My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Lila

P:

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I’m wearing the power outfit that Margot recommended, a tailored black pants, with a fitted suit and crisp white shirt underneath, and high heels that add three-inches of height. My hair is in a sleek bun, my makeup is perfect.

I’ve been gone for three days, with no contact except for a text message about Lee Corporation. For three days, I’ve been wondering if I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me because I was too afraid to fight for it.

Marcus sees me first. He does a double-take.

“Lila. You’re…” He stands. “You’re back.”

“I’m back.” My voice is steadier than I feel. “Do you know if Aidan is available?”

“He’s in his office; he’s been there since six this morning.” Marcus examines me. “He’ll be happy to see you.”

“Will he?”

“Go find out.”

I walk past the conference rooms; I walk by my office, I pass executives who look up, whisper about me, and pretend they weren’t looking at me before.

Finally, I arrive to Aidan’s office. It’s closed and I can see Aidan standing by the windows looking out and using the phone; his shoulders are tense.

I knock softly once on the door.

He turns around, sees me and freezes.

I see him talk into the phone and then I watch him hang it up while still holding my gaze,

He opens the door.

“Hi,” I say and realize how stupid and inadequate it sounds.

“Hi,” Aidan says. His expression is neutral and guarded.”Come in.”

I walk into the office, and he closes the door behind me, the click echoing like a warning siren in my head.

We stand there looking at each other, three feet apart, but separated by miles of space.

“You look..” he takes a breath. “Business-like.”

“So do you.”

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Chapter 55

“Lila-”

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I’m already interrupting him, and my apology comes spilling out. “I’m so sorry. For leaving. For hiding. For not believing that we could get through this together. For…”

“Stop,” he says, holding up a hand. “Don’t apologize for being scared or needing time to process. Just…” he pauses, “just tell me what you want. Are you here to quit? To end it? To…”

I take a step forward. “No. I’m here to fight. And I’m here to tell you that I’m all in. With the business. With bringing Mark down. With-” I pause for a brief second before continuing-“with whatever ‘us’ means. I’m all

in.”

He almost breaks a smile as doubt creeps across his face. “Are you certain?”

“I’ve spent the last three days in my room trying not to look at the TV or read anything about me. But instead, I keep watching the news and seeing how Mark is trying to take down all we’ve built together. And as I sat there, I realized something.”

“What?”

“That running away didn’t keep me safe. It left me alone.” I take another step. “I no longer want to be alone. I will no longer protect myself from pain by refusing to invite people close to me. I want to fight for the company, for my name, and for ‘us.””

“Lila…”

“I’m going on an interview,” I say, reaching into my pocket for my phone to show him Patricia’s email. “Tomorrow will air my television interview about what really happened. Everything Mark did. Everything his family did for three years that I’ve kept quiet.””I’m done staying quiet.”

He looks up from the email, realization dawns across his face, “This is going to get very ugly.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Mark will retaliate and attempt to continue hurting you.”

“I am willing to let him give it a shot; I no longer fear him.”

Aidan sets down my phone and stares intently into my eyes, trying to discover the trigger of this sudden change. “What happened in the last 72 hours to make you transform from being afraid into being angry?”

“I am upset with him for attempting to destroy me. I am upset with myself for being manipulated by him into feeling unworthy. I am…” I take a deep breath. “I am using this anger as your instructed.”

He softens his expression slightly, “Are you absolutely sure that you want to go through with this interview?”

“I am one hundred percent sure.”

“Have you prepared yourself mentally, if this doesn’t play out well? With this being on such a public platform now?”

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“I had no idea that preparing for this day would be all of my life. But I have been preparing unconsciously my entire life. I need to do this for me; not for revenge; not for Storm Industries. I cannot allow Mark to dictate my life any longer.”

He ponders for a few moments before stating, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes. You will proceed with the interview and tell your story. I will support you during this entire matter.”

“Is it really going to be that simple?”

“Yes, it is.” He opens a drawer and removes a folder. “I had our legal team begin preparation with anticipation that you would eventually want to share this publicly. We have records and proof that Mark will not be able to refute, including, but not limited to… a premise being created from the beginning of our relationship, how you became hired with the company, your performance review. Everything.

“Even though I was not with you?”

“Particularly while you weren’t here.” He hands me the folder. “I always thought you would return. And I always thought you would return and fight, and I could only wait until you did.”

He had faith in me even when I lacked faith in myself

“What can I do to help you?” he inquires, “With respect to the interview, or anything else you might need.”

“Emotional support? Legal backup? Someone to sit with you while you prepare? I don’t know how to do this, how to support someone through something like this. But I want to. Just tell me how.”

My throat tightens. “You’re asking what I need?”

“Of course I’m asking. This is…” He gestures helplessly. “This is huge. Terrifying. You’re about to expose the worst parts of your past on national television. I can’t imagine what that feels like. So tell me. What do you need?”

Mark never asked what I needed. Never cared. Just told me what to do, what to say, what to be.

Aidan is asking. Actually asking.

“I need …”My voice cracks. “I need to know you believe me. That you believe I earned this position. That I’m not just…”

He cupped my face.”

“You are the most competent executive I have worked with in my career. You have successfully concluded the Nakamura deal due to your efforts. You and I together succeeded in becoming partners with the Lee Corporation; because of you.”The new initiatives that have been implemented by your organization over the last four months were based solely upon your idea and input.”

“I understand that some people may believe otherwise, however, I don’t care what they think; I know the truth, and I believe that you also. When you do your interview tomorrow, everyone else will also know the

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truth,” he said, tightening his grip on my shoulders.

The tears began falling from my face, and I said,

“But I’m scared.”.

“I know.”

“What if I mess up and I say the wrong thing?”

“Then we will deal with it together.”

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“You’re not alone in this, Lila. You have me. You have the whole company backing you. You have Patricia and Margot and an entire legal team ready to support you. You’re not fighting this alone.”

“Why?” The word escapes. Raw. “Why do you believe in me so much? After everything? After I walked out?”

“Because I see you. Really see you. Not the version Mark tried to make you. Not the woman you were when you first walked into my office. The real you. The brilliant, fierce, incredible woman you’re becoming.” He pauses. “And that woman is unstoppable.”

I’m crying now. Actually crying. Not sad tears. Something else. Relief? Gratitude? I don’t even know.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I admit. “How to let someone support me. How to trust that you won’t…”

“Won’t what?”

“Won’t use it against me. Won’t change your mind when things get hard. Won’t-” I stop. “Won’t be like him.”

Understanding crosses his face. “I’m not Mark.”

“I know. Logically, I know that. But there’s this voice in my head, his voice, that keeps saying I’m not worth this. That you’ll realize it eventually. That I’m going to disappoint you and…”

“Hey.” He cups my face. Makes me look at him. “That voice is a liar. You’re worth everything. You’re worth the fight, the complications, the mess. All of it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

In a lower tone he continues, “You are worth it, Lila, and I will be there to remind you of this every time I have to until you fully trust me.”

The moment he said that, he unlocked my heart of a locked section forever.

“I want to trust you.”

“Start trying to. One chapter at a time and one page at a time until it becomes a constant part of you.”

We were too close for comfort, his hands still holding my face and his breath was warm.

“Aidan?”

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“Would it be okay if I got close enough to give you a hug? You seem like you really would like one, but I want to ask first because of consent and boundaries and…”

I didn’t let him finish, I just stepped into him and pulled myself to him for a hug with my arms around his waist and my head on his chest.

He held me like I was something valuable.

“You’ll be okay” he whispered in my hair. “More than okay. You will be amazing at it.”

“I’m terrified.”

“I know, but you have the courage to do this.”

“To me, it feels like desperation, not like courage.”

“To some people they may be the same thing.” As he places his hand on my back and rubs it, he calms me. “What time do you have to go in for your interview?”

“I have to be there at 2pm at the studio.”

“I’ll come with you.”

I pull away from him. “No. You don’t have to…”

“I’m coming with you so you won’t have to go by yourself.”

“But you know how people will think we are…”

“I don’t care what they think about us. I care about you.” He puts a piece of hair behind my ear. “Let me be there with you.”

Let me be there. not I’m going to be there. Not You need me there.

He offered me the choice to have him go, to give me the control.

“Okay,” I replied and whispered. “Okay. Come with me.”

“Great,” he said, taking a step back and putting some distance between us again. “Now we can get ready to go over how you are planning on answering the interview. What is the angle you want to take when they interview you?”

I get out my notes that I spent all night making. “I want to tell the truth. I will not make it sound worse than it is or add drama to my story. The facts will be presented first, the order they happen and how they happened.”

“Smart. Patricia can help you practice your interview skills and help you anticipate any questions that may be difficult for you to answer so you can be prepared for anything they may ask you.”

“Patricia is coming this evening at 6 pm.”

“Great. And Lila…”

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“Yes?”