All Chapters of The Billionaire's Regret: Chasing His Discarded Bride: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

36 Chapters

CHAPTER ELEVEN

|| Aaron's POV ||The prison was exactly as bleak as I'd expected—gray walls, harsh fluorescent lighting, the smell of disinfectant failing to mask the underlying odor of desperation and decay.I sat in the visitation room, waiting, my hands clasped on the metal table in front of me.Matthew Stone had been arrested five days ago. Fraud charges, embezzlement, financial misconduct—the evidence had been overwhelming. My lawyers had moved quickly, and now Isabella's brother was sitting in a cell awaiting trial.I'd received the formal charges this morning. The prosecutor estimated Matthew would serve at least two years, possibly more.He was Isabella's brother. My wife's family.The thought nagged at me. Was this really okay? Sending my wife's brother to prison?But then I remembered everything Matthew had done. The schemes, the lies, the sabotaged business deals. The way he'd hit Isabella at the party, the venom in his voice when he'd called her a tool.And most of all, the drugging."I w

CHAPTER TWELVE

|| Isabella's POV ||Time flies, and Sophie grows up day by day.It's been a year.A whole year since that terrible confrontation with Aaron. A whole year since he'd agreed to reinvest in Stone Corporation but promised to make my life hell.And yet, here I was, standing in the kitchen at dawn, making breakfast for our daughter.I cracked eggs into a bowl, whisking them with practiced motions, my mind on autopilot. The kitchen was quiet except for the soft sizzle of butter in the pan and the distant sound of Sophie babbling in her high chair in the dining room.My marriage with Aaron maintained a semblance of peace. We didn't fight—not anymore. We simply existed in the same space, neither interfering with the other's lives. He went to work, came home late, slept in his separate bedroom. I took care of Sophie, cooked, and tried to stay out of his way.It was a cold, empty kind of peace. But it was better than the alternative.Although Aaron had hired a nanny for Sophie—a capable woman na

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

|| Isabella's POV ||For the past month, I'd usually taken the subway to work.Aaron had suggested—no, insisted—that the family driver take me to avoid embarrassing the Styles family. "You're still my wife," he'd said coldly. "You represent this family. Taking public transportation like some common—"I'd refused.It was one of the few things I'd stood my ground on, one of the rare moments where I'd actually said no to him and meant it.The short commute to work was one of my few moments of freedom. Twenty minutes on the subway where no one knew who I was, where no one cared that I was Mrs. Aaron Styles, where I didn't have to maintain the perfect facade or deal with the constant pressure of maintaining appearances.During this time, I was no longer Mrs. Styles. I was simply Isabella.Just Isabella. A woman taking the train to work like millions of others. Anonymous. Free.I pushed open the classroom door and walked in, the familiar scent of herbs and spices greeting me."Good morning,

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

|| Aaron's POV ||After agreeing with Isabella not to divorce, my dislike for her had actually lessened considerably over the course of the year.It surprised me, if I was honest with myself. I'd expected to hate her more as time went on, expected the forced proximity to make everything worse. But instead, something strange had happened.She didn't cause any more trouble. Didn't make dramatic scenes or beg for my attention. She stayed home to take care of Sophie, managed the household quietly and efficiently, and didn't cause me any more problems.The house ran smoothly. Sophie was happy and well-cared for. And there was always breakfast waiting for me in the morning—perfectly prepared, exactly to my taste.In addition, I had to admit that Isabella's cooking was actually to my liking. More than to my liking, if I was being completely honest. The sandwiches she made, the way she seasoned the eggs, the coffee brewed just right—it was better than anything the professional chefs at my rest

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

|| Isabella's POV ||I froze the moment I heard Aaron's voice.That cold, sarcastic tone that I knew so well—the one that meant nothing good was coming. The one that always preceded some new humiliation, some fresh wound.Why was he at the school?He'd never come here before. Never shown any interest in where I worked, what I did during the day, who I spent my time with. So why now? Why this moment, of all moments?Meeting Aaron's angry eyes across the office, I felt my heart sink. His expression was dark, furious, his jaw clenched tight as he glared at Brandon, at me, at the hand Brandon had been holding.Oh no."Aaron, please," I said quickly, pulling him aside, away from Brandon and Sharon's curious stares. "Let me explain. This isn't what it looks like. Brandon was just helping me—"But before I could say anything else, before I could make him understand, Aaron grabbed my wrist and dragged me away.His grip was iron, unyielding, and I stumbled after him down the hallway, past start

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

|| Isabella's POV ||Aaron dropped Sophia and me off at the old house and left.I watched his car disappear down the long driveway, the red taillights fading into the evening gloom, and I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was coming.Victoria's sarcastic remarks. Her cutting comments. Her thinly veiled insults that always made me feel two inches tall.For the past year, I had been trying to avoid Victoria as much as possible. I'd made excuses, claimed illness, found any reason not to attend family dinners or events at the old house.But I couldn't stop Victoria from liking Sophia very much and wanting to see her often.My daughter, at least, had won her grandmother's affection. Victoria adored Sophia—showered her with gifts, cooed over her, wanted her around constantly.And Sophia was too young. Only a year old, still so small and vulnerable. I worried about her constantly, couldn't bear the thought of sending her to Victoria's house alone with a nanny.So I always followed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN|| Isabella’s POV ||I returned home distraught, my mind spinning, my heart racing with anxiety that I couldn’t control.The driver had picked us up from Victoria’s house—Aaron had arranged it before he left for his match—and the entire ride home, I’d clutched Sophia against my chest, barely breathing, Victoria’s words echoing in my mind.*Issue a statement. Feel unworthy. Give up custody.*I could accept Victoria’s humiliation. I’d learned to live with it, to let her cruel words wash over me without letting them sink too deep.I could even endure Aaron’s indifference—his cold shoulders, his cutting remarks, the way he looked through me as if I didn’t exist.But I couldn’t accept being separated from Sophia.I couldn’t.What if Victoria really took action? What if she convinced Aaron to force the issue? What if she went to her lawyers, to the courts, and used all the Styles family power and influence to rip my daughter away from me?And what if Anastasia and Aaron rea

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

|| Isabella's POV ||I tried to calm myself down, taking deep breaths, forcing my racing heart to slow, my trembling hands to still.Stay calm. Stay calm. I repeated the words like a mantra.I couldn't let Victoria's pressure and Aaron throw me off balance. Couldn't let them see how close I was to breaking, how the cracks were spreading through every part of my carefully constructed facade.I only wanted Sophia. That was all that mattered.And I had to endure until I was capable enough to leave Aaron. Until I could stand on my own two feet, support my daughter, build a life where we didn't need the Styles name or money or anything else.Just endure. Just survive.So I went to work at school as usual, forcing myself through the motions—teaching, demonstrating, smiling at my students even though my face felt like it might shatter from the effort.I was in the middle of reviewing knife techniques with my morning class when there was a knock on the classroom door.Mrs. Park, the school sec

CHAPTER NINETEEN

|| Aaron's POV ||Isabella's recent actions have been irritating me.First, she got entangled with that male colleague—Brandon, the physical education teacher who couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself. And now she was getting involved with Xander, her ex-fiancé.Had I been too lenient with her lately? Too soft? Was she taking advantage of the relative peace between us, thinking she could do whatever she wanted without consequences?I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my jaw clenching as I drove us home in tense silence.The truth was, I was actually quite reluctant to participate in the competition with Anastasia last night.The admission grated against my thoughts, uncomfortable and unwelcome.Anastasia was wonderful, objectively speaking. She was beautiful, intelligent, and capable at work. She understood the business inside and out, could discuss quarterly reports and market trends with the same ease as discussing art or literature.She'd even given up her position at Cole In

CHAPTER TWENTY

|| Xander’s POV ||I was overjoyed to see Isabella again.Even with the angry red mark blooming across my jaw where Aaron Styles had punched me, even knowing I’d just been thrown out of that office like some unwanted intruder—seeing her face again, hearing her voice, had made it all worth it.I’d met Isabella several times before the engagement had been called off, and I’d been actually quite satisfied with her. More than satisfied, if I was being honest. She wasn’t like the other socialites who’d been paraded in front of me over the years—calculating and ambitious, speaking in carefully crafted sentences designed to impress.Isabella would always smile shyly at me, her cheeks flushing pink when our eyes met. And her eyes—those bright, expressive eyes—were deeply etched in my heart. They’d sparkled when she talked about cooking, about her dreams of opening a restaurant someday, about wanting to create dishes that brought people joy.I had once been very happy with the marriage arrange

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