All Chapters of My CEO mate: Divorce made me his: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

THEAThe bed is cold.I reach out instinctively, my fingers grazing empty sheets, the faint scent of Sebastian’s cologne lingering in the air. My eyes flutter open, and for a brief, disoriented second, I thought I had woken up too early. The room was still dim, and I felt tired. I can never get enough sleep.Then I turn my head.The clock reads 9:23 AM.My heart throbs.I shoot up, my legs tangling in the sheets as I stumble out of bed. The alarm—why hadn’t I heard it? Had I been that exhausted?Shit.Today is Finn’s birthday.I rush into the bathroom, my hands trembling as I turn on the shower. The hot water scalds my skin, but I barely felt it. I scrub quickly, rinsing away the exhaustion clinging to me like a second skin. After that, I hurried to pick a short floral gown I'd prepared for today. I wasn't there for last year's birthday portrait. I need to be there for this. By the time I made it downstairs, my hair was still damp, but I looked a little presentable, the dark circles

THEAThey always say the hardest part of divorce is the heartbreak.They are wrong.The hardest part is watching your son look at you like you are the villain.The hardest part is realizing you were the only one holding on.“Mommy, why's Aunty Claire crying? Did you hit her?” He'd asked me when I went to see him in school to say goodbye.I just didn't know how to let go or do I?“This will be the last time I'll come to see you honey.” I'd said, acting like I didn't hear him.“What happened? Are you not coming home again?” He'd asked.I nodded and he giggled.“Daddy said you'll come back.” He'd said.Daddy said you'll come back.I'd sent out the divorce papers with my signature already on it. And it didn't take up to four hours before it was sent back to me with his signature on it.I stare at the white paper which looks as white as my knuckles. No hesitation. No second thoughts. No sign that this decision carried any weight for him at all.He didn’t need time. Didn’t need to think it

THEAThere are growing murmurs.I’ve faced betrayal. I’ve signed papers that tore my family in two. I’ve looked my son in the eye and pretended I wasn’t breaking.But this… this is different.This is walking into a lion’s den when your wounds are still bleeding.Ezra Harrington doesn’t bother to mask the cold steel in his gaze. He looks at me like I’m a weak link, and in this room filled with sharp suits and sharper tongues, that’s a death sentence.He clears his throat, and the entire room stills.“A shame,” he says, voice smooth, deep, and dark. “Some of us value punctuality. And professionalism.”I gulp, but I don't lift my head. Not because I can't, but because like every other person, I fold under pressure. And it's reeling off him in waves.My jaw clenches, but I don’t speak. What can I say? Sorry I was having a breakdown over the ashes of my marriage?I can still feel his gaze on me.“You weren’t here yesterday, Ms. Calloway. Care to explain?”I inhale slowly, trying to steady

THEAHours pass painstakingly slowly. After twenty-eight minutes of emotional breakdown, I reapply my makeup like that's all it takes to fix me, my hands steadying just enough to stop the mascara from smearing.Nora didn’t come to my office. Nor did I receive a sack letter in my mail or through a messenger.But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m on borrowed time. My pulse races, and the silence feels heavier than it should. Was it only because I skipped a day? Something I said? Maybe I’ve already messed up.I glance at myself in the mirror, wondering why the woman staring back at me still feels so… small.Maybe Ezra embarrassed me because he sees what Sebastian sees in me—the flawed woman hiding beneath pristine suits. The woman who couldn't keep a home, couldn't hold a family together. How can I possibly keep a job?God, is this the end? Am I just another overconfident woman pretending like I have it all together?I inhale sharply and force myself to swallow the insecurities. I pick