Hell Hath no fury like a billionaire's Ex

Chapter 147: I Hope You Rot in Here

Diane’s POV

As I watched this scene unfold, I felt Noah’s hand on my shoulder. I turned to see him pulling out the wedding invitation we’d brought with us. He handed it to me with a small nod.

"Liam," I said, taking the elegant card from Noah. "There’s something we wanted to tell you."

Liam looked up from the children, his eyes still red from crying.

"We’re getting married," I said, holding out the invitation. "Next month."

He took the card with one hand while still holding Danielle, studying the elegant script. For a moment, his expression was unreadable. Then he looked up at Noah.

"I’m happy for you," he said, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. "I really am. You’ll be good to her, better than I ever was."

"I intend to be," Noah replied simply.

"Good," Liam said, then looked at me. "You deserve to be happy, Diane. You deserve someone who will love you the way you should be loved."

"Diane," Liam said, "Can I talk with you privately for a moment? There are some things—"

"No," I said, looking at Noah. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of him. He’s going to be my husband and their stepfather afterall. He has a right to hear it."

Noah started to stand. "Actually, I think I’ll give you two some space."

I caught his hand. "Stay," I said firmly. "If Liam has something to say, you can hear it too."

But Noah shook his head, gesturing to Diane that it was OK as he left.

Liam was quiet for a moment as he watch Noah leave, then he began to speak, his voice soft and measured. "I loved you, Diane. I really did. But I was so messed up, so needy for your attention. When you started working longer hours, when your career took off, I felt like I was losing you."

"Liam—" I started to interrupt.

"Please, let me finish," he said. "I’m not making excuses. I know what I did was wrong. But I need you to understand where it came from. I was bullied as a kid, ignored by my parents. I craved your attention, your approval, your love. And when I felt like I wasn’t getting it, I made the worst possible choices."

"I loved you," I said, my voice rising slightly. "I never cheated on you. I never betrayed you. Even when we were going through the divorce, part of me hoped you’d come back, that you’d fight for us."

"I know," he said, his voice breaking. "And I threw it all away because of my own insecurities, my own stupidity."

He looked at me with a sad smile. "Promise me something, Diane. Promise me you won’t make the same mistakes with Noah that I made with you. I know being a CEO is challenging—" he chuckled through his tears, "—and I know how easy it is to get caught up in work. But don’t let it consume you. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you have to choose between your career and your family."

Despite everything, I found myself smiling slightly at his attempt at humor. "Are you giving me marriage advice now?" noveldrama

"From the worst possible source," he laughed, wiping his eyes. "But yes, I guess I am. You’re an amazing woman, Diane. You’re strong and brilliant and capable of anything. Just... remember to come home on time. Remember that the people who love you need you too."

His expression grew serious again. "And please, don’t let anyone hurt them." He looked down at the children. "Don’t let them be bullied like I was. Give them the confidence and security I never had."

"I will," I promised.

"I heard about Sophie," he said suddenly, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m so sorry for your loss. I know how I had become the reason your relationship with her got complicated. And your mother... how is she doing?"

I was surprised by the genuine concern in his voice. "She’s getting better. Much better actually."

Liam nodded, then paused, as if wrestling with something internal. For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something else, but then he shook his head and continued.

"I just... I hope your mother recovers completely. She’s been through so much because of everything I have done."

I gestured for Noah to join us again. He’d been sitting at a nearby table, giving us space while keeping an eye on the children still with Liam. As he approached, Liam looked up at him with gratitude.

"Take care of them," Liam said to Noah. "All of them. Be the father I couldn’t be, the husband I failed to be. I have no grudge against you, man. I’m grateful they have you."

Noah sat down as Liam gently set the children on the floor. Dylan immediately toddled back to me, while Danielle, in a move that surprised everyone, walked straight to Noah.

"Dada," she said clearly, raising her arms to him.

I watched Liam’s face as Noah lifted her, saw the flash of pain and acceptance that crossed his features. This should have been him. In another life, in another timeline where he’d made different choices, he would have been the one his children called "dada."

"I see they love you," Liam said to Noah, his voice thick with emotion. "That’s... that’s good. That’s what they need."

As we prepared to leave, gathering our things and saying our goodbyes, Liam called out to us.

"Wait," he said, his voice urgent. "There’s something else. Something I need to tell you."

I turned back, and the look in his eyes made my blood run cold. There was something desperate there, something that made my stomach drop.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice sharp with sudden fear.

"I... I..." he stammered, his hands shaking. "I have a confession to make. It’s been eating me up inside ever since I found out."

"What?" I said, my voice rising. "What is it, Liam?"

"I... I was the one who ordered the hit on Sophie."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The room seemed to tilt, and I felt my legs give way beneath me. Only Noah’s quick reflexes kept me from falling to the floor with Dylan still in my arms.

"What did you say?" I whispered, staring at him in horror.

"I was so angry," Liam continued, tears streaming down his face. "So consumed with rage and feeling betrayed. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I called Jackson, I gave him the contract, and then... then I came to my senses and tried to call it off."

"You what?" I could barely breathe.

"I tried to stop it, Diane. I swear to you, I tried to reach Jackson, tried to call it off. But it was too late. By the time I realized what I’d done, he was already... it was already too late."

I could see Noah’s fists clenching, his face red with fury. He looked like he wanted to leap across the table and throttle Liam with his bare hands.

"When I saw the news," Liam continued, sobbing openly now, "when I learned that Sophie had died protecting my children... I almost kill myself. I wanted to die. I wanted to disappear because I knew what I’d done."

"You should have," I said, my voice cold and deadly. "You should have just hanged yourself."

"Diane," he pleaded, reaching for my hand. "I’m so sorry. I’m ready to pay for what I did. I’ll do anything, accept any punishment. I just needed you to know the truth."

"You killed my sister," I said, my voice breaking as I raised my hand to slap him. "You killed Sophie."

Noah stepped forward holding my hand down, his voice controlled but seething with rage. "I knew you were capable of a lot of things, Liam. I knew you were selfish and cruel and manipulative. But a murderer? That’s a new low, even for you."

"I know," Liam whispered. "I know, and I have to live with that for the rest of my life."

"Do you have any idea what that single act cost our family?" Noah continued. "Do you understand the ripple effects of what you did? The trauma, the grief, the way it tore everyone apart?"

Liam couldn’t answer. He just sat there, crying, looking like a lost child who’d finally understood the magnitude of his actions.

I gathered Dylan closer to me, my whole body shaking with rage and grief. "You ruined everything," I said, my voice barely controlled. "You destroyed so many lives."

"I know," he whispered again.

As I turned to leave, I looked back at him one more time. This man who had once been my husband, the father of my children, was now revealed to be something even worse than I’d imagined. He wasn’t just a cheater or a manipulator—he was a killer. He had ordered the death of my sister, the woman who had died saving his own children.

"I hope you rot in this prison," I said, my voice carrying all the venom I felt. "I hope you spend every day of the rest of your life remembering what you’ve done."

And with that, I walked away, Noah beside me, carrying our children toward the door. Behind us, I could hear Liam’s sobs echoing through the visiting room, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

The man I had once loved, the father of my children, was dead to me now. Not just metaphorically, but in every way that mattered. He had killed my sister, and in doing so, he had killed whatever small part of my heart that might have still held love for him.

As we walked out of that prison, I felt the weight of truth settling on my shoulders. It was heavy and painful, but it was also freeing. Now I knew everything. Now I could finally, truly, begin to heal and seek justice for my sister.

The wedding was still a month away, but in that moment, I had never been more certain that I was making the right choice.

And Liam... Liam would spend the rest of his life paying for his choices. Just as he should.