Winning Back His Billion-dollar Ex-Wife

Chapter 1

NORA WINSTON

DON'T WAIT FOR ME TONIGHT. SANDRA CAUGHT THE FLU. I'M STAYING WITH HER.

I stared at Bryce's text.

Sandra again?

I huffed, my throat tightening as anger rose in it.

My gaze dropped to the dining table.

The meals I'd spent hours preparing were still spread out on the table, the gift box still sitting in the small paper bag right beside the table.

I'd worked hard, not only to celebrate our two years anniversary, but also with the hope of saving our already dying marriage.

I drew in a deep breath, telling myself to stay calm. Maybe he forgot it was our anniversary today. 

Yes. He did. He wouldn't have left me to be with Sandra if he'd known it was our anniversary.

My mind hadn't even agreed with that excuse when my phone buzzed against my palm. 

Sandra.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then clicked on the text.

A picture of Bryce and Sandra--- his adopted sister.

He held her tenderly in his arms, the way he hadn't held me in years.

My gaze dropped to her bare legs, then to her bumshot and crop top, and I scoffed.

She caught the flu? Bullshit.

She was leaning on his chest as he slept peacefully, holding him possessively like he belonged to her. Like they weren't supposed to be adopted siblings.

My eyes lingered on the picture, my chest already burning with what I couldn't explain. Jealousy? Anger? Maybe both.

Then my gaze drifted to the caption.

'I told you, Nora. You have no place in Bryce's heart. He is even willing to stay with me on your wedding anniversary. Stop being pathetic. Bryce doesn't love you' 

My breath caught, my fingers tightening on the phone so hard, the edge almost pierced through my skin.

He didn't know it was our anniversary? Bullshit!

My eyes slowly swept over the table again, and I huffed, throwing my head back as tears burned at the sides of my eyes.

Saving our marriage? Pathetic. Bryce stopped caring about you and this marriage. Long ago since Sandra came into the picture. Just fucking give up already.

I clenched my other hand around nothing as I finally allowed my tears to flow freely.

Would our marriage have been any different if Sandra didn't come back?

With one last glance at the table, I stood, then wiped my tears and headed to our room.

*****

I sat in my room and stared at the pregnancy test result on my phone screen, the other hand resting on my flat stomach as a smile spread across my face.

I was pregnant!

My doctor had emailed the result to me.

My grip slowly clenched around the phone as I bit the inside of my cheeks.

My mind drifted to Bryce, and I swallowed hard.

Maybe this could save our marriage. Maybe he would come around when he sees this.

I told myself, holding my phone tightly like it was a lifeline, but cold chills ran down my spine as something crossed my mind.

What if he doesn't want the baby?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, shaking off the thought. 

He has to.

By past ten in the evening, Bryce finally walked in through the door and met me in the living room.

He paused and stared at me, something crossing his face. Shock.

"It's late. Why are you still awake?"

"I was waiting for you."

"Nora---"

"It's our anniversary, Bryce..." I glanced at the dining room and back to him, my voice almost shaking. "I wanted us to celebrate it... together." 

Confusion crossed his face for just a second, like he didn't remember it was our anniversary.

He stared at the dining room for a moment, then sighed as he looked back at me.

"That must've been stressful to make..." He muttered. "You didn't have to do that."

I stared at him, my fingers curling into my palms tightly. Why does he always do this?

Making me feel unwanted one second, and the next, like I meant so much to him?

Why does he keep confusing me?

I brushed the thought off and said, "why don't you go shower and come back for dinner." 

"No. It's fine. Let's eat now. You must've been waiting for long." He dropped his briefcase on the sofa, then rolled up his sleeves and nodded towards the dining room. "Let's go." 

"The food is getting cold. Wait here. I'll microwave it." He said with the soft smile that always managed to melt my heart.

He picked up the food and went into the kitchen before I could object.

Bryce came back into the dining room and served our meal, then sat across from me as we began eating.

For a second, I thought he would talk about what happened, or even apologise for making Sandra the center of our marriage, but as always, he acted like nothing happened.

"Bryce..."

He lifted his gaze to me.

"Yes, honey?"

I bit the inside of my lip, my throat tightening hard.

I stared at him. I really wanted to ask why he kept doing this to me, but I didn't. I would get the same answer anyway.

'Are you suspecting me with Sandra? She's my sister for fuck's sake, Nora. Are you crazy?'

That's the answer I always got whenever I tried talking about it anyway.

I sighed quietly and swallowed the words.

He might finally come back to me fully when he finds out about our baby.

"Do you have something to say?" He asked, and I shook my head after a long silence.

"I have something to show you..." I reached for my phone and unlocked it.

Just as I clicked on the image of the test result, Bryce's phone rang, and my eyes caught the name on the screen before he picked it up.

Sandra.

Air knocked out of my lungs.

"Excuse me, please, honey." He said, then answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Sandra?" He said, then paused and squinted his brows slightly. "Who is this?"

I had no idea what he heard on the phone, but his face drained of colours, and he shot to his feet.

"What? What's wrong with her?" He panicked, running his fingers through his hair. "Fuck! I'll be right there."

Bryce grabbed his car keys once the call ended, and barely looked at me.

"Honey, can you eat without me, please? Sandra got hurt. I need to go to her."

My stomach dropped. Again! Giving me hope and stripping me of it the next moment.

"It's our anniversary, Bryce." I stood, my hands trembling at my sides. "And I just said I had something to show you."

Sandra wasn't sick. I could swear to that. She always does this whenever Bryce and I are together. 

He turned, his gaze finding mine across the dining room. "Honey, we can always have another meal together. And you can show me whatever you wanted to show me, when I get back---" 

"What if it can't wait till you get back?" The corner of my eyes were already burning with tears, my throat tightening painfully.

"Let's not do this now, honey." He said, then turned to leave.

"You can't leave, Bryce---" 

"Don't be inconsiderate, Nora!" He snapped, then sighed and rubbed his temple, groaning.

"See you tomorrow." He started walking away.

“Are you in love with her?” I asked, my fingers tightening at my sudes

He halted, then tilted his head back slightly.

“Are you in love with Sandra?” my voice was shaking now, my heart slamming hard against my chest.

What if he said yes? What would happen to me?

"Sandra is my sister, Nora..." He turned to me, his face hardening. "How could you suspect me with her? Are you crazy?"

“Your adopted sister! You and Sandra are not related by blood!" 

"Nora---"

“It's always her! You've always put her before me every single time..." I tried to steady my voice, but it ended up shaking. "Did you ever love me?" 

His expression changed. Hurt and hesitation.

For one stupid second, hope flickered in my chest.

Then... he said the one word that shattered it.

“No.”

My breath caught in my throat. "What?"

“This whole thing was a contract…” he paused, then groaned and closed the distance between us.

"I told you not to get attached, Nora... No strings attached. That was our agreement two years ago." He paused in front of me, eyes fixed on mine.

I stared at him. His eyes said something different... Or maybe it was all in my head.

"Don't mistake my kindness for love, Nora..." His hand moved to my face, his thumb brushing against my lips as his face hovered over mine.

"Just lie low like you've been doing for two years, and don't be dramatic..." He sighed and stepped back. "And about Sandra. Don't be insensitive. I'm just caring for her because she's my sister." 

I opened my mouth, but my lips just trembled and closed back, tears blurring my vision.

I shook my head, my breath shaking.

"I... I don't believe you, Bryce..." I said when I finally found my voice, but he'd already walked away by then.

My knees gave in, and I dropped to the floor as tears finally poured down my cheeks.

Two years ago, we'd signed a marriage contract.

Bryce needed the marriage to claim his inheritance from his grandfather, and my father needed it to save his failing company.

It was supposed to be a simple transaction, but somehow, I had been stupid enough to believe it could become a real marriage.

At parties, he'd introduced me as a family friend. At home, he was cold and distant. In public, he'd always deflect deliberately whenever anyone asked about his marital status.

But somehow, Bryce broke the rule first just six months into our marriage when he started being nice to me. I thought maybe we were meant to be... Until Sandra came into the picture and everything changed completely.

My phone buzzed, snapping me back to reality, and I reached for it.

It was Sandra again. This time, not a text.

I stared at my phone for a moment, then answered the call.

"Still haven't learned your lesson, Nora?" She chuckled. "I told you that I have Bryce wrapped around my fingers."

My grip tightened on the phone, anger burning in my chest.

"Do you want your husband back?" She said. "Who knows, I might release him to you if you beg me."

"Send a video of yourself begging on your knees, Nora. I will release Bryce to spend your anniversary night with you if you do."