All Chapters of MY EX WANTS ME BACK: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

111 Chapters

GHOST'S DON'T STAY BURIED

The conference room buzzed with quiet conversation. Projectors hummed. Coffee cups clinked against polished wooden tables. Executives chatted amongst themselves while assistants hurried around distributing folders and bottled water. For everyone else, today was exciting. For me, it was supposed to be another Monday. I glanced at my watch. Nine o'clock. Right on schedule. The biggest collaboration our company had landed in years was finally beginning. Two firms. One project. Twelve months. Millions of dollars on the line. Sarah nudged my shoulder. "You nervous?" I smiled. "A little." "Liar." She laughed. "You've presented to tougher clients than this." "Presenting isn't the problem." "So what is?" I looked around the room. "I just don't like not knowing who we're working with." Sarah shrugged. "We'll find out in a minute." Across the table, Zoey was already helping herself to the complimentary pastries. "If this project goes well," she said through a mouthful of

UNWILLING PARTNERS

Six Years Earlier I arrived at the business faculty study room five minutes early. Not because Abe had told me not to be late. Because I refused to give him the satisfaction of saying he was right. The room was empty. Good. I placed my notebook on the table, opened my laptop and began reading through the project brief. The topic wasn't simple. Developing a Marketing Strategy for an Emerging Tech Startup. Forty percent of our final grade. Professor Hayes hadn't been exaggerating. This project could make—or break—our semester. The door creaked open. "You're early." I didn't bother looking up. "I'm on time." A chair scraped across the floor as Abe sat opposite me. "So am I." I finally raised my head. He wasn't carrying coffee. Or breakfast. Just a laptop and a notebook. For some reason... I had expected someone as cocky as him to stroll in ten minutes late with sunglasses on. "You seem disappointed." "What?" "You looked at me like I ruined your expectations." "I

MORE THAN JUST PARTNERS

Six Years Earlier I stared at my phone for almost a full minute. Hope you got home safely. — Abe How he got my number wasn't even the most annoying part. It was the fact that he'd actually texted me. I sighed before typing. How did you get my number? Three dots appeared almost immediately. Class representative. I frowned. You asked for my number? His reply came seconds later. No. I asked for my project partner's number. Turns out that's you. I rolled my eyes despite the smile tugging at my lips. That's still creepy. His response was instant. A little. I laughed quietly. Before I could reply again, another message came through. Tomorrow. Same study room. Don't be late. I shook my head. You're obsessed with punctuality. I'm obsessed with passing this course. For the first time... I didn't find him annoying. Just... Different. The following afternoon, the library was unusually crowded. Every study room had been booked. Every table was occupied. Except on

SOME PEOPLE NEVER LEAVE

Diane's pov Present Day "...and that concludes the overview of the project." The applause startled me back to reality. I blinked. Somehow, the meeting had continued without me. Without my mind. Without my attention. My eyes drifted across the conference room. Straight to him. Abe Carter. He was listening attentively to one of the executives, occasionally jotting down notes in the leather notebook resting before him. If someone had asked me whether he'd changed... I wouldn't have known how to answer. He looked older. More refined. The sharp edges of the cocky university student had softened into the confidence of a man who had spent years climbing the corporate ladder. Yet there was something else. Something I couldn't quite place. His smile wasn't as effortless as I remembered. His eyes carried a quiet heaviness. Almost... Regret. "Diane?" Sarah's voice snapped me back. "Hm?" "You've been staring into space for the last ten minutes." "I have?" Zoey leaned a

Safe

Diane's povSaturday mornings had become my favorite.No board meetings.No client calls.No deadlines.Just peace.And today that peace came in the form of a messy-haired man wearing sweatpants and a ridiculous dinosaur t-shirt."You cheated."Zephyr gasped dramatically."I did not.""You absolutely did.""I have no idea what you're talking about."I pointed accusingly at the Monopoly board spread across his coffee table."You stole money from the bank."His hand flew to his chest.The man actually looked offended."Wow."I squinted my eyes."You stole it.""You have no proof."I reached over and snatched the folded bills from beneath his thigh.The evidence.His jaw dropped.Then I burst out laughing.The next thing I knew, he tackled me onto the couch.A squeal escaped me."Zephyr!""False accusations have consequences."I laughed so hard my stomach hurt as he started tickling my sides."Stop!""Nope.""Zephyr!""Confess.""I'm innocent!""Liar."By the time he finally released me,

TOO LATE

Chapter SixToo LateAbeRegret was a funny thing.People always talked about it like it arrived all at once.Like a lightning strike.Like some dramatic realization that changed everything overnight.In reality?Regret came in pieces.Tiny little reminders scattered throughout your day.A song.A scent.A restaurant.A laugh that sounded almost like hers.And every single one felt like a knife.I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office.The city stretched endlessly below.Millions of people.Thousands of opportunities.Hundreds of women.Yet somehow the only person occupying my mind was Diane Cooper.Again.My assistant knocked lightly before entering."Mr. McCarthy?"I didn't look away from the window."What?""Your ten o'clock is here.""Send them in."The meeting lasted an hour.Then another.Then another.By noon, I'd signed three contracts and negotiated two separate acquisitions.Normally, that would've been enough to keep my attention occupied.Today it wasn't.Be

Dangerous Familiarity

Diane's povThe problem with seeing someone every day was that eventually they stopped feeling like a disruption.They started feeling normal.And that terrified me.It had been three weeks since the project began.Three weeks of meetings.Emails.Conference calls.Strategy sessions.Three weeks of seeing Abe McCarthy almost every day.And somehow that was becoming the problem.Not because he was making my life difficult.Quite the opposite.He was making it easy.Too easy."You're staring at your screen again."I looked up from my laptop.Sarah stood in my office doorway holding a cup of coffee."I'm working."She snorted."You haven't typed anything in ten minutes."I sighed."Am I that obvious?""Painfully."Wonderful.Sarah entered and sat across from me.Her eyes narrowed immediately."What's going on?""Nothing.""Diane."I groaned."Why do people keep saying my name like that?""Because you're acting weird."I looked away.Because unfortunately she wasn't wrong.Lately I'd been

pondering

Abe's povThe conference room was empty.Yet somehow it still felt like she was here.I loosened my tie and dropped into one of the chairs after Diane left.The door had barely closed behind her.I should've gone back to work.I had meetings.Deadlines.Investors waiting for calls.Instead, I sat there staring at the chair she'd occupied for the past hour.Pathetic.Absolutely pathetic.And yet I couldn't bring myself to move.Because for sixty minutes, things had almost felt normal.Not perfect.Not like before.But close enough to remind me what I'd lost.I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back.The image of her sitting across from me immediately resurfaced.Focused.Determined.Beautiful.Her brows furrowing whenever she concentrated.Her lips pursing whenever she disagreed with something.The tiny crease between her eyes when she was trying to solve a problem.The same things I'd spent years memorizing.The same things I somehow never forgot.A small laugh escaped me.God.Th

Trying Harder

Abe's povThere came a point when regret stopped being enough.I'd spent weeks replaying memories.Weeks wondering what would've happened if I'd loved Diane better.Weeks apologizing to myself instead of doing something about it.I was done.If there was even the smallest chance of getting her back...I was going to take it.Not by forcing her.Not by manipulating her.But by showing her the man I should've been all along.I was late arriving at the joint office that Monday morning.The lobby was filled with employees rushing to meetings, coffee cups in hand.As I stepped out of the elevator, I saw her.Diane.She stood near the reception desk speaking with one of her managers.She wore a cream blouse tucked into charcoal trousers, her curls pulled into a high ponytail that bounced every time she laughed.Laughed.It was becoming my favorite sound again.I walked over before I could lose my nerve."Morning."She turned.The smile she wore disappeared almost immediately."Morning."Pro

Collision Course

Diane povSaturday nights weren't usually my thing.I'd rather stay home with takeout and a movie than spend hours getting ready for a room full of strangers.Unfortunately, Sarah had other plans."You are not wearing that."I looked down at the black dress I'd just slipped on."What's wrong with it?""It screams corporate meeting.""It is black.""It screams funeral."Sophie nodded from the edge of my bed."I hate agreeing with Sarah, but she's right."I sighed dramatically."I invited you two over to help me get ready.""You invited us over because you have terrible fashion instincts," Sarah corrected.I threw a pillow at her.She dodged it with an annoying laugh.Half an hour later, thanks to the two of them, I was standing in front of the mirror wearing a deep emerald-green dress that hugged every curve without making me feel self-conscious.I actually...liked it."There she is," Sarah said proudly."The hot CEO."I rolled my eyes."You two are impossible.""And you're welcome."M

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