The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 518

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the villa presses in on us. Zina’s theory about in the air, ridiculous and yet, given the men ot impossible. A thought occurs to me, silly but e distraction from the gnawing worry. “Are those Ind Mikhail playing on TV? Can we see the rankings?” n’t paid attention to their bizarre gaming rivalry, not my own life in chaos. Who wins or loses between them

been the least of my concerns.

a’s eyes light up with investigative zeal. “I’m not sure. Why on’t you check it out?”

She’s already grabbing the remote, eager for any clue. She turns on the massive screen and navigates with practiced ease to the game results interface. A triumphant slap on her own thigh. “I knew those goons were doing this on purpose!”

I follow her gaze. Two usernames dominate the screen. One

her is “Undefeated Galactic

is “The Logarithmi

dmiral Mang

ome.”

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< Chapter 518

I stare. Zina rolls her eyes so hard I worry for her optic nerves. “How can Mikhail have the audacity to call himself ‘Supremely Handsome‘?” she scoffs.

A laugh, unexpected and light, bubbles out of me. The shee unadulterated absurdity of it is a balm. The mental states o these two are truly extraordinary.

We scan the scores. Clearly, decisively, “Undefeated Galacti Admiral Mango the Supremely Handsome” is leading “The Logarithmic Lover.”

“those goons must be pretty upset,” Zina says, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. She’s entirely serious now. “Maybe he took Mikhail out for a rematch while you weren’t around.”

I was skeptical before, but now… Mikhail is phenomenally, pathologically competitive. The idea of him stewing over a lost game, of luring Mikhail out for some sort of physical contest to reclaim his pride… it doesn’t seem so far–fetched

anymore.

“But what are they even playing?” Zina mutters, scrolling. Her finger stabs at the screen. “The third place is… ‘It Takes

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< Chapter 518

Two‘?!”

We both lean in. There it is. It Takes Two. Right below their battling IDs And in fourth place: Overcooked.

tw

angs open. She turns to me, her expression a

e of stunned revelation. “She thought, ‘Are thes to flirt? Feels kind of… gay.“”

on in my shoulders, the worry about Erik and

nes and HIV tests, suddenly seems to belong to a ent, heavier world. Here, in this sunlit living room, we deciphering the romantic subtext of co–op video games. ss a hand to my mouth, trying to stifle another laugh.

ina, energized by this discovery, whirls on me. “Gemma, let’s play some games together!”

“I’m not really into gaming,” I protest, though my resistance is weak. My skills lie in puzzles, in logic, in untangling real–world knots. Screens and controllers have never been

my escape.

“Oh, there are some enjoy!” she insists

mes you’d probably

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< Chapter 518

“Like what?”

“For example, ‘Don’t Starve!“”

The name gives me pause. I think, What kind of name is that Is it an instruction or a warning?

Zina is about to pull it up on the screen, to drag me into this digital distraction, when the doorbell rings.

The sound is a physical shock. We both freeze. It cuts through the game theory absurdity like a knife. Our eyes meet. It’s too early for Mikhail or Mikhail to be back. And they wouldn’t ring the bell.

“Could it be Sir Shawn or someone from the Bernard family?” Zina whispers, voicing the only safe possibility.

It’s plausible. I nod, the mask of calm settling back over my features. The woman who faced down a staged accident and a blood test walks to the door. I open it.

And the world tilts again.

Rehena stands on the doorstep. Not a Bernard family ally. Not anyone I ever wanted to see again. Her face is a

ΛΙΟ

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< Chapter 518

thundercloud of resentment, her eyes burning holes into me.

“Ms. Nelson,” she spits the name like a curse. “Our collaboration is over, so why are you still bullying me?”

ccusation is so left–field, so utterly unconnected to my

t reality, that I can only stare. “Bullying you? What are alking about?” Since our disastrous partnership ended, have consigned Rehena to the past. A unpleasant memory,

away. I haven’t wasted a single thought on her.

“Seriously? You don’t know?” Her voice rises, sharp with theatrical outrage. “You’ve had me blacklisted throughout the industry, leaving me unable to get a single job. Was that your plan all along?”

Now I’m just confused. A blacklist? I have neither the time nor the interest for such petty vengeance. But her presumption, her sheer audacity to show up here and shriek at my door, ignites a cold spark in my chest.

“Sorry,” I say, my voice dropping to a chill, even tone. “I have

nd off someone else.” I let my gaze

no idea if

sweer

sne

ssive. “I mean, you’re so petty and not just me you’ve wronged.”

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< Chapter 518

She flinches, but her anger only hardens. I continue, drivi the point home. “And that thing you just said? I’m throwing back at you. Afraid to own up to your own actions? In the aren’t you the same as me? Acting like you don’t care on tl surface but secretly blacklisting me?” The irony is rich. She the third–ranked hacker on a board I no longer care about, brought low by her own toxic reputation.

“You have no morals,” I conclude, the finality absolute. “So it no wonder you’re not getting any gigs. If you want to cry, go somewhere else and don’t bother me.”

I move to close the door. It’s over. But her hand shoots out, palm slapping against the wood, blocking it. “No!” she shrieks, desperation cracking her voice. “You have to give me an explanation today. Go explain to those clients!” To her, I am a nobody who somehow wielded a wrecking ball against her precious career. The injustice of it, in her mind, is monumental.

“Are you out of your mind?” Zina’s voice, sharp and clear, cuts in from behind me. She’s at my shoulder now, a solid presence. “Can’t understand plain speech? If you can’t, maybe you should cut off your ears and serve them as a delicacy!” She doesn’t know the full history, but her loyalty is

a physical force. She shoves Rehena’s hand away from the

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