop the name already. What’s the point? Elle’s never been able to marry into the Reese family. So what if he’s the little prince? Does that make him any more important than Elle?”

Karen, a close friend of Elle, thought she was just bragging about Elle’s son being so smart and important.

With a cold smile, Karen shot back, “Sure, Elle hasn’t married into the Reese family yet, but that’s only a matter of time. She’s practically the lady of the house at this point, since Tobias has only had her in his life for years.”

“And what’s so great about that? Tobias has an ex-wife, you know When it comes to being the main woman in the Reese family, that ex is probably more deserving than Elle, at least she was officially married to him!”

Karen’s face darkened, looking like she just stepped on something sharp.

The two women started exchanging insults again, while Natalie watched nearby, feeling her eye twitch.

Not wanting to be outdone, Karen turned her attention to Yara. “Let’s talk about your kid. Her dad must be a big deal to get her into this kindergarten without even taking the entrance examn!”

“Yara doesn’t have a dad!” Maddie replied firmly, believing that the man who hurt Natalie didn’t deserve that title.

Karen laughed, not letting up. “Come on, she didn’t just show up out of nowhere. There’s definitely a dad involved! I’m going to find out who he is today.”

Maddie always claimed she was single and never flirted with any guys. Many wealthy families had their eyes on her, and if Yara’s father was revealed, it could ruin Maddie’s reputation.

Karen had come just to drop off Ryan at school. But seeing Maddie and her dealing with enrollment paperwork piqued her curiosity. The fact that Yara didn’t even take the entrance exam made things suspicious.

As school was about to end, other parents waiting around overheard the arguments. They grew unhappy after learning Yara hadn’t taken the exam.

“I had to comfort my kid until they cried before the am, and we barely passed. Why does she get a free pass?”

“The admissions office needs to explain this clearly today! It’s completely unfair!”

“There’s definitely something sketchy going on with these admissions!”