My Husband Wants An Open Marriage (Julie and Ryan)

CHAPTER 996. Chybarske trad CHAPTER 096: Chrysanthemums -Ryan O'Brien-

The cold splash of water shocks Ryan awake. His head is throbbing, each pulse like a mallet pounding against his skull. He groans, squinting against the morning light. Everywhere is bright. Too bright. It's like a thousand needles piercing his eyes. His mouth feels dry and cottony. He tries to swallow, but his throat is parched. As he tries to sit up, the room spins. You'd think after two months, he'd get used to this feeling, But it hurts every single time.

"Aww," he says, clutching his head. "What the hell-"

"Don't get up too fast."

The voice is sharp, familiar, and unapologetic. He blinks away the fog until his mother's silhouette sharpens before him. She's standing tall and imposing, dressed in a cream suit that somehow looks both effortless and intimidating, In one hand, she holds a half-emptied glass of water, the one she'd poured on his face. In the other, two white pills.

"Don't tell me you've finally decided to kill me," Ryan says.

"What?"

""Poison me."

She snorts. "Why would I poison you in my house?"

"So if we weren't in your house?"

"Get

up and take your Advil, Ryan," she snaps. "You keep fighting me when your know I'm the only one who gives a shit about you."

Reluctantly, he drags himself upright, the world tilting as he does. He takes the water and pills, popping them into his mouth without argument. The bitterness of the Advil hits his tongue before he chases it with water.

2

"Two months," Adeline says, pacing now, her stilettos clicking against the polished floor." Two months since your life went to hell, and this is where we are. You, nursing a hangover. Me, cleaning up your mess. Again." He leans back against the headboard, his eyes half-closed. "You're the one who fired me, remember?

"For the good of the company. Do you think Emily would've stopped at just bleeding you dry? She would've bled us all dry. Disassociating the company from you was the only way to protect what's left." "And hiding me in your house? What's that? Charity work?"

Her lips thin into a straight line. For the first time, something softer-weariness, perhaps

CHAPTER 096 Chrysanthemums

-crosses her face. "I may have fired you, but you're still my son.'

+25 BONUS

Ryan scoffs, shaking his head. "Yeah, the son you tossed aside like a bad investment."

"Your pre-trial is tomorrow, Ryan. What have you done to prepare? Nothing. All you've done is drink yourself into oblivion every single day."

"What am I supposed to do? The whole world's against me. They're ready to crucify me. Emily's suing me for ten million dollars. What the hell am I supposed to do, Mom?"

Adeline stops pacing, her gaze narrowing on him like a hawk about to swoop in for the kill. "Think. Are you going to let that girl take ten million from you? The same way you let your ex-wife rob you of fifty?" "Don't bring Julie into this."

"Oh, here we go again," she says, throwing up her hands. "Julie broke your heart, and you're still defending her. It's pathetic."

"Julie deserved every penny," Ryan says. "Emily's a leech. There's a difference."

"Is that what your new therapist has been feeding you?"

"The therapist is doing great. He's been making me see things from different perspectives.

11

She lets out a humorless laugh, crossing her arms. "If he's so great, why are you still a drunk?"

"I didn't go to therapy to cure my drinking," he shoots back. "I went to heal my soul."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

He rubs his temples, his frustration bubbling over. "It means I'm trying, okay? I'm trying to deal with everything. With Julie, with Emily, with-" He cuts himself off, his jaw tightening.

"With what, Ryan?" Adeline presses. "With the fact that you've screwed up almost everything? That you're a grown man hiding from your problems like a child?"

His head snaps up. "You don't think I know that? You don't think I live with that every goddamn day?"

For a moment, they're both silent. Then, Adeline sighs, sinking into the chair across from him. She looks older now, the lines on her face more pronounced.

"Ryan," she says. "You have to fight. You can't let them destroy you. Especially not Emily. If you go down, you take this family with you.

He looks at her, really looks at her, and for the first time in months, he sees the woman who raised him. The woman who fought tooth and nail to build their empire. The woman

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who, for all her flaws, has never truly abandoned him.

"I don't know if I have it in me," he admits.

She leans forward. "You do. You're my son, Ryan O'Brien. And O'Briens don't quit om ger off your ass, sober up, and find something against that bitch. You can't tell me you were sleeping with her for months and don't have one thing against her **

"I don't," he says. "Not one thing"

Adeline's lips curl in distaste. "What about sex tapes or something?"

"She doesn't deny that we had sex, Mom. She told the public 1 threatened to fire her if she doesn't become my mistress. She said I moved her into my house, which eventually led to my wife divorcing me. And she said that the day I attacked her, I was fed up with her still not being pregnant, as this was the agreement.

Adeline looks shocked. "How do you know all these and I don't?"

"I use the internet, Mom."

Adeline stands up and begins to pace. "So she lied about the pregnancy?"

"I don't know. She went for cheekups. Had vitamins and everything. Even showed me the result. Positive."

""Where's the result?"

"I don't know."

Ryan's head pounds with the weight of the conversation. His mother's pacing grates on his nerves. He rubs his temples, half-wishing she'd storm out and half-dreading the moment she'll leave him alone with the suffocating mess he's made of his life. "Emily still has things here," Adeline says. "Maybe she left something behind. I'll check.

"Yeah, sure," Ryan mutters, feeling drained.

Without waiting for a reply, she walks out of the room. Ryan sighs and pushes himself to his feet. He needs to do something-anything-to shake off the oppressive fog of failure hanging over him.

He heads to the bathroom, turning on the light. The harsh glare illuminates the tired man staring back at him in the mirror. His reflection looks like a stranger's: bloodshot eyes, an unshaven jaw, and a gauntness that wasn't there before. "You look like shit," he says to himself, grabbing his toothbrush.

The minty burn of toothpaste jolts him awake just a little. He rinses his mouth, splashes cold water on his face, and stares at his reflection again. No better. The same wreck.

CHAPTER 096: Chrysanthemund

+25 BONUS

With a deep breath, he turns off the light and leaves the bathroom. He doesn't want to sit idly waiting for his mother to return. Maybe together they'll find something that could give him a lead.

He makes his way to her room. The door is ajar

The room smells faintly of lavender. It's neat, pristine even. His eyes dart around, scanning for her.

"Mom?"

But what catches his attention is something else. A file sitting on the dresser.

Curious, he approaches the dresser and picks up the file. He flips it open, scanning the contents.

It's a salés contract. His mother has sold Paragon Jewels to Illusionaire.

His fingers tighten around the papers, the edges cutting into his skin. What the actual fuck?

The door creaks, and he turns to see his mother standing in the doorway, her face unreadable.

"What are you doing in my room, Ryan?"

"You sold the company?"

She closes the door behind her, walking in with the same regal composure she always carries, like nothing can rattle her.

"You've been living in a bubble," she says, crossing her arms. "Your public disgrace didn't just pull you down; it dragged the company with it. Firing you wasn't enough to save it.

Ryan laughs bitterly, the sound harsh and hollow. "Wow. You just told me O'Briens don't quit. This looks an awful lot like giving up."

"Look, Ryan, your father and I own a home in Belize. That's where we've been spending most of our retirement. Once this trial is over, I'll get us both one-way tickets. We'll work out the residency logistics later. A fresh start." "A fresh start?"

"Yes, a fresh start," she says firmly. "All you have to do is make this go away. There must be something you know, something you've forgotten. Think, Ryan."

He shakes his head, the anger bubbling under his skin. "A fresh start," he says again, letting the sarcasm drip from his words. "You're unbelievable."

"Think, Ryan. And leave my room while you're at it."

He tosses the file back onto the dresser. "You're something else, Mom."

4/5

+25 BONUS

CHAPTER 096: Chrysanthemums

Without waiting for her response, he stalks out slamming the door behind him.

Back in his room, the tension in his chest only grows. He paces until his eyes land on the bouquet of chrysanthemums sitting on the table, their petals vibrant and mocking.

And then it hits him.

The red light. The camera.

"Oh, God," he whispers.

How could he have forgotten? How could he have been so blind? The memory of Emily's camera, that blinking red light, sears into his brain.

Julie.

He grabs his phone, dialing with shaking hands

HAPTER 996. Chybarske trad

CHAPTER 096: Chrysanthemums

-Ryan O'Brien-

The cold splash of water shocks Ryan awake. His head is throbbing, each pulse like a mallet pounding against his skull. He groans, squinting against the morning light. Everywhere is bright. Too bright. It's like a thousand needles piercing his eyes. His mouth feels dry and cottony. He tries to swallow, but his throat is parched. As he tries to sit up, the room spins. You'd think after two months, he'd get used to this feeling, But it hurts every single time.

"Aww," he says, clutching his head. "What the hell-"

"Don't get up too fast."

The voice is sharp, familiar, and unapologetic. He blinks away the fog until his mother's silhouette sharpens before him. She's standing tall and imposing, dressed in a cream suit that somehow looks both effortless and intimidating, In one hand, she holds a half-emptied glass of water, the one she'd poured on his face. In the other, two white pills.

"Don't tell me you've finally decided to kill me," Ryan says.

"What?"

"Poison me."

She snorts. "Why would I poison you in my house?"

"So if we weren't in your house?"

"Get

up and take your Advil, Ryan," she snaps. "You keep fighting me when your know I'm the only one who gives a shit about you."

Reluctantly, he drags himself upright, the world tilting as he does. He takes the water and pills, popping them into his mouth without argument. The bitterness of the Advil hits his tongue before he chases it with water.

2

"Two months," Adeline says, pacing now, her stilettos clicking against the polished floor." Two months since your life went to hell, and this is where we are. You, nursing a hangover. Me, cleaning up your mess. Again." He leans back against the headboard, his eyes half-closed. "You're the one who fired me, remember?

"For the good of the company. Do you think Emily would've stopped at just bleeding you dry? She would've bled us all dry. Disassociating the company from you was the only way to protect what's left."

"And hiding me in your house? What's that? Charity work?"

Her lips thin into a straight line. For the first time, something softer-weariness, perhaps

CHAPTER 096 Chrysanthemums

-crosses her face. "I may have fired you, but you're still my son.

+25 BONUS

Ryan scoffs, shaking his head. "Yeah, the son you tossed aside like a bad investment."

"Your pre-trial is tomorrow, Ryan. What have you done to prepare? Nothing. All you've done is drink yourself into oblivion every single day."

"What am I supposed to do? The whole world's against me. They're ready to crucify me. Emily's suing me for ten million dollars. What the hell am I supposed to do, Mom?"

Adeline stops pacing, her gaze narrowing on him like a hawk about to swoop in for the kill. "Think. Are you going to let that girl take ten million from you? The same way you let your ex-wife rob you of fifty?" "Don't bring Julie into this."

"Oh, here we go again," she says, throwing up her hands. "Julie broke your heart, and you're still defending her. It's pathetic."

"Julie deserved every penny," Ryan says. "Emily's a leech. There's a difference."

"Is that what your new therapist has been feeding you?"

"The therapist is doing great. He's been making me see things from different perspectives.

11

She lets out a humorless laugh, crossing her arms. "If he's so great, why are you still a drunk?"

"I didn't go to therapy to cure my drinking," he shoots back. "I went to heal my soul."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

He rubs his temples, his frustration bubbling over. "It means I'm trying, okay? I'm trying to deal with everything. With Julie, with Emily, with-" He cuts himself off, his jaw tightening.

"With what, Ryan?" Adeline presses. "With the fact that you've screwed up almost everything? That you're a grown man hiding from your problems like a child?"

His head snaps up. "You don't think I know that? You don't think I live with that every goddamn day?"

For a moment, they're both silent. Then, Adeline sighs, sinking into the chair across from him. She looks older now, the lines on her face more pronounced.

"Ryan," she says. "You have to fight. You can't let them destroy you. Especially not Emily. If you go down, you take this family with you.

He looks at her, really looks at her, and for the first time in months, he sees the woman who raised him. The woman who fought tooth and nail to build their empire. The woman

2/5

who, for all her flaws, has never truly abandoned him.

"I don't know if I have it in me," he admits.

She leans forward. "You do. You're my son, Ryan O'Brien. And O'Briens don't quit om ger off your ass, sober up, and find something against that bitch. You can't tell me you were sleeping with her for months and don't have one thing against her **

"I don't," he says. "Not one thing"

Adeline's lips curl in distaste. "What about sex tapes or something?"

"She doesn't deny that we had sex, Mom. She told the public 1 threatened to fire her if she doesn't become my mistress. She said I moved her into my house, which eventually led to my wife divorcing me. And she said that the day I attacked her, I was fed up with her still not being pregnant, as this was the agreement.

Adeline looks shocked. "How do you know all these and I don't?"

"I use the internet, Mom."

Adeline stands up and begins to pace. "So she lied about the pregnancy?"

"I don't know. She went for cheekups. Had vitamins and everything. Even showed me the result. Positive."

"Where's the result?"

"I don't know."

Ryan's head pounds with the weight of the conversation. His mother's pacing grates on his nerves. He rubs his temples, half-wishing she'd storm out and half-dreading the moment she'll leave him alone with the suffocating mess he's made of his life. "Emily still has things here," Adeline says. "Maybe she left something behind. I'll check.

"Yeah, sure," Ryan mutters, feeling drained.

Without waiting for a reply, she walks out of the room. Ryan sighs and pushes himself to his feet. He needs to do something-anything-to shake off the oppressive fog of failure hanging over him.

He heads to the bathroom, turning on the light. The harsh glare illuminates the tired man staring back at him in the mirror. His reflection looks like a stranger's: bloodshot eyes, an unshaven jaw, and a gauntness that wasn't there before. "You look like shit," he says to himself, grabbing his toothbrush.

The minty burn of toothpaste jolts him awake just a little. He rinses his mouth, splashes cold water on his face, and stares at his reflection again. No better. The same wreck.

CHAPTER 096: Chrysanthemund

+25 BONUS

With a deep breath, he turns off the light and leaves the bathroom. He doesn't want to sit idly waiting for his mother to return. Maybe together they'll find something that could give

him a lead.

He makes his way to her room. The door is ajar

The room smells faintly of lavender. It's neat, pristine even. His eyes dart around, scanning for her.

"Mom?"

But what catches his attention is something else. A file sitting on the dresser.

Curious, he approaches the dresser and picks up the file. He flips it open, scanning the

contents.

It's a salés contract. His mother has sold Paragon Jewels to Illusionaire.

His fingers tighten around the papers, the edges cutting into his skin. What the actual fuck?

The door creaks, and he turns to see his mother standing in the doorway, her face unreadable.

"What are you doing in my room, Ryan?"

"You sold the company?"

She closes the door behind her, walking in with the same regal composure she always carries, like nothing can rattle her.

"You've been living in a bubble," she says, crossing her arms. "Your public disgrace didn't just pull you down; it dragged the company with it. Firing you wasn't enough to save it.

Ryan laughs bitterly, the sound harsh and hollow. "Wow. You just told me O'Briens don't quit. This looks an awful lot like giving up."

"Look, Ryan, your father and I own a home in Belize. That's where we've been spending most of our retirement. Once this trial is over, I'll get us both one-way tickets. We'll work out the residency logistics later. A fresh start."

""A fresh start?"

"Yes, a fresh start," she says firmly. "All you have to do is make this go away. There must be something you know, something you've forgotten. Think, Ryan."

He shakes his head, the anger bubbling under his skin. "A fresh start," he says again, letting the sarcasm drip from his words. "You're unbelievable."

"Think, Ryan. And leave my room while you're at it."

He tosses the file back onto the dresser. "You're something else, Mom."

4/5

+25 BONUS

CHAPTER 096: Chrysanthemums

Without waiting for her response, he stalks out slamming the door behind him.

Back in his room, the tension in his chest only grows. He paces until his eyes land on the bouquet of chrysanthemums sitting on the table, their petals vibrant and mocking.

And then it hits him.

The red light. The camera.

"Oh, God," he whispers.

How could he have forgotten? How could he have been so blind? The memory of Emily's camera, that blinking red light, sears into his brain.

Julie.

He grabs his phone, dialing with shaking hands