My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Aidan

I stand outside the television studio downtown at 1:15pm, waiting for Lila.

A black car stops and Lila gets out.

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At that moment, I inadvertently stop breathing. Lila has on a simple, elegant, baby blue dress with her hair down and soft waves, minimal make-up.

She sees me and stops suddenly, “You came”.

“Yes, I came.” I walk to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m going to pass out”.

“That’s perfectly normal”

“It is?”

“I don’t know, but it sounds logical to me.” I take and squeeze her hand, “Lila, you’re going to be amazing!”

“What if I go blank?, What if I cannot do this?”

“You have been practicing, and ready for this. Trust yourself, you can do it.”

Patricia gets out of the car and walks to Lila, “Are you ready?”

“No, but let’s go do it anyway,” Lila responds.

We walk inside the television studio through security, down the hallways lined with pictures of prior interviewees and go into the green room where a production assistant offering water, coffee and make-up touch-ups.

While waiting, Lila sits and then fidgets, stands, paces.

“Five minutes,” the Production Assitant announces.

Patricia goes over the talking points with Lila, “Just remember what I told you, ground yourself in your facts. Do not editorialize, do not take guesses about why Mark did what he did; just share your experience. The audience will draw their conclusions”.

“Facts; right; just share the facts”. Lila turns to me, “This is crazy; I’m going to tell millions of people that…”

“You are going to tell them about your courage, your survival and your refusal to remain silent”. I squat down in front of her to make eye contact.

“This isn’t a revenge plot Lila – truth is what you are pursuing. You are simply clarifying your statements. Nothing more.”

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Chapter 57

“And if no one believes me?”

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“Some people won’t, but some will and some that matter to you will.” Holding onto her hands tighter. “When you wake up tomorrow morning, the burden you have been holding alone will be lifted and you will have told your truth.”

Nodding her head and breathing out “Okay, Okay. I’ve

got this.”

“Ms. Stark, we are ready for you.” The PA enters. Lila stands up and smooths her dress down and looks back at

“I’ll be here,” I assure her, “I won’t leave you. You can do this!”

Lila acknowledges me with a nod and leaves with the PA. Patricia and I will go into the viewing area, which has monitors with different camera views. I watch as Lila sits in the interviewing chair while the host, Jennifer, is seated opposite her, along with hair and makeup getting last minute adjustments made before the interview

starts.

“She is going to be amazing,” Patricia says from beside me.

“I agree”.

“You really care about her.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“To anyone who is observing you.” Patricia turns back and watches monitor. “For what it’s worth she cares about you also. I have never seen her as adamant as she is today.”

“She means a lot to me as well.”

Lila’s interview begins. I see Jennifer introduce Lila and starts to explain the events that led to this interview, including the allegations, the timeline and the controversy.

“Welcome Lila Stark to our guest this week.”

“Thank you for having me” Lila’s voice is strong and steady.

“Let’s cut to the chase with these allegations, did you ever have an affair with Aidan Storm while married to Mark Knight?”

“No. I didn’t meet Aidan till I had divorced Mark.”

“When did you become romantically involved with Mr. Storm?”

“A week ago.”

“But your job at Storm Industries started only a few weeks after your divorce was final.

“It did! Because Aidan Storm offered me the opportunity to work where I wanted and to start over again. At first, that was all I was looking for.”

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Chapter 57

“Mark Knight has a very different story to tell.”

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“Mark Knight has told many different stories about me for years; most of these have been lies intended to take control of my narrative. This interview is my opportunity to take back my control of my narrative.

At that moment Jennifer leans forward in anticipation of what Lila has to say. “What can you tell us about your marriage? Please share the actual story.”

Lila proceeds to do so.

Lila describes the emotional abuse Mark put her through, how he belittled everything about her from her cooking, looks, intelligence, and in fact he had affairs publically and then brought his mistress into their home openly while they were still married, and she shared it calmly.

“He always told me how lucky I was that he chose me, because no one else would want me and I should be thankful to him for that, and I believed him for two years.”

“What caused you to change your thoughts about him?”

“He publically humiliated me at a gala, but it also set me free. It allowed me to see all the lies he told me to keep me down.”

“And what did Aidan Storm do?”

“Aidan Storm allowed me to show the world what I was truly capable of doing.” What she is doing is completely dismantling his lies, one truth at a time. Lila is calm, and composed and she speaks the truth about the abuse she suffered.

“The allegations about your position,” Jennifer continues. “That you slept your way into a corner office. What do you say to that?”

“I say look at my work. Look at the deals I’ve closed. The strategies I’ve implemented. The results I’ve delivered. I earned my position through competence, not favors.” She looks directly at the camera. “And anyone who believes otherwise hasn’t been paying attention.”

After the interview, Jennifer tells Lila that she’s proud of her and that Lila is a great example of what strong, smart women can accomplish. “I want women everywhere to know that there is a difference between being good and being appreciated; between being a hard worker and being respected; and that being appreciated is not the same as being manipulated. “It is perfectly acceptable to rebuild oneself and become an entirely different person from what you once were. She paused again before looking directly at the camera.

“Thank you, Mark, if you are out there watching, the best thing you ever did for me was to divorce me. You forced me to begin all over again. You’ve provided clarity in showing me everything that I don’t want from a partner and have provided me with a newfound freedom. I will NEVER go back again!”

The interview has wrapped, and the cameras have gone off.

I was out of my chair before I knew I was up and through the door into the studio.

When Lila sees me, she rises to meet my approach and asks me, “How did I do?”

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Chapter 57

“You did amazing.” I said as I pulled her towards me for a hug. “Truly anazing!”

I could feel Lila shaking; the shake was coming from her shoulders. “I did it. I really did it.”

“You did. Tomorrow the WORLD will know the TRUTH!”

Lila lets go of me, and she looks up. “Now what do we do?”

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“Now we wait and see the aftershocks of this earthquake that we are about to cause and manage them… together!”

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