The Billionaire’s Regret

Chapter two Emily ~•~ “I’m probably overthinking, he’s just being sweet,” I muttered to myself. “What’s on your mind, don’t you like the food? You’ve barely touched your plate.” Nathan asked, narrowing his eyes on me. “Oh, I was just wondering how good of a husband you are.” I let out a smile before pressing a kiss on his cheek and taking out a bite of my food. Dinner was awkward, everyone at the table seemed to be having fun except me. I barely ate my food and for some reason, my mind wasn’t at rest. Nathan placed his hands on my lap and snapped me out of my thoughts. “I want to make a toast, I’ll need your full attention please.” Nathan announced. “Can I have everyone’s attention?” He added. Everyone went silent as he stood, lifting his glass of deep red wine. Around the long dining table, his closest colleagues, business partners, and their poised, elegant spouses turned their attention to him. I sat at his side, my fingers lightly grazing the stem of my untouched gl

Chapter 4Emily~•~I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I think part of it was because I was heartbroken and the other because my nostrils had clogged from crying so much. I had fallen asleep around 3am and I barely slept for three hours before my alarm clock went off. The sound of my alarm clock drove me right off my bed. I looked around and realized Nathan wasn’t by my side. I walked to the living room and didn’t see him there either. “He must be in the shower,” I muttered under my breath. I sat at the edge of the hotel bed, staring at the black envelope in my lap. The divorce papers inside felt heavier than they should have as if they carried the weight of the last ten years. I had told him I would sign the papers before we left for the airport but as I held the paper in my hands my heart sank deeper and deeper. I took a deep breath and reached for a pen. In as much as it would kill me to start over, he already made up his mind and I was done letting him hurt me. J

The papers felt heavier in my hand than they should have. All through the trip, I told myself I was justified, that Emily had brought this on herself. But when I stood there, watching her eyes widen as the server placed the envelope before her, humiliation spreading across her face, a part of me twisted inside. It wasn’t guilt, not exactly, just the sharp sting of finality. Once I crossed this line, there would be no going back.On the flight home, she didn’t say a word. Neither did I. Her silence was worse than shouting. She sat rigid against the window, trembling like she was trying not to break in front of me. I stared at the seat in front of me, telling myself I didn’t care, that she deserved this. But the truth pressed down like the cabin air, there had been a time when she was my anchor. Now I’d turned her into my enemy.When we landed, I didn’t wait for her. I called her sister. My pulse hammered as I spoke the words, low and clipped: It’s done. I watched Emily leave. Her he

Chapter 8 Emily’s POVAfter hearing the words from my father’s mouth, it was clear that they didn’t care about me or my feelings. It hurt but I needed to hear the truth. “Both of you are dead to me, don’t ever try to contact me or else you’ll regret it,” I said with rage and a teary eye. I couldn’t let them know it got to me. They were my parents but at this moment I hated them like my enemies. I grabbed my luggage and turned towards the door. This was supposed to be my comfort zone. To get away from the drama and feel support from my family but I guess I was wrong. As I moved closer to the door with my luggage in hand, my heart felt heavier and I could practically hear it beating. I took a deep breath and held the handle of the door. Once I stepped out of the house, there was no turning back. The cold air hit my face the moment I stepped outside. It was sharp, but it still felt better than the poison I’d been breathing in that house. I stood on the porch for a moment, staring at

Chapter 10Emily’s PovMorning came too fast.I barely slept, just drifted in and out of shallow dreams that felt more like flashbacks than rest. When I finally opened my eyes, the apartment was quiet. Tara had already left for her morning shift, but she’d placed a blanket over me at some point during the night.It made my chest tighten.Someone cared.Even when my own family didn’t.I sat up slowly, rubbing my face, trying to shake off the heaviness sitting on my chest. My throat still felt raw from crying. My head throbbed. I needed to breathe. I needed space. I needed to do something that wasn’t thinking about my parents, about Emma, about Nathan, about everything I’d lost all in one week.My gaze fell on my gym bag sitting halfway open by the wall. I didn’t pack much, but I had leggings and sneakers.Good enough.I needed to sweat this out, if not from my body, then from my mind.After a quick shower, I tied my hair back, grabbed Tara’s spare key, and headed out.The moment I st