# Chapter 16: Small-Town Secrets, Old Flames, and the Man Behind the Suit
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 16 of "Seduced By My Ex's Divorce Attorney audiobook free." In this chapter, Hannah gets a front-row seat to Roarke's past—and it is messy, tender, awkward, and impossible to look away from. So grab your coffee, maybe not black if you're like Roarke, and let's step into the diner.
The chapter opens with a reunion that feels like a quiet earthquake. Liv, the waitress, says, "It's good to see you," and Roarke's whole body stiffens. Hannah learns he had no idea Liv worked there. Two months, Liv says. Their eyes lock, and Hannah suddenly feels like a third wheel. Roarke breaks first, staring down at the stained linoleum. Liv asks if Hannah wants coffee, and Hannah's voice cracks like she just remembered how to speak. Liv smiles, ignores Roarke, and heads behind the counter.
Hannah asks the question burning in her chest: "The one who got away?" Roarke pulls on sunglasses and says he'll be right back. When she presses him, he admits, "Not the one who got away, but an ex. Yes." A sprout of jealousy bursts through the soil in Hannah's heart. Roarke leaves the diner and crosses the street toward a big white building in the town square, leaving Hannah with unanswered questions and a knot in her stomach.
Liv returns with soy milk. Hannah feels a little pretentious asking, but Liv is effortlessly kind. That kindness somehow makes the jealousy grow another inch. Hannah orders the American breakfast with poached eggs and fruit instead of hash browns. Liv asks if she knows what Roarke wants. Hannah doesn't. The realization stings: he knew her coffee order, but she has no idea what he likes for breakfast. Liv doubts he eats what he did at eighteen and goes to put the order in.
While Hannah sips coffee and studies the town, she takes in the quaint, rundown charm of Woods Parlor. Men in overalls laugh on the corner. An elderly couple settles into a booth. Then a police officer walks in—not like the Chicago cops Hannah knows, but a man with a swollen gut, a strained belt, and a radio he quickly silences. A minute later, a brunette breezes in, scanning the booths. Her hazel eyes match Roarke's, and she points straight at Hannah.
It's Allie, Roarke's sister. She saunters over like she owns the town and slides into the booth. "Nice to meet the woman behind the man," she says. Hannah's forehead crinkles. Allie waves off her confusion and drops a bombshell: Roarke has never brought anyone back here before. Ever. Whoever Hannah is, she is someone to him. Hannah's hand falls to her stomach to stifle the purr of excitement.
Allie is a willow tree to Roarke's aged redwood—opposite in every way. She congratulates Hannah on the upcoming wedding, but her lips dip. "We'll see if Wyatt is a rat. I'm rarely wrong on my suspicions." Then her gaze sticks on the cop at the counter. "Oh, great. The bastard is having me followed." She calls him Wiltaker, says he probably told his grandson not to marry her because she's a Baldwin. Jackass.
The bell rings, and the energy shifts. Hannah senses Roarke before she sees him. Allie asks, "It's my brother, right?" When Hannah wonders how she knew, Allie says, "Your face changed. You like him." Roarke comes over and makes Allie slide over. She whispers that Wiltaker is here. Roarke shrugs and tells her she's being paranoid. Allie insists the sheriff thinks she's not good enough and convinced Wyatt to sleep with Kylie. She says screw them both. Roarke drops his head back and reveals he got her marriage license moved forward so she can get married tomorrow. He tells her to quit with the assumptions—Wyatt didn't do anything.
Liv returns to fill Roarke's coffee. When she offers milk, Roarke says, "I take it black now." His words sound bitter and curt, silencing the table. Allie calls him out: "Asshole much?" Roarke doesn't flinch. He mutters that it's his first day here and already all this shit. Then he asks Hannah if she's okay driving his vehicle home by herself. Hannah's stomach clenches. He suddenly wants her gone? But Allie steps in, telling him to stop being an asshole. She says he can't make people disappear when he thinks they've seen too much. Then she looks at Hannah and explains: Roarke won't tell her, but he's embarrassed. He hates women seeing his weakness. He is the king of it.
Hannah bites her lip to stop a smile. Why does she like the fact that he doesn't want her to see him vulnerable? Instead of digging at him, she sips her coffee and smiles. Roarke fires back that next time he won't use his charm to fast-track Allie's marriage license when she should have applied three weeks ago. Allie shrugs—she's not going to need it anyway.
Then Roarke turns the tables. He tells Hannah about Allie's hang-ups: she trusts no one, thinks everyone is out to get her, including the man she loves. The man she said yes to. And now that man is about to walk in. Roarke points, and sure enough, a young guy in his twenties is heading for the door like a man on a mission.
Allie tries to escape. Roarke blocks her. She says she won't have this conversation with his grandpa's judging eyes a few feet away. Then Wyatt storms in—a giant figure with a voice that cuts through the diner. "Allie Baldwin!" She tells him to go away. Liv silently delivers Hannah's breakfast and Allie's Coke, then slides away, clearly not wanting to be in the middle. Wyatt asks to sit on Hannah's side. She slides over. He even moves her plate and coffee mug back exactly where they were. Nice kid. He thanks her, extends a hand to Roarke, and the two men shake.
What follows is a young lovers' quarrel unfolding like a small-town play. Wyatt begs Allie to look at him. She obsessively organizes jelly packets like she's solving a jigsaw puzzle. Roarke elbows her. She tells him to stay out of it. Wyatt declares he's loved her since third grade when she kneed him in the nuts. Hannah presses her lips together to keep from smiling, and Roarke's eyes find hers with the same expression. Wyatt says she never understood the word no. Allie shrugs—she wanted him to play with her. Wyatt says he didn't want to play, and everyone laughed when he messed up and lost the game. Roarke interjects like the lawyer he is: "Let's move on to the present."
Then Sheriff Wiltaker circles his stool around. "Wyatt?" he calls. Wyatt waves without looking. The sheriff steps over, and Roarke's back grows straighter. The sheriff says he didn't even see Allie there, which makes Hannah wonder how this man can be a police officer if he doesn't take in his surroundings. Wyatt tells his grandpa to go finish breakfast. The sheriff shifts his attention to Roarke, thumbs resting on his belt under his straining stomach. He mentions Roarke being back for the wedding and walking Allie down the aisle. Allie bites back that everyone knows she doesn't have a dad. Roarke nudges her, then says he would have fought to walk her himself even if she did. Allie glances up with a "you're my hero" smile, then calls him a suck-up. She tells Hannah he's being soft because she's here.
The sheriff finally asks who Hannah is. Roarke answers for her: "Hannah Crowley, Sheriff." Sheriff Wiltaker shakes her hand, says he knew she was from out of town, and should have figured she came in with Roarke. Then Wyatt introduces himself as Allie's soon-to-be husband. Allie spits, "So you think." The sheriff tells them to stop fighting—they're getting hitched tomorrow and making him a great-granddaddy. Allie coldly says they're not ready for kids. Wyatt holds her gaze and says nothing to his grandpa. The sheriff calls them foolish. Wyatt pleads for a private talk. Roarke tells Allie to go. She asks for one reason. Wyatt stands and says, "Because you love me." A smile starts on Allie's lips. Roarke slides out, sure she'll give in. She stubbornly waits a few seconds, then says, "You have five minutes, Wyatt Wiltaker." She leaves with Wyatt behind her.
The sheriff reminisces about young love, glances at Liv cleaning a table, then says nice to meet Hannah and welcomes Roarke home. He'll see them tonight at the rehearsal. After he wanders to the back, Roarke notes Hannah's breakfast is cold and raises his hand for Liv. Hannah says it's fine—she's not that hungry anyway. Roarke says, "Good," slides out, pulls out a money clip, and drops well over the cost of the meal on the table. Then he tells Hannah he has somewhere he wants to take her. He offers his hand. She accepts. They leave without a goodbye to Liv.
Outside, by Roarke's Range Rover, Hannah spots Allie straddled around Wyatt's waist on a park bench, lips locked, hands exploring. "That didn't take long to work out," Hannah says. Roarke remarks that Allie has no shame. Hannah says she's young and in love. Roarke says she's going to make his life hell. Hannah says nothing, because coming from someone who spent most of her adult life in a lukewarm relationship, a passionate relationship filled with fire and ice doesn't sound all that bad.
Roarke then parks in front of a long building: Woods Parlor High School, Home of the Spartans. An American flag flies nearby, and a bench reads, "Donated by Class of 2016." The parking lot is mostly empty—probably administrative staff during summer break. Roarke says he has to stop here really quick. He exits and opens her door the rest of the way. "Wait for me next time," he says. Hannah shrugs, "Yeah, okay, whatever." He teases that he should reprimand her word choices—she sounds like Allie. She rolls her eyes, and they walk toward the building together. She asks if he went to high school here. He did, and there's pride in his tone. He jokes that they don't have ivy-covered walls and valet parking. Hannah reminds him how she feels about assumptions, counselor. He quirks an eyebrow and opens the door. "Am I wrong?" She chuckles. "No." And he joins her.
Reader's Impressions & Star Rating: This chapter is a masterclass in small-town tension and emotional layering. It slows the pace just enough to let us breathe, but every interaction is loaded. Liv is a quiet mystery, Allie is a firecracker, Wyatt is a lovesick giant, and Sheriff Wiltaker is both comic relief and a subtle threat. The best part is watching Roarke's armor crack. He is embarrassed, jealous, protective, and vulnerable, and Hannah sees all of it. The chemistry between Hannah and Roarke deepens not through grand gestures, but through small details: coffee orders, opened doors, shared glances, and the way he wants to show her where he came from. I loved the humor, the family chaos, and the promise of something raw underneath. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars.
Next Chapter Prediction: Roarke is about to take Hannah inside his old high school, and I predict this is where he finally opens up about his past—why he left Woods Parlor, what shaped him, and maybe why he became a divorce attorney. The school could hold old memories, old trophies, or an old wound. Then, since the rehearsal is tonight, we will likely see the whole town gather. Liv will be there. Sheriff Wiltaker will be watching. Allie and Wyatt will be teetering between wedding and war. Hannah may feel like an outsider, and Roarke may either pull her closer or push her away when his old life collides with his new one. I'm predicting a near-kiss, a confession, or a new secret that changes everything.
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