Semua Bab EX-HUSBAND’S REGRET(The Wife He Discarded): Bab 21 - Bab 30

I couldn’t feel my legs anymore.The office suddenly felt too cold.Hayes looked at me quietly from across the desk before speaking again.“Can you please sit?”My legs still felt strange beneath me.“I’ll tell you everything.”Only then did I manage to sit back down slowly.The chair felt harder than before.Hayes leaned back slightly and exhaled through his nose before speaking.“I found out about it a year ago.”I stared at him without blinking.“A part of me always knew something was wrong about the day we lost you,” he continued calmly. “But five years ago… after we found you again… I wasn’t thinking clearly.”His jaw tightened slightly.“You had already gone through too much. You were trying to heal. We all were.” His fingers tapped lightly against the desk once. “And honestly, I wasn’t in the right state of mind either.”I swallowed slowly.My chest still felt tight.“But deep down,” he continued, “I knew we didn’t just lose you.”His eyes lifted to mine.“You were stolen.”The

Dominic stood up slowly from his crouched position.For one brief second, neither of us spoke.The air between us felt heavy.Tense.Hayes shifted first.He turned away immediately with Leo still in his arms and started heading toward the car like he already knew there was no point staying here any longer.I stayed where I was for another second, staring at Dominic.Anger burned so hot inside me that my chest felt tight.But this wasn’t the place.Not in front of Leo.Not in front of a school filled with children and parents watching us.So I turned around and started walking away.“Aurelia—”I ignored him.My heels clicked sharply against the pavement as I continued toward the car.“Aurelia, please—” His voice was louder this time.Loud enough that I noticed a few parents glance in our direction.My jaw tightened instantly. But I didn’t stop walking.Didn’t look back.By the time I reached the car, Hayes had already settled Leo inside.I entered immediately and shut the door hard eno

The night air moved softly through the garden, carrying the scent of flowers while three grown men sat around me pretending they hadn’t hidden life-changing information from me for an entire year.I stared at them in disbelief.Especially Hayes.He looked completely calm sitting there with his glass in hand like this was nothing. “How long were you planning to hide it from me?” I finally asked.Nobody answered immediately.Then Hayes spoke quietly. “Forever if I could.”I almost laughed.But this wasn’t funny.My grip tightened slightly around my glass.“I was the one who got stolen,” I said. “I was supposed to know the truth.”They were silent. None of them argued with me.That somehow made it worse.I exhaled slowly and leaned back in my chair, staring up at the dark sky for a second.“What difference would it even make now?” I asked quietly.The whiskey burned slightly at the back of my throat as I took another sip.“I know the truth now, but what exactly am I supposed to do with

My phone rang suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.I blinked once before sitting upright properly in my chair and reaching for it.One of my clients.I answered immediately. “Hello?”“Miss Aurelia!” the woman sounded almost breathless with excitement. “I just received my dress.”Despite myself, I sat up a little straighter.“And?” I asked carefully.“And I’m obsessed with it.” She laughed softly on the other end. “Seriously, what would I have done without you?”A small smile touched my lips before I could stop it.“I’m glad you love it,” I said. “That’s the entire point.”“No, seriously,” she continued. “Every detail is perfect. The fit. The embroidery. The gloves. Everything.” I could practically hear her admiring it through the phone. “You honestly saved me.”I leaned back slightly in my chair.Three weeks ago, she had shown up almost panicking after finding out her schedule had suddenly cleared up for the Met Gala.Three weeks.Any sane designer would’ve rejected the request im

The after-party felt completely different from the main gala.Louder.Less controlled.The formal elegance from earlier had dissolved into flashing lights, music, expensive alcohol, and celebrities finally relaxing after hours of cameras and interviews.By the time we arrived at the private rooftop venue, I had already changed out of my original gown.The gold dress I wore now was slimmer. Simpler. The fabric wrapped tightly around my body while the open back caught the cool night air every time I moved.The moment we stepped out of the car, paparazzi started shouting our names again.“OVER HERE!”Cameras flashed rapidly while security guided us toward the entrance.Pierce looked entirely too comfortable with the attention.Ford ignored it completely.Hayes walked beside me calmly with one hand in his pocket like none of this interested him in the slightest.Inside, the atmosphere was even more chaotic.Music echoed across the rooftop while waiters moved through the crowd carrying tra