All Chapters of THE WIFE HE LOST TOO LATE: I DON'T NEED YOUR REGRET MR. CEO : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

58 Chapters

31 - THIRTY THOUSAND FEET

Carson drove his SUV like a madman down the interstate leading to the private airfield.I gripped the leather handle above the passenger door as he swerved around a slow-moving delivery truck. My heart hammered against my ribs. Every single minute we wasted brought Ben Morgan closer to stealing my biggest contract."Watch out for that sedan," I warned him as we merged across two lanes of traffic."I see him," Carson grunted, gripping the steering wheel tight."If we miss this window, the Boston hospital board will sign with Morgan Medical before lunch," I said, checking my watch for the fifth time."Ben Morgan does not just wake up and decide to steal a Boston contract," Carson pointed out."He is a vulture who waits until a company is bleeding before he swoops in," I agreed, feeling a fresh surge of anger."Helen gave him the knife to cut us," Carson muttered."She probably handed him the flash drive in the lobby right before she got arrested," I guessed."We can sue her for damages

32 - PUZZLE PIECES

We reached the drop-off zone fifteen minutes later. The airport traffic was a nightmare, but Carson pulled right up to the curb."Call me the second you land," Carson yelled as I opened my door.I slammed the car door shut and ran inside the bustling building. The main terminal was packed with early morning travelers dragging heavy suitcases. I clutched my digital boarding pass and bypassed the massive crowds by ducking into the priority security lane.The TSA agents waved me through the metal detectors without an issue. I grabbed my shoes and my briefcase off the conveyor belt.I sprinted down the long, bright concourse while listening to the final boarding calls echoing over the intercom system."Final boarding call for Flight 892 to Boston at Gate 42," a polite voice announced overhead.My lungs burned, and my high heels ached against the hard floors.I pushed past slow-moving families and ignored the annoyed glares from other travelers. I murmured a few quick apologies when my bri

33 - FLIGHT OF FURY

"Open that damn door right now!" Cheryl yelled toward the empty front galley of the plane.She ignored my instruction to sit down and marched straight toward the sealed cabin exit. She grabbed the heavy metal handle of the door and pulled, but the locking mechanism was already engaged for takeoff.I took a slow sip of my amber bourbon and watched the fierce fire blaze in her dark eyes."The door is sealed, Cheryl, and the pilot answers directly to me," I pointed out while folding my financial newspaper in half.She spun around so fast her dark spiral curls whipped across her shoulders."You tampered with my private jet," she accused, marching back down the aisle until she stood right next to my row."That is a very serious allegation," I replied smoothly and rested my crystal glass on the center console."Do not play stupid games with me, Brian, because I know exactly what you did," she hissed through her teeth. "You grounded my plane and bought out this cabin just to trap me here.""

34 - ONE ROOM

The pilot engaged the reverse thrusters, and we skidded slightly before finally slowing down to a safe taxi speed. Cheryl let out a shaky breath and immediately pulled her cell phone from her pocket to check her emails.I watched her face drop the second the bright screen illuminated her dark eyes."No, no, no," she whispered, her thumbs flying across the glass screen in a panic."What is the problem?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt."The hospital board just canceled all their meetings for the day because the city declared a weather emergency," she explained, her voice cracking with frustration."That means Ben Morgan is stuck waiting in a lobby just like you," I pointed out, gathering my coat from the overhead bin."I cannot afford to be stuck in Boston," she argued, standing up and shoving her papers into her briefcase. "I need to get back to my daughter."Her sudden mention of Mira sent a sharp spike of adrenaline straight through my veins.I clenched my jaw and pushed the rising

35 - AWKWARD TRUCE

"Absolutely fucking not," I snapped, glaring at the terrified concierge standing behind the marble desk.The poor man actually flinched backward and nearly dropped the plastic keycard on the floor."I am not sharing a single room with this man, let alone one bed," I declared loud enough for the angry crowd behind the velvet ropes to hear.Brian did not look embarrassed or annoyed by my public outburst at all.He just stood there with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his expensive trousers and offered me a condescending smile."The city is under a state of emergency, Cheryl, so you do not really have a lot of options right now," Brian pointed out calmly."I would rather sleep on one of those uncomfortable lobby sofas than spend the night trapped in a room with you," I hissed, crossing my arms to guard my chest."Those sofas are already claimed by the fifty people standing behind us, but you are more than welcome to go fight them for a cushion," he challenged while gesturing to

36 - FORCED WARMTH

I eventually forced myself to turn off the faucet and wrapped a thick white towel around my body.I dried off and put my wrinkled travel clothes back on because my actual luggage was locked away on my grounded jet back home.I unlocked the bathroom door and stepped back out into the quiet bedroom, feeling a little more human but still incredibly on edge.Brian had taken his heavy wool coat off and tossed it over the back of a velvet armchair near the window.He loosened his silk tie and unbuttoned the top of his dress shirt, looking far too comfortable in our shared space."Your turn," I told him without making direct eye contact.He didn't say a word as he walked past me and closed the bathroom door, leaving me alone in the bedroom.I sat down on the very edge of the king-sized mattress and pulled my knees up to my chest.The howling wind outside reached a terrifying pitch and rattled the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.I looked out the glass and watched the thick ice accumulate al

37 - SWALLOWING PRIDE

His large hands lingered on my shoulders for a long, heavy second in the freezing dark.The heat radiating from his palms seeped right through the thick wool and warmed my skin.I wanted to shrug him off and throw the expensive coat right back at his chest, but a harsh shiver wrecked my body instead.I swallowed my stubborn pride and pulled the soft lapels tighter around my neck.Brian finally dropped his hands and took a step back into the shadows."Thank you," I muttered, the words tasting like ash in my dry mouth."Don't thank me yet because this room is going to drop below freezing in about an hour," he warned, his voice echoing off the frosted glass windows.The howling wind outside battered the penthouse, proving his point as a spray of ice hit the glass.I looked over at the massive king-sized bed sitting in the center of the dark room.The mattress was far too large to trap any real body heat unless we actually laid down and held each other under the sheets.I would rather wal

38 - PROXIMITY TRAP

He held me for forty-eight hours and promised he would spend the rest of his life keeping me warm."You were so afraid of the dark back then," he murmured, his voice softening even more. "You wouldn't let go of my shirt."The memory twisted like a rusty knife in my chest, and the sudden urge to cry terrified me.I could not afford to let my walls crack right now, especially not with him.If I let myself remember the good parts of our past, the betrayal would crush me all over again.I thought about Mira, sleeping hundreds of miles away, and the stolen juice box sitting in a lab.I shoved the memories down and let a hot wave of anger take their place."That never happened," I snapped, pulling my arm away from his side."You know damn well it happened, Cheryl," Brian argued, sounding genuinely confused by my harsh reaction."It is all in your head, Brian, so just stop," I warned him, my voice rising in the quiet room."Stop what?""Stop acting like the victim of some great tragedy," I f

39 - VERDICT

I waited for her to answer, and I held my breath in the freezing dark.Cheryl just stared at me with wide eyes, and her thick defenses were finally stripped away by the raw honesty of my question.I could see the faint glint of tears pooling in her dark eyes, making her look so incredibly fragile in that moment.Her lips parted softly, and she drew in a shaky breath as if she was finally ready to tell me the truth about our broken past.I leaned an inch closer because I desperately needed to hear her admit that the love we shared wasn't just a lie she manufactured.Before a single word could leave her mouth, a loud and heavy clunk echoed through the hotel walls.The massive backup generators in the basement finally kicked online and restored the grid.Blinding yellow light flooded the penthouse suite, and the overhead air vents roared back to life with a rush of warm air.Cheryl flinched violently like she had been slapped across the face.She scrambled backward on the small velvet cu

40 - UNEXPECTED SAVIOR

Mira stopped shivering and just went limp against my chest.Her breathing turned shallow, and her dark eyes fluttered shut. She felt so incredibly fragile in my arms, like a tiny bird caught in a brutal winter storm.I grabbed the heavy down blanket off the mattress and wrapped it tight around her small frame."We are not waiting for phone calls," I told Carson, lifting my daughter into my arms. "Get the car right now."Carson did not argue or try to reason with me. He turned around and sprinted down the hallway.I carried Mira down the main staircase as fast as I could without tripping over my own feet. Her head lolled against my shoulder, radiating a terrifying heat that seeped right through my silk blouse."Hang on, sweetie," I whispered into her damp hair. "Mommy is going to get you some help."We burst through the front door just as Carson threw the black SUV into park near the front steps.I climbed into the backseat with Mira secured in my lap. Carson hit the gas pedal before I

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