All Chapters of The Husband She Took for Granted: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I walked out of Vivian Hart's office, returned to my desk, and submitted a request for every remaining day of vacation I had.I'd decided I was done holding the company together, but that didn't mean I'd leave a mess behind. I put together a thorough handover: client updates, project risks, contact information for every account lead. I even included a note that Mr. Bennett at Halstead Group hated receiving calls during lunch.Marcus Reed from HR spotted the email and came straight over."Adrian, you're really taking all that time off?""Yeah. Family stuff.""Does Vivian know?"I closed my laptop. "Time off goes through HR. I don't have to notify her separately."Those were Vivian's own rules.Three years earlier, when she introduced formal management procedures, she'd made a point of saying everyone had to follow the same process, including me. After the meeting, she'd pulled me aside."You don't need to tell me personally when you request leave anymore. I don't want anyone sa

My phone rang again.Vivian opened with the same question."Are you coming back for the afternoon meeting or not?"I looked at Mom's bill. "Have payroll advance me one month's salary.""What for?""I still need five thousand dollars for Mom's treatment."She paused. "We're managing a cash-flow shortage, and payroll's already been locked for the cycle.""You're management. You can't be the first one to break the rules.""It's five thousand dollars, Vivian.""It isn't about the amount. It's about the rules. If I make an exception for you, what about everyone else?"I actually laughed."Interns don't qualify for performance bonuses, but Caleb got a secret five-thousand-dollar payout. Is that part of the rules, too?"Her voice hardened instantly. "Where did you hear that?""Does it matter?""That was a targeted incentive. He's been doing well, and his family is struggling. He needs encouragement."Hearing that excuse again made my head ache."My mother's in the hospital, an

Vivian's grip tightened around her phone."That's impossible. What did Westbridge offer him?"She immediately assumed Grant must have put an astronomical package on the table. If this was about salary and position, she could still negotiate."I don't know his regular compensation," Mr. Bennett replied. "But Grant mentioned that Adrian asked for only one extra thing.""What?""A five-thousand-dollar advance."Vivian went still."Five thousand?""That's right. Grant thought he meant fifty thousand at first. Adrian said he just needed five thousand urgently."Mr. Bennett kept talking, but his words faded into a blur.Vivian remembered my phone call from the hospital. I'd told her Mom's treatment would cost another five thousand dollars and asked for a salary advance.She'd refused. She'd said cash was tight and that making an exception for her husband would undermine company policy.On that same day, she'd approved Caleb's $5,000 bonus. Later she'd signed off on a company car

The wind outside the hospital was fierce.Vivian pulled her coat tighter and stood in silence for a long time before she spoke."I can transfer the five thousand today. I'll have your year-end bonus recalculated, too."I'll take back the car. Caleb's reward will be reviewed.""And then?""You leave Westbridge. Come back to the company. Same job, same authority."I looked at her. "If Halstead hadn't paused its renewal, would you be standing here?""We're talking about our marriage.""Everything you've offered is about the business."She pressed her lips together.I knew that expression. Whenever Vivian didn't want to admit she was wrong, she'd go quiet until she found another argument.Sure enough, she soon said, "Husbands and wives shouldn't keep score like this. You helped when the company needed money. When you need help, I can make it up to you. One failure to communicate shouldn't end a marriage.""When the company needed cash, we were married, so I was supposed to hand

During the next thirty days, Vivian stopped using work as an excuse to contact me.Once, she visited Mom with nothing more than a simple bag of fruit. They talked for half an hour, and Mom didn't suggest we reconcile.Later, Mom told me Vivian genuinely regretted what she'd done."Are you sure you don't want to think it over?" Mom asked.I shook my head.Understanding someone's regret and trusting them again were two different things.On the thirtieth day, Vivian and I returned to the courthouse to finalize the divorce.Before we signed the last documents, the clerk confirmed that we were proceeding voluntarily.Vivian hesitated for several seconds."Yes," she finally said. "Voluntarily."When the final divorce decree was issued, she slipped off her wedding ring."Do you regret it?"I looked down at the papers in my hand."I'm sad. But I don't regret it."She nodded and didn't push any further.Five days after our marriage officially ended, the company held an emergency