Fate’s Second Chance: Married to my Ex's Boss

The first thing I felt was air. Cold, sharp, and biting. It filled my lungs in a rush, making me gasp as though I had been underwater for too long and had finally broken the surface. My body jerked upright, my chest heaving as I coughed and sputtered. My head throbbed, my vision swimming in and out of focus. The faint hum of a ceiling fan above me came into view, its blades slicing the air in a rhythmic, monotonous sound. I blinked rapidly, trying to orient myself. The dim light filtering through the curtains of my bedroom cast long shadows across the walls. My bedroom. My apartment. I was in my bed. I stared at the worn wooden nightstand beside me, the faint scent of lavender from the candle I had left unlit the night before hanging in the air. A wave of disorientation swept over me, so strong I thought I might vomit. I was supposed to be dead. My fingers instinctively gripped my arms, running over my skin, checking for wounds, for bruises, for any sign that I had just fallen from

The gates of my childhood home loomed before me, tall and ornate, their iron bars twisted into intricate designs that had once inspired awe but now felt cold and unyielding. The sprawling estate beyond them was just as I remembered. Immaculate gardens, fountains that sparkled in the sunlight, and a driveway so polished it reflected the sky. It was a palace, a sign of wealth and power that I had turned my back on years ago. And now, I was returning. Not as the rebellious daughter who had defiantly walked out, but as a woman who had been broken, who had lost everything, and who had nowhere else to go.The gates creaked open, and I drove through, the tires of my modest car crunching against the pristine gravel. My chest tightened with every foot closer to the grand mansion. I could feel the weight of my father’s disapproval already, even though I hadn’t yet seen him. The thought of facing him after all these years made my stomach churn, but I pushed the fear aside. This was the only plac

The moment the Coles left, the tension in the room finally cracked like a thin layer of ice over deep waters. My mother exhaled, brushing imaginary dust from her silk blouse, while my father adjusted the cuffs of his suit. I, however, was still reeling.Asher Cole was… infuriating.Arrogant. Calculating.And now, my fiancé.I clenched my fists at my sides, still feeling the warmth of his hand lingering on my skin. I should have expected him to be this way—untouchable and unreadable. But something about him unsettled me.“You handled yourself well,” my mother said softly, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “He’s—well, he’s different from what I imagined.”I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head. “That makes two of us.”“He’s sharp,” my father interjected, his tone neutral. “That’s good. You’ll need to be just as sharp if you’re going to survive in that world.”Survive?I turned to face him fully. “You talk about this as if it’s some battle.”My father’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Bec

The moment the engagement was announced, the atmosphere in the ballroom shifted. Some guests clapped enthusiastically, while others exchanged hushed whispers. I could practically feel the weight of their gazes, scanning me from head to toe, trying to piece together the puzzle of how I—someone they barely knew—had ended up as Asher Cole’s fiancée.But I didn’t care about them.I cared about the two people whose reactions mattered the most to me at this moment.Jarem.Lili.As Asher led me through the crowd, my grip on his arm light yet firm, I stole a glance toward where they stood.Jarem’s jaw was clenched so tightly I thought it might snap. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his entire posture rigid with tension. Good.Lili, on the other hand…Her mask had cracked.Gone was the fake concern, the soft voice, the gentle eyes. In their place was something colder, sharper. Her expression wavered between irritation and something else—unease.Did she really think I’d stay broken forev

Since that unexpected dinner, I hadn’t been able to keep my mind off Asher.Not in a romantic way—at least, I didn’t think so. It was more… awareness.I had spent so much time assuming he was just another cold businessman, someone who saw me as nothing more than a contractual obligation. But then he had surprised me. The detour, the unexpected moment of consideration—it lingered in my mind more than I wanted to admit.I still didn’t trust him. But maybe we could be… friends.It wasn’t a ridiculous idea. If we were going to be married, we needed some sort of foundation. Trust wasn’t something I could offer easily, but I could at least try to build something platonic with him.And that was why I found myself in the kitchen, carefully packing a homemade lunch into a sleek black bag.It wasn’t anything extravagant, just something simple. A small peace offering.The real hesitation came when I realized where I had to go.Cole Enterprises.The name wasn’t new to me. Jarem used to talk about