# Chapter 77: The Hidden Wounds of the Past
Hello, dear listeners and readers! It's me again—how are you all doing today? I hope this story continues to stir your hearts and keep you on the edge of your seats, because what we're about to dive into in Chapter 77 of "The Untouchable Ex Wife" is nothing short of heartbreaking and endlessly gripping. Secrets are being unravelled, masks are falling off, and the painful past is clawing its way back into the light. So sink in, quiet your minds, and let me guide you through every emotion, every revelation, and every tear-soaked moment of this unforgettable chapter.
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The night seemed to grow heavier around Renee as Chase's words sank deep into her soul. She sat before him, her eyes wide, her heart thudding against her ribs like a caged bird desperate for escape. What he had just revealed about her brother Quinton—the fierce, steel-hearted man she had only recently begun to understand—was so far removed from anything she had imagined. Every word, every memory Chase conjured up painted a portrait of a man who had once loved with a simple, innocent heart, long before he became the untouchable demon of the underworld.
Chase's gaze drifted somewhere far away, as if he were staring into a past that still haunted him. And then, in a low and reminiscent voice, he began to tell Renee the story—the tragic tale of a poor fisherman and a pure, beautiful soul.
"Your brother was in love once, Miss Everheart. Truly, deeply in love," Chase murmured. "The girl's name was Joanne—Joanne Garcia. She was a simple and naive flower, so innocent, so full of light, without a single ounce of malice in her heart. In a world that was cold and harsh, she was your brother’s sole reason to survive. He worked hard, fought for every scrap of opportunity he could find, and eventually he gained enough power to leave the small fishing village he grew up in. But that was the thing about your brother, Miss Everheart—when he truly loved someone, nothing else mattered. So he suppressed his talents, hidden his ambitions, and chose to remain by Joanne's side in that tiny village. He gave up glory and greatness just to become a humble fisherman—all because his love for her was far greater than any dream he had for himself."
Renee felt a lump forming in her throat. It was hard to imagine the ruthlessness of her brother being reduced to something so tender, so vulnerable. A man of immense capabilities, willing to dim his own light just so he could bask in the warmth of someone else's glow. It was achingly romantic... and tragically foolish.
"What happened afterwards? Where did she go? Why didn't my brother ever mention her?" Renee bombarded him with questions, her voice trembling with urgency.
Chase frowned, the lines on his weathered face deepening as memories began to pour through him like saltwater through an open wound. "After that..." He paused, swallowing hard. "That wicked brother of hers bullied her mercilessly. Your brother—he couldn't stand by and watch the woman he loved suffer. So, he beat her brother up and ran away with Miss Garcia. I was a rebel too back then, so I went with them. We were just broke kids at the time, so we decided to go to the chaotic Water Dock to survive. We risked our lives, gambled everything we had, and eventually established Carmine Pawnshop."
Renee's eyes glistened with admiration and grief all at once. "Quinton really is amazing... All of you were." And she truly meant it. She could not even begin to imagine how three penniless youths could carve out a kingdom for themselves in a land that devoured the weak. Water Dock was the border of three countries, a lawless territory teeming with savages, thieves, and cutthroats. The kind of place where you had to kill or be killed. The pain and hardship they must have endured... it was beyond comprehension. Only they knew how deep those scars truly ran.
"Miss Garcia and I were ordinary, but your brother was something else entirely. He was cunning, fearless, and possessed an uncanny ability to read people. Even starting from nothing, he managed to secure countless orders and contracts—especially from female customers, who seemed drawn to his mysterious charm. Soon, Carmine Pawnshop grew by leaps and bounds, and his reputation as the Night Demon spread like wildfire across the shadows of that dark world."
Chase smiled sadly, as though recalling a time when things were simpler, brighter—when hope still lived in his chest. "At that time, Joanne was our princess, and as her knights, we protected her from all the evil in the world. She lived a pampered life, untouched by the harsh realities around her. She never learned the ways of the world, and perhaps that was what gave a villain the chance to use her."
"A villain... Who was that?" Renee asked, though a name had already surfaced in her mind. She prayed with every fiber of her being that she was wrong. She begged the universe to tell her it wasn't the man she had in her thoughts.
"Miss Everheart, you're not stupid. I'm sure you can guess who it was," Chase said grimly, his jaw tightening as he was forced to relive that bitter memory. "That year, Carmine Pawnshop was at the peak of its glory. We were untouchable, unstoppable... but at some point, we butted heads with the Hunt family's industrial chain. Stefan had just taken over some of his family's properties at that time, and he saw Carmine Pawnshop as the perfect stepping stone to prove himself to his elders. Both parties fought each other for many years—it was neck and neck, an endless war of attrition."
Chase paused, his hands clenching into fists as bitter resentment swirled in his eyes. "The Hunt family excelled in legitimate businesses, but they were entirely inexperienced in underground dealings. Your brother, on the other hand, was unrivalled in that territory. He had been overtaking them the whole time, crushing their advances, and growing stronger by the day. But then, the situation changed... all thanks to the cunning and treacherous Stefan. He found my boss' soft spot—his weakness—Miss Garcia, that innocent and gullible young woman. Stefan approached her with honeyed words and sweet intentions, bewitching her until she was completely under his spell. She was fooled into trusting him, believing every lie he whispered in her ear before finally—betraying my boss."
The atmosphere grew heavy with unbearable tension as Chase spat out the next part of his story, his voice dripping with barely restrained fury. "Initially, my boss had the upper hand during the great battle at sea that year. We were winning—we were so close to crushing the Hunt family for good. But then, Miss Garcia stabbed my boss in the back—quite literally—to protect Stefan. And just as your brother stood there, shattered, betrayed, bleeding from a wound far deeper than any flesh could bear, Stefan lunged at his face with a blade and slashed it open. Desperate, humiliated, and utterly heartbroken, your brother jumped into the sea that night... and Miss Garcia went missing after that."
"WHAT?" Renee was utterly dumbfounded. Her mind reeled, her ears refusing to believe the words that had just been spoken. She could not conceive of such villainy. Her chest heaved as anger and sorrow churned violently inside her. "Is Stefan... really that cunning and wicked?"
"Hmph! Of course," Chase snorted with undisguised contempt. "He's just a sanctimonious and disloyal man who'll do anything to get what he wants. He was so shameless that he even tricked and fooled a pure, naive girl! Even if he behaves differently now—even if he does a lot of charity and shows a saintly face to the public—he can't hide the fact that he's rotten to the core."
But Chase's hatred was conflicted, and he knew it. Though he loathed the man with every breath in his body, he could not deny that he had once served under Stefan for four years. And during that time, the despicable man had seemed... not quite as despicable as Chase wanted to believe. It was a constant, agonizing contradiction in his heart. Yet standing here now, recounting how Stefan had destroyed his best friend's life, all he could feel was cold rage.
Renee's mind swirled with too many thoughts, too many emotions. "The light that saved him turned out to be a knife that stabbed him... Joanne's betrayal was a fatal blow to Quinton. No wonder he hates Stefan so much!" Finally, the pieces clicked into place. She finally understood the walls around her brother's heart, the bitterness that consumed him, the coldness that shielded him from everyone. A betrayal by the person you loved most was the worst kind of destruction—it could turn even the most innocent soul into a monster.
Renee reflected on her own life. If the light she cherished ever became a poisonous snake that bit her, she would have gone mad with vengeance. She might have become even more extreme than Quinton had. She would have hacked those responsible into pieces and erased every trace of them from existence.
"I guess Joanne is the cause of my brother's bitterness and resentment," Renee said slowly, her voice steadying as a thought took root in her mind. "Maybe he can be saved if we find Joanne and resolve the hatred between them. We can also put an end to the grudge he holds against Stefan..."
But Chase shook his head sadly. The weight of years of failed attempts rested heavily upon his shoulders. "It's not that simple. I've thought of that many times, trust me. But no one knows where Joanne is. Some people say she jumped into the sea after your brother. Others say Stefan had her killed in secret. Some even claimed she had been sold to the black market and forced to perform in human shows. I've hired countless people. I've called in every favour I had. I searched for years, Miss Everheart—I never stopped searching. But I never found her."
What Chase did not expect was Renee's unwavering determination. She lifted her head, her eyes blazing with hope and resolve, and said firmly, "It's fine. I have a way to find her."
She would pay any price. She would cross any line. As long as it allowed her to free her brother from the shackles of his tragic past, she would not hesitate for even a moment.
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That night was destined to be a sleepless one for many souls.
Elsewhere, in a different corner of Beach City, Xavier was wrestling with his very own nightmare—but his nightmare was currently wrapped in a haze of alcohol and fury.
"LET GO OF ME! You're nothing but a scumbag who tricks female college students and gets them pregnant! I'm going to expose your crimes so all the women in Beach City can see your true colors! If you don't let go of me, I'm going to call the police! HELP! HE'S trying to kidnap me! SOMEBODY HELP ME CALL THE POLICE!" Leia screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice slicing through the night air like a siren in the dark.
And then, to make matters infinitely worse, she slapped Xavier across the face with enough force to sting and then punched him squarely in the stomach.
Xavier gasped for breath, utterly mortified as passersby began to stare at the scene. Whether Leia was truly drunk off her mind or putting on the performance of a lifetime, he could not tell—but it was attracting far too much attention.
"Damn it, woman! Keep quiet! If you shout again, people will think I'm some kind of pervert and they'll arrest me!" Xavier hissed into her ear, his face reddening as he desperately tried to cover her mouth.
But Leia would not be so easily subdued. She grabbed his hand and bit down hard—hard enough that Xavier howled in pain and instinctively yanked his hand back. That brief moment of reprieve was all it took. Leia broke free and ran haphazardly into the streets, her steps uncoordinated, her tears streaking down her flushed cheeks.
"Stop making a scene! It's late—how do you have so much energy?! Come back here!" Xavier shouted, chasing after her, breath ragged. He could not help but marvel at the irony: this woman spent most of her days looking dispirited and languid, barely finding the will to lift a finger—but the moment she decided to cause mayhem, she had stamina of an Olympic sprinter.
"Don't come near me, you scumbag!" Leia spun around to face him, sobbing openly as the world wavered through her tear-filled eyes. "You always upset me... I don't want to see you again! Get lost!"
But she was no longer drunk. In fact, her mind had never been clearer. Leia knew, with heartbreaking certainty, that Xavier was a drug—one that promised fleeting moments of ecstasy but could only end in self-destruction. Every time she was near him, she yearned to throw herself into his arms. Every moment she could feel his warmth, she wanted to melt into his embrace and kiss away all her pain. But she also knew—oh, how she knew—that addiction would only harm her in the end.
So she suppressed her desire. She buried her longing so deeply that even she could barely find it. She chose to push him away, even as every cell in her body screamed for her to run back to him.
The distance between them widened as she staggered away, but the ache in both their hearts only grew larger.
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Oh, what a tangled web of tragedy and longing we find ourselves in, dear listeners. In this chapter, we saw the deep wounds of the past finally being revealed—and new battles forming on the horizon. Renee is determined to find the missing piece of her brother's broken heart. But can she truly succeed where so many others have failed? And can Leia continue to resist the man who both soothes and destroys her soul?
All these questions will eventually be answered in the chapters to come, but for now, we must pause and reflect on all the revelations this chapter has brought us.
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**Reader's Impressions & Star Rating:**
I have to admit, this chapter absolutely wrecked me emotionally. Learning about Quinton's past—the fact that he was once a man capable of immense love, willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of an innocent girl—only to have that same love turned into the weapon of his destruction is nothing short of devastating. We often judge people by the masks they wear in the present, but stories like this remind us that behind every cold heart lies a history of unbearable pain. Stefan's villainy has now been fully exposed, and it makes every conflict in the story so much richer. And poor Leia and Xavier—I simply cannot decide whether I want to shake her or hug her, because I understand her fear so deeply. The push-and-pull tension in their relationship is so painfully realistic.
For all the raw emotions, heartbreaking revelations, and the deepening of Renee's heroic resolve, I give this chapter a solid
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
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**Next Chapter Prediction:**
The preview of the next chapter suggests that after Renee's determination to launch a search for Joanne—the missing woman who could rewrite Quinton's fate—things are about to take a dangerous turn. Could Renee come face to face with Stefan and somehow unearth the truth about Joanne's disappearance from him? Or will she be forced to enter the perilous underworld of Water Dock again, risking her life in a place where even the strongest struggle to survive? Meanwhile, where has Joanne been all these years, and what secrets will she take with her to the grave or reveal upon her return? One thing is certain—nothing will ever be the same for the Hunt and Carmine families once the fog of the past finally lifts.
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