All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S GREATEST REGRET: He Called Her Fat, Now He: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Chapter 1“Mom, are you really sure he’s going to show up?” Iris’s voice had a hollow, heavy ache that no ten-year-old should ever have to carry. As Riley ran the brush through her daughter's dark curls, the strands slipped from her fingers. Today was Iris's golden birthday, a day that should have filled the room with bubbles and effortless, bright laughter. Instead, looking at the little girl through the vanity mirror felt like watching a small flower wilt under a winter chill.Her daughter had grown up too fast, adapting far too early to the harsh architecture of a family that didn’t want them.Riley forced her lips into a practiced, reassuring curve, though the lie tasted bitter on her tongue. “Of course he is, sweetheart. It’s your birthday.”“But it’s past seven,” Iris whispered, twisting the fabric of her birthday dress until her knuckles turned white. “The party downstairs is practically over. Everyone was waiting for the cake, and… and I made a bet with my friends. I told

Chapter 3The moment they stepped out the front door, a sudden, loud crack of thunder shook the whole sky.The clouds burst, and a massive downpour slammed into the ground. The rain fell in heavy, blinding sheets, completely soaking the perfect, neat driveway.Iris gasped, shivering from the biting cold of the wind. Riley didn’t hesitate for a second. She held her large handbag over Iris's head to block the water, and pulled a spare jacket off her own shoulders to wrap around the little girl, protecting her completely from the storm.Riley's own hair and clothes were instantly soaked through, the wet fabric sticking heavily to her skin, but she didn’t care. She was determined to leave that house tonight, and nothing...not Fredrick, and certainly not the bad weather...was going to stop her.Hailing a passing taxi, Riley ushered Iris into the back seat, her heart pounding with a mixture of adrenaline and exhaustion. “Take us to the suburbs,” she told the driver, giving him her uncle's

Chapter 5Riley didn't hesitate. The woman who had fiercely slapped him the night before disappeared under the crushing weight of a mother’s desperation. Slowly, agonizingly, she lowered her battered, aching body onto the gravel driveway, her knees digging into the sharp stones right beside his driver-side door."I'm kneeling," she whispered, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Fredrick."Fredrick finally turned his head, looking down at her with an expression of pure, unadulterated disgust."You really are a pathetic creature," he sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "Did you honestly think kneeling would make me change my mind? Let me make this very clear to you, Riley. I want that child to die. It’s the best option she has, honestly, because having a fat, desperate, parasite of a mother like you is a fate worse than death itself."Before Riley could even process the words, Fredrick revved the engine. The car surged forward, spraying smoke into her face as he drove

Chapter 7She stepped right up to him, her eyes burning with hot tears she refused to let fall. "You're a disgusting hypocrite. You run away when things get tough, and then you show up ten years later pretending you're a big man because you have a fancy suit and a wallet full of cash. You're nothing but a fraud."The words cut deep, it made Ashton flinched as if she had physically struck him across the face. A look of intense agony washed over his features, his shoulders slumping under the weight of her words. He didn't try to defend himself. He didn't tell her she was wrong. He took everything because whatever she was saying is nothing to the pains she must have felt this past years."I know," he whispered, his voice thick and rough. "I know, Riley. And I am so sorry.""Sorry?" Riley let out a loud, ugly laugh that turned into a sob she had to choke back down. "Sorry doesn't fix ten years! Sorry doesn't give me back the skin I rubbed raw walking down the highway today! And sorry doe