The billionaire’s regret : The heiress who came back with tw

Iridessa

"You got this," I said to my reflection for the first time, but I still wasn't moving from the mirror. I was completely freaked out, and I didn't want to go back to the party anymore. I just wanted everybody to leave, and I would go back to my miserable fucking life.

The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, my phone buzzed, scaring the living daylights out of me. How was it possible that my own phone scared me? Well, I guess if you were in my shoes, you would feel exactly how I did.

I pulled my phone out of my purse, and it was another message from the same person that had been tormenting me for the past couple of hours. No name. The number was not from anybody I knew. When I opened the message, my heart sank. This wasn't an unusual feeling. This was already something I knew, but every single time I was reminded of it, it killed me.

It was a picture of my husband with his mistress. I zoomed into the picture, and I didn't bother spending a minute looking at her. I stared at his face and the way he was looking at her with so much intensity and passion in his eyes. It broke me even more.

As a waiter passed by me, I took a glass of champagne from the tray he was holding, and I downed the entire thing within seconds as I stood there, staring intensely at the screen of my phone. It felt like I could not breathe.

That was how he used to look at me every day. I wondered what wrong I did to this man to deserve this kind of treatment.

I tried to do everything right to get his mother and sister to like me because, if they did, then maybe my life wouldn't be half as miserable as it was.

But even waking up at 5:00 a.m., making breakfast for the entire family when there were literally staff in the house who were paid to do such a thing, was not enough for any of them.

My grip on the glass tightened as my gaze landed on Slade and Melanie. They stood in the middle of the crowd, chatting and laughing with guests. It was funny because I was his wife, but he was with Melanie in front of literal investors. I laughed bitterly at myself.

"Don't they look perfect together?" an unfamiliar voice came from behind me.

I turned around to find a woman dressed in a long black gown with a gold necklace around her neck. I had never met this person before, and I actually found it weird that she was talking to me.

"You know," she said, taking a sip from the drink in her hand, "I heard that Slade is actually married to some gold digger who's obsessed with him and his family's wealth. Isn't that disgusting?"

I heard the irritation in her voice, and the disdain was written all over her face.

Melanie laughed at something Slade whispered into her ear, and I wanted to shove a fork down her throat because she came out of nowhere and stole my life. That was supposed to be me, not her.

"Are you listening to me at all?" the stranger said.

I turned around to look at her.

"I'm not one to gossip," I said before slowly walking away.

Everybody was actually gossiping about me, about how I got into Slade's life and ruined everything. No matter how I pretended not to care, I had heard those same statements for more than two years now. Every single time, it hurt even more.

"Iridessa!"

Another voice came from behind me, and I just froze in place because I knew exactly who that annoying voice belonged to.

I turned around slowly to face Beatrice, my mother-in-law.

She looked annoyed, as always.

"Don't you see that we have guests? A lot of people haven't gotten food yet, and you're just standing here."

I literally heard the irritation dripping from her voice.

"Go to the kitchen and join the staff. What the hell is wrong with you? Make yourself useful."

"No."

As those words left my mouth, every inch of me that always wanted to please her also left.

"What did you just say to me?" she asked, surprised because she knew I was never going to stand up to her. I never did, but I had had enough, and I was so fucking done with her bullshit.

"You knew the crowd was going to be much," I said calmly. I didn't raise my voice because I didn't want to cause a scene. "Why didn't you budget for more staff? Oh, let me guess. You were expecting me to do it, right? Well, I am not your maid, neither am I your servant."

I didn't wait for her to say anything else. I walked away from her.

I made my way down the hall. I wasn't sure where exactly I was going, but I knew I needed to get away from there before the tears I had been holding back for so long started rushing out. I wasn't going to let any of them see me cry. Not again.

I sat on the stairs that led to the library. It was quiet and exactly what I needed. I couldn't hear the music from the party downstairs, and I was so grateful for that.

I was so wrapped up in my own head, and the thoughts of everything were drowning me.

I didn't hear the footsteps coming from behind me. I was too trapped in my own thoughts.

He was almost falling when I realized who it was.

"Slade!" I said quickly, getting up and helping him.

He was completely drunk, and even though I was mad as hell at this man, I still loved him so much, and I couldn't bring myself to just watch him drag his drunk self to God knows where.

Helping him to the room felt like carrying a boulder because he was extremely heavy. When I dropped him onto the bed, I was literally gasping for air, but before I could walk out, his hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Baby... please don't go."

Hearing him call me "baby" made me freeze because I couldn't remember the last time he called me that.

And from there, everything happened so fast. I hated myself for not being strong enough to resist him—his touch, his kiss, the way his body moved with mine. It was insane, and I couldn't get enough of him.

He lay on the bed sleeping. I couldn't sleep. I just kept staring at the ceiling, reliving every moment, imagining him touching me again.

I turned to face him, tracing the lines on his face. Last night was simply amazing.

As I ran my hand over his face, he slowly opened his eyes. At first, he had a smile on his face, but within seconds it disappeared as he sat up quickly.

He didn't say a single word to me. He just got out of bed and put his pants on.

"Are you being for real right now?" he said, irritation dripping from his voice.

"What?"

"So you're so desperate that you would see me drunk, and the first thing that comes to your mind is sex?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out because I was way too surprised. I could barely form a sentence.

"What the hell are you talking about? You were the one—"

He cut me off before I could finish.

"Everything about you irritates me. Why can't you just get out of my life? Why? I just want peace. Just go. Is that too much to ask?"

All the butterflies I felt in my stomach—I could literally feel them dying one after the other. I was trying so hard not to cry.

"You disgust me, and I need you to go. Get out of my life because no amount of sex is ever going to change how I feel about you. You're nothing to me."