All Chapters of After 18 Years, Mr. CEO Wants Me Back: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I looked at Damian, feeling the warmth of his hand holding mine. For a moment, I almost forgot that I was still angry with him. But then the memory came back—the memory of the airport, of his cold words, of my eighteen years of struggling alone."My stomach is much better. The doctor already let me go home. I'm glad you care."I immediately pulled my hand back, returning to my cold demeanor. "I only asked because you're my husband, not because I care."Damian smiled, unfazed by my sharpness. "I know, but I'm still glad."I scoffed, then stood up. "I'm tired. I want to rest."Without waiting for an answer, I walked toward the bedroom. I heard Damian's footsteps following behind me. I went into the room, and Damian came in behind me, closing the door softly."Damian, can't you give me some space?" I said, annoyed."I just want to make sure you're alright. You've been working hard all day and traveled far. I'm worried."I sighed, trying to ignore him. But my eyes landed on a stack of doc

The next morning, I woke up with my feelings still in turmoil. The conversation with Louis last night was still echoing in my head. His sharp words, his deep disappointment, and his decision not to live with us made my heart feel heavy. But I tried to set all of that aside for a while. I had to get through today.I walked to the kitchen, and there I saw Damian. He was standing in front of the stove, making pancakes. He was only wearing pants, no shirt. I could see his broad, muscular shoulders, his tanned skin, and his agile movements as he flipped the pancakes in the pan.I almost froze for a moment. Damian had indeed changed. His once thin body was now filled out and firm. But my eyes quickly landed on something else. On his right shoulder, there was a tattoo. The name "Laura" was etched in thin letters, almost faint, but I could see it clearly.I felt something hot in my chest. Laura. His ex-wife. The woman he chose to replace me eighteen years ago. The woman who was the reason he

Damian really did remove the tattoo, but there were still traces of anger that hadn't completely faded. I couldn't just forget the eighteen years he'd spent with Laura, leaving me with such a deep wound.I walked to the window of my office and looked outside. The hospital where I worked was on the eighth floor of the medical building, and from here I could see the bustling city view. But my gaze soon landed on the building across the street, where the construction project that Damian was overseeing was located.There, on the ground floor of the half-finished building, I could see Damian's figure in his neat suit, standing among the workers and architects. He was giving instructions with firm hand gestures, occasionally pointing at the blueprints spread out on a makeshift table. The workers nodded, taking note of every word he said.I watched him from a distance, and for a moment, I forgot to be angry. There was something captivating about Damian when he worked. The way he led, the way

"We were already divorced before she died," Damian said."Tell me everything," I said."Laura was a good woman in public. But behind closed doors, she was different. She liked to cheat. I caught her multiple times with other men. Early in our marriage, she had already slept with someone else. I forgave her. I thought it was just a mistake. But it kept happening over and over until I got sick of it and gave up.""Laura cheated?""Yes. I tried to hold that marriage together for years because I thought it was my penance for leaving you. I thought I deserved to suffer, deserved to live in a painful marriage because I had hurt you. But there's a limit. A point where I realized I couldn't keep punishing myself forever. And I came here because I've missed you for too long. Because I still love you, and I know I'll never be happy if I don't try to win you back," Damian said.I stepped forward and hugged him. Damian was surprised, but he immediately hugged me back tightly.We stood in that par

I smiled sweetly at him, but my eyes were sharp. Damian was stunned, his mouth open as if he wanted to say something, but I spoke first."I did go out at night with those women, but I never slept with them. I was just looking for an escape, I just wanted to feel wanted, to feel valued, because Laura made me feel worthless. But I never went that far."I leaned my head back against the car seat, looking at him with the gaze of a doctor diagnosing a patient."You think I'll just believe that? You're a married man, going out at night with a different woman every week, and you're telling me you didn't sleep with them?""Because I couldn't! Every time I was with another woman, the one I pictured was you. I compared all of them to you, and they were never enough. I could never do it because my heart already belonged to you."I was silent, looking at him. There was sincerity in his eyes, but I still couldn't ignore the fact that he'd been involved with dozens of women over the years."Alright