My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Lila

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Finally, after two hours, Aidan dismisses everyone.

“Lila. Stay.”

The room empties. Just us. The silence is suffocating.

“We need to address the elephant in the room,” he says.

“Which one? There are several.”

He doesn’t smile. “Us. What we are. How we present this to the team, to the board, to…”

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” I interrupt.

He stops. “What?”

“Present it. Us. Maybe we should…” I force the words out. “Maybe we should keep it quiet. Until things settle.”

“You want to hide?”

“I don’t want to make things worse.” I stand. Start pacing. “Aidan, look at what’s happening. Mark is destroying you because of me. Your office burned down because of me. Your clients are leaving because-”

“Because Mark is offering unsustainable discounts and making false legal claims. Not because of you.”

“He’s doing it to get to me. To punish you for having me. If I wasn’t here, if we weren’t together, none of this would be happening.”

“That’s not true.”

“Is it?” I turn to face him. “He literally texted you about me. About us. This is personal, Aidan. And I’m the reason it’s personal.”

“So what are you saying? You want to end this? Pretend Singapore didn’t happen?”

Yes. No. I don’t know.

“I’m saying maybe we should pause. Until the situation with Mark is resolved. Until your company isn’t on fire. Literally and figuratively.”

He stares at me. “You’re running.”

“I’m being practical.”

“You’re scared.”

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Chapter 52

2)

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“Of course I’m scared!” The words burst out. “I’m terrified, Aidan. Terrified that I’m going to be the reason you lose everything. Terrified that you’re going to wake up one day and resent me for the damage I caused. Terrified that…” My voice breaks. “That you’re going to have to choose between me and Storm Industries. And I already know which one you’ll pick.”

“You think I’d choose the company over you?”

“I think you should. This is your life’s work. Your legacy. And I’m just…” I gesture helplessly. “I’m just the ex- wife you hired for revenge.”

“Is that really what you think?” His voice is quiet. Dangerous. “After everything? After Singapore? After this morning? You still think you’re just a weapon to me? Did you really think I needed to be a weapon in the first place? I just wanted you.”

“I don’t know what I think anymore.” Tears blur my vision. “I just know that everything is falling apart and I’m the common denominator.”

He stands. Walks toward me. I back up.

“Don’t,” I say. “Don’t touch me. If you touch me, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll forget all the very good reasons we should keep our distance.”

“Good.” He keeps coming. “Because those reasons are bullshit.”

“Aidan…”

“I love you.” He says it firmly. Certainly. “I love you and I’m not choosing the company over you. I’m not choosing anything over you. We figure this out together or not at all.”

“But…”

“No buts. We’re in this. Together. You and me against Mark Knight and whoever else wants to come after us. That’s it. That’s the only choice that matters.”

I want to believe him. God, I want to believe him.

But I’ve been here before. I’ve been the woman someone claimed to love but pushed aside when things got complicated.

“What if it’s not enough?” I whisper. “What if loving me isn’t enough to save the company?”

“Then we build a new company. Together.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I absolutely mean it.” He cups my face. Forces me to look at him. “Storm Industries is brick and mortar and bank accounts. Important, yes. But replaceable. You’re not replaceable, Lila. You’re…” His voice cracks. “You’re everything. And I will burn the whole company down before I let Mark Knight or anyone else take you from

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Chapter 52

me.”

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“That’s insane.”

“Probably. But it’s true.”

“Aidan…”

His phone rings. He ignores it.

It rings again. And again.

“You should answer that,” I say.

“I don’t care…”

“Answer it.”

He pulls out his phone. Checks the caller ID. His expression darkens.

“It’s the Lee Corporation.” He answers. “William. What can I do for you?”

I watch his face. Watch it go from neutral to concerned to devastated.

“I see,” he says finally. “And there’s nothing I can say to…” Pause. “I understand. Thank you for the call.”

He hangs up. Stands there. Silent.

“What?” I ask. “What happened?”

“The Lee Corporation is backing out.”

“What? Why?”

“Because Mark sent them the lawsuit filing. Convinced them we’re unstable. That partnering with us is too risky given the ‘corporate espionage allegations.” He sets down his phone. “They’re pulling out of the deal. Effective immediately.”

My legs give out. I sink into a chair.

The Lee Corporation. Our biggest win. The thing that was supposed to prove Storm Industries was expanding, thriving, unstoppable.

Gone.

Because of Mark. Because of me. Because…

“I should leave,” I hear myself say.

“What?”

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“I should leave Storm Industries. Resign. Distance myself from the company. Maybe if Mark thinks he’s won, if he thinks he’s separated us, he’ll back off.”

“Absolutely not. How does he even know we’re together when we don’t know that ourselves.”

“Aidan, you just lost the Lee Corporation deal. You’re losing clients. Your office burned down. How much more are you willing to lose before you admit I’m the problem?”

“You’re not the problem!”

“Then what am I?” I stand. Face him. “Because right now, I feel like the liability you can’t afford to keep.”

The words hit him like a physical blow. I see it in his eyes.

“Is that really what you think?” he asks quietly.

“I think you have a choice to make. And I think we both know what the right choice is.”

“The right choice is you.”

“The right choice is Storm Industries. Your employees. Your legacy. Everything you’ve built. Don’t throw it away for…”

“For what? For love? For happiness? For the first real thing I’ve felt in fifteen years?” He steps closer. “I would throw it all away, Lila. Every bit of it. If it meant keeping you.”

“You say that now…”

“I’ll say it forever.”

We stare at each other. The space between us feels like miles.

My phone buzzes. I look down.

Text from Mark:

When will you learn that you’re just good to have for optics? You’ll always be the discarded one.

I show Aidan the text. Watch his expression turn murderous.

“Don’t,” I say before he can speak. “Don’t make this worse.”

“How could this possibly be worse?”

“You could lose everything trying to prove a point.”

“The point being that I love you?”

“The point being that love doesn’t conquer all. Sometimes love isn’t enough. Sometimes…” My voice breaks. “Sometimes the practical choice is the right choice.”

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Chapter 52

“And the practical choice is what? You leave? We pretend nothing happened? I let Mark win?”

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“The practical choice is we pause. Regroup. Figure out how to handle the Mark situation without our relationship complicating things further.”

He stares at me for a long moment. Then laughs. Bitter. Broken.

“You’re really doing this. You’re really running.”

“I’m being realistic…”

“You’re being a coward.””

The word hits like a slap. “Excuse me?”