Alle Kapitel von THE BILLIONAIRE'S BIGGEST REGRET: Losing His Plus-size Ex: Kapitel 21 – Kapitel 30

Chapter 22The train ride back to the hospital gave Riley plenty of time to steel her heart. By the time she stepped out of the elevator onto the pediatric wing, her face was a mask of calm professionalism. She tightly held the two separate bags...the larger one with Iris’s toys, and the small, wrapped box containing the one-hundred-and-fifty-dollar silver tie clip.She walked down the quiet corridor toward Room 402, ready to put her plan into action. She was going to be cold, deliver the gift as a formal thank-you, and draw a sharp, permanent line between them.But when she pushed the door open, the sight inside made her stop dead in her tracks.The words she had prepared died instantly in her throat.Ashton was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. Iris was fast asleep, her small head resting heavily against his broad shoulder, her breathing slow and peaceful. Their fingers were loosely intertwined, her tiny hand completely engulfed by his large, warm palm. Ashton's head was le

Chapter 24The next morning, Riley woke up early to help Iris wash her face and brush her tangled hair. Then go to the cafeteria to get their food. The premium package Aston had paid for didn't just cover the top-tier room and surgeries...it also included free daily meals for both she and her daughter from the grand ground-floor cafeteria.After getting their meals and feeding her daughter, both mother and daughter decided to watch a movie and do other things as they await her audition call.By noon, the nervousness about her audition results was starting to make her incredibly restless. The casting directors had promised to send the news, but every tick of the wall clock felt like an eternity. To break the agonizing tension, she decided it was time to fetch their lunch.She kissed Iris on the forehead, leaving her happily coloring a picture book, and rode the private elevator down to the cafeteria. She picked up a tray, sliding it along the metal rails as she selected a bowl of wa

Chapter 26The next morning arrived with a bright splash of sunlight pouring through the large glass windows of the private suite. Riley was up before the nurses even began their early shift, her heart beating with a frantic, jittery sort of excitement. Today was the day her new life officially began.She washed her face, carefully brushed out her dark hair, and changed into a smart, professional dress she had kept in her small travel bag. She arranged with Nurse Abigail at the front desk to keep a close eye on Iris for a few hours, promising to be back as quickly as possible.The trip downtown to the Media Studios was a complete blur. Walking in, Riley felt incredibly small, but the moment she was ushered into the executive boardroom, her confidence took over. She sat across from the legal team, reading through every line of the massive contract. The terms were real. The advance was real. She signed her maiden name, Riley Reed, in bold, clear ink, feeling a profound wave of relie

Chapter 28Riley waited outside the door, her heart beating hard against her ribs. The silence from inside the office was deafening. When no answer came, she swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly turned the brass handle. The door creaked open, and she stepped into the room.The office was dark. The heavy blinds were drawn tightly against the afternoon sun, leaving the vast space in deep, gray shadows. The air smelled faintly of stale, cold coffee and old paper.Ashton was sitting on the edge of his large leather sofa in the far corner. His tailored suit jacket was discarded on the floor, his silk tie untied and draped loosely on his desk, and the first few buttons of his crisp white shirt were pulled open. His elbows rested on his knees, and his fingers were buried deep in his messy hair. He looked completely unraveled...a far cry from the untouchable billionaire surgeon he usually was.As the door clicked shut, he slowly lifted his head. His sharp jawline was covered in a ro

Chapter 30The words on the screen didn't make sense at first. Riley stared at her phone, her fingers tightening around the edges as her breath hitched in her throat.Right there on the main entertainment page, a massive headline stared back at her:*BILLIONAIRE DECEIVED TO FATHER SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER BY EX-WIFE*Directly beneath it, another site had already picked up the story with a different caption:*BILLIONAIRE DECEITFUL WIFE CAUGHT: THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND FREDRICK WELLSPRING MARRIAGE*Riley’s hands began to shake violently. She couldn't breathe. Her thumb trembled so much she could barely click on the link to read the full article. There was a video attached—an exclusive interview with Fredrick sitting in a studio looking like a wronged, heartbroken victim—but she couldn't bring herself to press play. Instead, she forced herself to read the text first.The article called her all sorts of horrible names. It painted her as a calculated gold-digger who had trapped a wealthy heir