All Chapters of Dear CEO, I Want a Divorce: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

ANTHONY’S POVThe second Elisha stepped out of the car with the signed divorce papers clutched in her hand, I knew I’d made a huge mistake.I didn’t even blink as I watched her walk away. But something burned behind my ribs. Something I didn’t want to name.The ride back was quiet. Heavy. No music. No thoughts I wanted to keep. Just the sound of the engine and the pressure behind my eyes. My hands were clenched too tightly around the steering wheel the entire time. Every red light gave me too much time to think.Of course, I didn’t want it to be over.Of course, I wanted it to work out.Not because Grandad wanted it. Not because it would make the family proud. Not because it kept the legacy clean.Because I loved her.Truly.But I couldn’t say it. Couldn’t even think it without feeling like I was betraying something inside me.My father had told my mother he loved her every day of their marriage. Held her hand at parties. Kissed her cheek in front of guests.Three weeks after her fune

ELISHA’S POVMaybe Damian wasn’t so bad after all.I assumed he had already spoken to security before stepping in. As the two guards pulled the old couple away, practically dragging them as they screamed and kicked, Damian turned to me.“Are you okay?” he asked.His voice was calm, soft. It didn’t feel rehearsed.“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Just a bit rattled…”My voice sounded far away, even to me.I turned to Francesco.He hadn’t said anything during the entire commotion. But now he stood with one hand in his pocket, waiting.I met his eyes.“I’m sorry,” I said. “My past might be a little messy.”He looked at me for a beat.Then he said, “I personally don’t care about a messy past, Eli. But it looks like you can’t manage the mess.”My heart dropped.It wasn’t cruel. It was honest. And somehow, that hurt more.Francesco had felt like a door opening. A way out of this world, this drama, this identity I never chose. And just like that, the door closed.“I understand,” I said, keeping my

ELISHA’S POVI was surprised he wanted to talk.But I stayed.Not because I owed him anything. But because I needed to hear what he had to say. I needed to know what this meant—if it meant anything at all.Anthony sat beside me, the sheet pulled carelessly across his waist. His shoulders were bare, his expression unreadable. He didn’t touch me, didn’t lean in. He just looked at me like we were back in some boardroom, about to start a serious negotiation.“I know you’re not having an easy time after our separation,” he began slowly. “More importantly… you’re being seen as vulnerable now. People like Damian think they can do whatever they want because you’re no longer under my protection.”I looked away.I hated that he was right.This world wasn’t kind to women on their own. Especially women who left powerful men. The second I stepped out of his shadow, I became fair game. They didn’t see me as a person anymore. I was an opening. An opportunity. A distraction. Something to own or ruin.

ELISHA’S POVAfter a simple breakfast and Anthony’s hangover cure—4 raw eggs—he dropped me off to my apartment. The conversation was minimal… but felt loaded. He pulled into the driveway. As I stepped out, he did too.“What are you doing?” I asked before I could stop myself. “What? I’m coming to see Bubblegum!” I stared at him. He hadn’t cared about that dog ever… and suddenly he wanted to come up and spend time with her? “Why?” I asked suspiciously. He shut the car door and walked around to shut mine too. “Because Bubblegum matters to you. And if she matters to you… she matters to me.”I blinked, unsure what to make of it. We walked up together, tension thrumming in every step. Inside the apartment, Bubblegum burst from the couch and raced straight to him, yapping in delight as she hopped around his feet! “Bubblegum, come away from him!” I commanded, but she wouldn’t listen. “Wow, so petty…” Anthony teased me as he bent down to pick up Bubblegum. “I don’t know what’s gotten

ELISHA’S POVI hated that I was breaking down like this in front of him. The one person I had spent months trying to prove I was over. The one person who had shattered me in every way, and still walked like he owned the world. And now, here I was—eyes red, voice cracking, tears streaming—and he just sat there watching.My vision blurred. I wiped at my face with trembling fingers, desperate to pull myself together. I tried not to sniffle. I tried to steady my breathing. Every thought screamed to pull away, to walk out the door, to do anything but sit here, exposed and unraveling.We sat in our own secluded tent. A private canopy with thick white curtains, soft lighting, and a small candle burning on the table. It was meant to be romantic. It felt suffocating. The hushed murmur of the other diners was muffled, the outside world just beyond the linen drapes. Even with the curtains, I still felt like I was on display. For him. Every inch of my grief, my humiliation, my breaking—he had