All Chapters of Billionaire's Remorse: My CEO Ex-husband Wants Me Back : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

CARRIE The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the cold space beside me. The sheets were still rumpled, his scent still clinging faintly to the pillow, but Shane wasn’t there. For a second, I smiled to myself, thinking maybe he’d gone downstairs to his study to receive an early morning business call. The house was quiet, that early morning stillness that usually felt comforting. I sat up slowly, stretching. The events of last night drifted back like fragments of a dream; the laughter, the closeness, the way he’d held me at the airport like he was afraid I’d vanish. I felt so happy to be back home. I intuitively rubbed my belly telling myself it was just two days more before I would reveal my pleasant surprise to Shane. I prayed and hoped my body would continue to cooperate till then: that nothing would give the secret away. Pulling on a silk robe over my nightwear, I padded barefoot out of the room. “Shane?” I called softly, my voice echoing faintly down the hallway.

SHANEMy mind was too loud, too chaotic as I drove through the town. The city blurred past my windshield, traffic lights, Sunday slowness, the faint hum of tires on asphalt.When I finally pulled into the company’s underground parking lot, I turned off the engine and just sat there. The silence inside the car was deafening. My hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, my pulse hammering.The entire building was dark except for the security lights and the booth at the gate. I saw one of the guards glance up from his post, probably surprised to see me there, but I didn’t care. I needed space. I needed… silence that wasn’t filled with her voice echoing in my head.Carrie.Even thinking her name hurt.I got out, slammed the door harder than I meant to, and walked toward the elevator. The sound of my own footsteps seemed to mock me, steady, composed, while my mind was anything but.By the time I reached my office on the top floor, the weight in my chest felt unbearable. I switched

SHANE The sky was turning the color of burnt steel as I stood by the wide glass window of my office, staring at nothing.Clouds hung low over the city, thick and brooding, and the first drops of rain splattered against the pane with a slow, deliberate rhythm like a mirror to the turmoil inside me.It had been a long day.Too long.I hadn’t really accomplished anything today, though I’d tried. I’d come into the office that morning telling myself I’d bury everything under work and put everything about Carrie at the back of my mind. But things didn't work out like that. Two meetings in, I’d realized I couldn’t keep my mind steady. I’d cancelled the other two. My assistant had looked at me strangely when I told her to reschedule everything for later in the week, but I didn’t care. I just wanted silence. I wanted to be alone. Silence… and maybe distance.I wasn’t ready to face Carrie.Not after everything I’d seen yesterday.The images had burned themselves into the back of my eyelids.

CARRIE I woke up with a start, and momentarily looked beside me for Shane. But he wasn't there, a sour taste rose in my throat before I could even make sense of what was happening. My hand flew instinctively to my mouth as I bolted from the bed, the room spinning around me. I barely made it to the bathroom before the first wave hit.The retching was violent; raw and desperate. My stomach twisted as if it wanted to turn itself inside out. I clutched the edge of the sink with trembling fingers, gasping for air between the spasms, the bitter taste of bile burning my tongue. My hair fell into my face, damp with sweat, and my knees shook so badly I thought they might give way.When it was finally over, I rinsed my mouth and splashed cold water on my face, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, my skin pale and clammy. I looked like someone else, someone defeated, hollowed out by grief and exhaustion. I staggered back to the bed and collapsed, pressing a hand again

CARRIE The soft hum of the office printer filled the quiet of my workspace as I reviewed a few advertisement copies on my desk. My coffee had long gone cold, and my mind wasn’t really on the work in front of me. Every few minutes, I found myself glancing at my phone, waiting, hoping it would ring.When it finally did, my heart leapt into my throat. The name flashing across the screen made my breath hitch. Edward Clay, my private investigator.I fumbled for the phone, pressing it to my ear. “Hello, Mr. Clay.”“Good morning, Ms. Dalton,” his voice came through, deep and steady as usual. “I was just about to send you a report, but I thought I should call first.”I straightened in my chair, my pulse quickening. “Please, tell me you found something.”There was a pause on the other end. It wasn’t long, but it was enough for dread to start creeping up my spine.“I did get access to some of the hotel’s surveillance footage,” he began. “I was able to view the recordings from the first four da