Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 25

(ARIELLE'S POV)

The next day was Sunday, and I was grateful it was not a work day. When I roused from sleep, all I did was shower, have breakfast and watch TV as Ashley wouldn't let me raise a pin.

“Hey,” she squeezed my shoulder gently, sliding onto the couch next to me. “What's up?”

“Hey,” I spared her a glance and returned my eyes back to the TV. “You're done?”

The aim of the question was because Ashley had risen at the crack of dawn to prune the flowers flanking her house entrance, and I wanted to ascertain if she was done.

“Yup, yup. The flowers look neater now.”

“You should go have breakfast, you've been working for hours,” I said, my eyes still fixed on the show.

“Well, you've been engrossed on the TV that you didn't realize that I finished pruning the flowers a while ago, have showered, changed into fresh clothes and even had breakfast. Gosh! Are all pregnant women this lazy and less observant?”

I paused. “Wait, what?” I asked, and turned to look at her properly. And that was when I took a look at her. She had indeed showered because her hair was wet, and she had a change of clothes.

“Oh well, you can't blame me,” I said and returned to the TV. “You wouldn't let me do anything so I might as well make up for that by indulging in some fun activities.”

“Hmmm…I see,” Ashley teased. “So, what plans do you have for tomorrow? Aren't you going to work?”

I paused my attention on the TV and turned to face Ashley squarely. “I will return home for a change of clothes tomorrow, and leave for work afterwards.”

“Seriously, Arielle? If you want to fix your home then you have to stop running. Maybe, you should hear Jared out. Who knows, Sofia might have thrown herself at him. That lady is desperate and can do anything.”

I went mute for a second, ruminating on what Ashley said. I haven't thought of things in that way. When I overheard the conversation, Jared didn't sound particularly happy about the kiss. Ashley might be right; Sofia might have thrown herself at Jared.

“As much as Jared has been a jerk for sometime, it doesn't change the fact that he's a good man and has treated you so well since you too got married. Maybe Sofia’s return triggered memories from their teenage years, causing him some emotional turmoil. Once Sofia leaves, which is more reason why you should fight for that to happen, you two might be able to return to how things were before,” Ashley went on.

“Can we really go back to how things were?” I asked, voicing my fear. A lot has changed since Sofia’s arrival, and I was beginning to doubt my marriage would go back to the way it was before her intrusion.

Ashley fell silent.

In the end, she spoke up. “I know I suggested you divorce Jared, and I take it back. I’m sorry for saying something so… ridiculous. You’ve always valued your marriage, and I should’ve respected that. So, let’s give him another chance, for the sake of the child. If he still chooses Sofia, then… maybe we’ll think about other options.”

I gave a bitter smile, one that didn’t reach my eyes. “Never apologize, Ash. I know you only said that because you care. You’re the only family I’ve got. I’m not saying divorce is impossible… it’s just… I never thought we’d come to this point. I never imagined it would go this far.”

I paused, memories flooding back to the early days of our marriage—before everything became so complicated. Back then, we were still getting to know each other, despite being married. Jared was always busy with the company, and I was building my career as a chef in New York. But he insisted on driving me to work every morning.

A faint smile tugged at my lips as I remembered his words: ‘At least I want them to know you’ve got someone watching your back. Don’t let them think they can push you around.’

“I still remember this one day—when it rained so heavily that the entire city seemed to drown in it. I had been a judge for a charity baking competition for the kids at a local creche, and I ended up staying late. I didn’t expect Jared to come pick me up. He could’ve just sent a driver, but he came himself. I remember asking, ‘I thought you had a meeting?’ And he told me his flight had been cancelled. But I knew that wasn’t true. He could’ve left whenever he wanted, but he stayed.”

I sighed softly, “I was… kind of touched. I asked him if he thought I was silly, standing out in the rain all wet with those kids. And he just smiled at me. ‘Well now we are both wet,’ he said.”

“I know you must think I’m silly for bringing this up now… I don’t even know why I’m talking about it. It’s just… I really thought we could make it work. I thought we were better than this. I guess I just need more time to figure it out.”