Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 144

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 144: Echoes of the Past**

As Riley emerged from the restroom, the atmosphere in the banquet hall felt charged, almost electric. She barely had time to gather her thoughts when she found herself face-to-face with Bryce, who stood in her way like an immovable wall.

“Riley, we need to talk,” he insisted, urgency lacing his voice.

“I have absolutely nothing to say to you,” she shot back, her tone as frigid as the winter air outside.

Bryce pressed on, his frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. “I know you’re still harboring resentment over the divorce. You can despise me all you want, but don’t take it out on the company!”

Riley blinked, momentarily taken aback by his audacity. “What are you talking about?”

He continued, his words tumbling out in a rush. “We built that company together. Think about all those employees you know and care about. Can you really stand by and watch it crumble, leaving them without jobs?”

Riley felt a surge of indignation. “Bryce, if the company is in jeopardy and people lose their jobs, that’s on you, not me. Don’t try to position yourself on some moral high ground and pin your failures on me.”

“And wasn’t it you who always boasted to the press about founding the company all on your own? It’s amusing how suddenly it’s ‘we built it together’ now,” she added, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bryce’s face flushed a deep crimson, shame creeping into his chest. Deep down, he had always considered the company’s triumphs to be his sole achievement, dismissing Riley’s contributions as something any project manager could have handled. Yet now, as he stood there, uncertainty gnawed at him, particularly since he relied on Riley’s upgraded patent to secure the vital island development project.

“I know I messed up,” he conceded, his voice wavering. “But you can’t take it out on the company! We need that island project now more than ever. You can’t just destroy everything to get back at me!”

“Get back at you?” Riley let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “How is me pointing out at the investor meeting that you’re exploiting my patent and my business plan revenge? That’s just the truth!”

Bryce faltered, his throat tightening as he struggled to find the right words. “If you’re not out for revenge, then just give me the upgraded patent!” he pleaded, desperation creeping into his tone.

Riley stared at him, the realization washing over her that the man standing before her was even more shameless than she had initially thought.

“Why on earth should I?” she snapped, her voice rising with indignation.

“We were married, Riley…” he began, attempting to invoke their shared history.

“Oh? And what exactly did I gain from that marriage?” she retorted, her eyes blazing. “I toiled through countless sleepless nights during the startup phase, pouring everything I had into that company, yet when the success finally arrived, none of the credit was mine. You didn’t even share a dime of the profits with me.”

“And when your mother’s relatives mocked me behind my back, you stood silent, offering no defense. And now you want to play the ‘we were married’ card?”

A rush of heat surged to Bryce’s face as her words struck a raw nerve, and for the first time, he felt the heavy weight of guilt settle upon him. He couldn’t deny that throughout their three years of marriage, he had let her down time and again.

Seeing Riley’s lack of denial, Bryce’s expression darkened, a storm brewing in his chest. Sure, he had noticed the closeness between Riley and Sebastian before, but he had always clung to the hope that she still held feelings for him.

Now, the thought that she was dating Sebastian so soon after their divorce twisted like a knife in his gut, a bitter ache that he couldn’t shake off.

“Riley, are you really with him?” Bryce’s voice was tight, laced with a mix of disbelief and hurt.

“What if I am?” she shrugged nonchalantly, then turned to Sebastian. “Let go of his hand. I need to talk to you.”

“Alright,” Sebastian replied, releasing Bryce’s wrist with an almost obedient nod.

Riley took Sebastian’s hand, walking away without a single glance back.

Bryce stood there, watching them disappear into the crowd, a chaotic mix of panic and unease churning inside him.

He couldn’t quite articulate why he felt this way. They were divorced, after all. Yes, she had moved on quickly, but didn’t that just prove she didn’t care about love? That she could fall out of love in the blink of an eye?

He should have felt relieved to be rid of a woman like that. So why, instead, did he feel so utterly unsettled?