My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 180: The Delivery

Chapter 180: The Delivery

Lunara looked straight into Eryx’s eyes. He was smiling as if pleased his plan had worked but she could see through it. That smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Deep down, she knew his heart was still tangled in things left unsaid.

"But Eryx..." she murmured, reaching for his hand.

He glanced at her, eyebrows lifting slightly. "Hmm?"

Her fingers curled gently around him. "I mean... Callum. Are you really okay?"

For a moment, he didn’t respond. The engine hummed softly around them, the world outside the window blurring into shadows and lights. Then he looked ahead, exhaling slowly.

"No," he admitted, his voice quiet. "But I will be."

Lunara squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"That’s enough for now," he added, almost like a promise to himself more than to her. He straightened in his seat and offered a faint smile, eyes fixed ahead. "Let’s go check out the house I told you about."

It was a clear attempt to shift the mood, to move past the tension still clinging to him.

Lunara nodded gently. "Hmm... let’s go."

She didn’t press him further. Instead, she turned her gaze to the road, her hand still wrapped around his. For now, that was enough.

The whole ride was quiet.

Eryx kept his eyes on the road, one hand on the steering wheel, the other loosely resting where Lunara’s hand had been moments ago. The tension hadn’t vanished entirely, but it had settled into a manageable silence, one neither of them felt like breaking.

Outside, the late afternoon light filtered through the windows, painting everything in a calm, golden hue.

Lunara finally spoke, her voice gentle. "Is it close to the company?"

Eryx glanced at her briefly before nodding. "Fifteen minutes, maybe ten if traffic is good."

"Hmm." She looked out the window. "That’s good. It won’t tire you out every day."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I thought of that too."

Then it was quiet again.

Not an uncomfortable silence but the kind that hangs between two people who aren’t rushing to fill it. There was nothing urgent left to say, only quiet thoughts shared in glances and gestures.

They drove on, the city slowly giving way to quieter streets and green patches. The weight of everything they’d left behind at the café still lingered, but neither of them brought it up.

The narrow street curved gently, lined with quiet trees and trimmed hedges. It felt secluded, peaceful. A place where time moves slower.

Eryx slowed the car and turned into a gated driveway. The gate opened automatically, and soon the bungalow came into view.

Lunara blinked.

This... was not what she had imagined.

When he said "a small house," she pictured something cozy, maybe two bedrooms, enough for both of them to live without bumping into each other too often. But this—this was a modern, spacious bungalow with clean lines, wide glass windows, and a wraparound porch that overlooked a neat garden. The driveway alone could fit four cars.

"Wait..." she leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide, "this is not small, Eryx."

He parked the car without answering, a feeble smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

Lunara stepped out, turning in a slow circle. "How many square feet is this?"

"Only around... thirty-five hundred," he replied casually, grabbing the keys and walking around to her side.

"Three thousand five hundred?!"

"Not that big," he repeated with a shrug. "It’s not a mansion."

"Still... it’s huge," she said, half in awe, half in disbelief.

"Why? Don’t you like it?" Eryx reached for her hand, his fingers warm and steady around hers as he led her toward the entrance. "Let me show you inside..."

The front door opened with a soft click, revealing a spacious, open-concept living room. High ceilings made the space feel even larger, and the mix of soft wood tones with minimalistic furniture gave it a cozy yet modern charm. Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting soft patterns across the polished floors.

Lunara looked around, taking in the little details. A soft cream sofa faced a sleek fireplace, and the bookshelves lining the wall were already filled, some with real books, others with carefully placed objects she could tell he’d chosen himself. It didn’t feel like a show house. It felt like a home.

She wandered toward the dining table while Eryx stayed by the window, watching her with a quiet smile. But then Eryx’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen. Callum.

His brows furrowed slightly. For a second, he hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen.

Lunara, standing a few feet away, noticed. She tilted her head before rushing to his side, "Why? Who’s calling?"

"Callum." His reply barely left his lips.

"Maybe there is something urgent," she said softly, reaching out to gently touch his arm. Her eyes searched his face, trying to read what he wasn’t saying.

Eryx looked down at her, then back at the screen, before finally sighing and accepting the call.

"Yeah?" he answered, his voice low, almost guarded.

Callum didn’t waste time. "Sir, I’m sorry to disturb your time with Madam, but I need to report this to you immediately."

Eryx’s fingers curled slightly around the phone. "Go on."

"She’s on the move," Callum said grimly. "Just as you expected. Valerie’s been making quiet visits to her old contacts, three of them in the last two days. And she wasn’t being discreet. Word’s already spreading."

Eryx’s jaw tightened. "Any idea why?"

"It looks like she still hasn’t given up on you," Callum replied. "Sir, she might be planning something, maybe even trying to get to you and Madam. Are you sure letting her roam free is safer than handing her over to the police?"

Eryx was silent for a beat. His thumb tapped lightly against the side of the phone as his eyes drifted to the wide glass windows of the bungalow. Outside, Lunara was now already standing near the garden, her back to him as she admired the view.

"I’m sure," he said finally, his voice low but firm. "To catch a bigger fish, we need to let the smaller one swim a little. Valerie’s reckless but she’s just a piece. The one I really need is Harlan Sterling."

Callum’s breath caught faintly on the other end. "Sir, I didn’t know why, but Harlan didn’t bother about Valerie anymore these past few days. Like he is already giving up on her. Do you think he...is planning something?"

Eryx’s gaze lingered on Lunara through the glass, the corners of his mouth tightening as Callum’s words sank in.

"He’s not the type to give up," Eryx said slowly, his tone growing colder. "Not on anything, especially not on someone he can use."

Callum was quiet, but the static of the line seemed heavier now, charged with something unspoken.

"If he’s letting Valerie spiral without interference," Eryx continued, "it’s not because he’s done with her. It’s because she’s already served her purpose or she’s about to. Either way, he’s clearing the board."

Just then, the sharp ring of the gate bell cut through the quiet.

Lunara glanced over at Eryx, who was still on the phone, his voice steady but focused. Without waiting for him to finish, she quickly moved toward the wall-mounted screen monitor.

The image showed a delivery man standing at the gate, holding a huge bouquet of flowers. Lunara’s brow furrowed in confusion as she looked back at Eryx.

"What is it?" Eryx asked, lowering his phone slightly.

"There’s someone at the gate with a delivery," she replied, eyes still on the screen. "I’m going to check."

Eryx nodded, his expression unreadable. "Be careful."

Lunara nodded before running out, and at that moment, Eryx who was still focused on his call with Callum, snapped back to himself.

’What delivery? No one knew we are coming here today.’

His mind raced, suspicion tightening like a coil inside him.

Without wasting a second, Eryx rushed out the door. His instincts were screaming—this wasn’t right. The timing, the location, the delivery, none of it made sense.

The moment he stepped into the front yard, he saw Lunara just a few feet away from the gate. The delivery figure, dressed in a courier’s uniform with a cap pulled low, held a massive bouquet of red and white flowers. They were speaking, but he couldn’t hear a word, his ears had gone numb from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

As he moved closer, the courier raised their head.

Eryx’s eyes narrowed.

It was a woman.

Valerie!

Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she held out the bouquet.

Lunara looked confused but polite as she reached out to take the bouquet.

Eryx saw it the moment recognition flashed across Lunara’s face but it was too late.

As soon as the bouquet left her hands, Valerie’s arm swung around behind her back.

In one swift motion, she pulled out a knife.

Her eyes locked on Lunara, and without hesitation, she lunged.

"LUNARA!" Eryx shouted, voice cracking as he sprinted across the yard, every nerve in his body firing at once.