Divorce and Regret: Chasing My Famous Lawyer Ex-Wife

Natalie’s POVBrandon York was my husband for three years.We’ve never met.Not even once.Not at the wedding. Not through a screen. Not even by accident at a parking lot. I wouldn’t recognize him if he passed by holding a sign that said, ‘Hi Natalie, I’m your absentee husband.’We got married because his grandfather said it was a good idea. Brandon needed to look stable for a few years. I needed law school paid for.He sent a lawyer. I signed the papers. That was it.No ceremony. No pictures. No vows. No kiss.Just a ghost marriage to a man who never showed up.For the last three years, I lived in the family estate and took care of his grandfather. That was part of the deal. I studied, graduated, passed the bar, and watched the old man die. Brandon never visited. Not once. Not even after the funeral.So when I came back to work today, I thought the worst thing waiting for me would be an overflowing inbox.Nope.A fat cream envelope was sitting on my desk, waiting like it had been pl

Natalie’s POV“How important is this case?” I asked, sipping my coffee like we weren’t about to discuss a federal-level asset crime.He blinked. “What?”I tilted my head, casually stirring in another sugar packet. “The one you begged me to take. How important is it to you?”He cleared his throat. “Very.”“That’s not a number.”He leaned forward a little. “It’s—” he paused, looking mildly uncomfortable for the first time, “it’s personal.”I raised an eyebrow. “Personal?”“Yeah.”I leaned back, just slightly. “Is she your girlfriend?”His mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.“I—I wouldn’t call her that.”“Then what would you call her?”Silence.He looked down at the table like he was searching for the answer in the wood grain. “She’s someone very important to me,” he finally said.I nodded, slow and deliberate, like I was adding that to a mental file I planned to review later.I already knew the answer. I just wanted to hear him say it.He still hadn’t recognized me. Not even t

Natalie’s POVI was already halfway down the hall when I heard his footsteps rushing after me.“Natalie, wait!”I didn’t stop, but I slowed just enough.He caught up beside me, still a little breathless. “Look,” he said. “I know Carmilla crossed a line. She’s scared, okay? She thinks everyone’s out to get something from me. Her mind’s a mess right now. Just… let it go this once.”I turned to face him, calm but sharp.“No,” I said. “That’s not something I can just let go.”His face tensed. I didn’t give him a chance to interrupt.“I don’t want to work with someone who didn’t just sit there and let another woman insult me—a lawyer trying to help—” I raised both hands in a mock peace sign and curled my fingers like a sarcastic little wave, “but also treated his own marriage like it was some throwaway deal. Like it meant nothing.”I let out a small breath. “And yes, I’m speaking from experience. I recently went through a divorce too. So yeah, I know how messy it gets but it’s not fair to

Natalie’s POVEmma froze.I did the only thing I could.I turned to Emma and muttered under my breath, “If I drop dead right now, just make sure they write ‘died tragically from secondhand embarrassment’ on my tombstone.”Out of all the people I expected to see at a bar full of lawyers and mutual regret, Brandon York was not one of them.Of course. Of course he was here. Smirking and drink in hand. Looking like he owned the damn building!Oh my God. Can someone just open the floor and swallow me whole?I had no idea how much he’d overheard. But based on the way he raised his glass and said, “Would never deal with someone like me, Ms. N?” I was pretty sure he hadn’t heard the entire conversation. Most importantly, not the part where I was his actual ex-wife.God bless selective timing.I took a deep breath, smoothed my hair, and forced a casual smile like I hadn’t just pinched Emma mid-rant and mentally prepared for spontaneous combustion.“Brandon,” I said lightly, walking toward him

Brandon’s POVI knew something was off the second she walked away from the courthouse.No goodbye. No smile. Just that cold, clipped, “Let’s keep it that way,” and the sound of her heels echoing as she walked away like I was no one.She didn’t even answer me.What did I do?Earlier in her office, I’d walked in during a heated discussion between her and Dylan. I didn’t catch all the words, but it was tense.The kind of tension that said I’d walked in at the wrong time.They stood close... too close. Dylan’s hand was resting lightly on her shoulder like it belonged there, and she didn’t seem to mind.That rubbed me the wrong way more than I wanted to admit.I told myself it didn’t matter. She said they were just friends. Partners.“Bran, you there?” Carmilla suddenly waved a hand in front of my face.“Oh yeah. Sorry. Where are we again?”She looked tired but went straight to complaining. “I said, it was awful in there,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I couldn’t sleep. I haven’t eaten p