My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lila

The message I read on my phone was challenging me.

Lila Stark, you deserve more than the scraps you have been receiving.

Meet me at The Peninsula today at 8PM, alone.

-Someone who sees your worth.

I kept reading it over and over.

Scraps.

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ħ your bets

The word cut into me more than Mark’s malice ever could have because it was indeed true; I lived off scraps – glances that didn’t come, affection that never came, and a relationship where I wasn’t cherished, but instead merely tolerated.

I should have deleted my message.

But I still wanted to respond.

At 8pm, the city was alive, The Peninsula, stood in front of me with polished marble and luxury, like the type of buildings that I entered as Mark Knight’s wife and stood steps behind him, eyes to the ground, being cautious to touch something expensive.

But I wasn’t here as his wife, I was alone, and this time I would enter this building like someone that deserved to be here.

The elevator took me straight to the rooftop. When the doors opened up, warm air kissed my skin while I listened to all the sounds of the city below. The private area was set apart with low lighting, dark wood and glass.

I had no idea who I was going to meet but there was only one person there.

I found him standing at the railing with his back to me. He stood near the railing, back partially turned, a city of lights sprawled behind him like an empire he might already own.

He wore a charcoal suit and it fit him as though it were made for him, his shoulders were relaxed and his posture was perfect. When he turned and saw me, he lit up with cold grey eyes.

Our eyes met. For a brief moment, there was silence between us.

“Mrs. Knight,” he said softly and deliberately. “Or Should I say Ms. Stark? May I call you that again?”

My breath caught in my throat.

I had not disclosed my divorce or anything yet but I guess it must have spread.

15:16 Tue, May

Chapter 6

“Do I know you?” I asked.

He stepped forward. Not to close the gap between us, but to make it his.

“Aidan Storm,” he said. “Someone who has been waiting for Mark Knight to make a mistake.”

The weight of the name was significant.

5 vonchar

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1 had seen this name before, in business articles that Mark would claim not to read: Aidan Storm: the private equity mogul. He buys companies quietly, then rebuilds them without mercy. A ghost in the boardroom. Aidan is a hurricane that strikes without warning.

With fingers curled around my clutch, I said, “If this is a prank or something…”

“It is not.”

He motioned to the empty chair across from him. “Either take a seat at this table, or leave; this night is going to change how you see things.”

I hesitated before sitting down at the table.

Up close he was even more unsettling. Not only was he exceedingly handsome; he had an aura of control and patience about him. He was clearly someone who watches carefully before making his move.

“I’m no longer with Mark Knight.” I stated. “If this is about him…”

“This is not about Mark,” Aidan cut me off, speaking with a calm demeanor. “It is about you.”

A server appeared silently to pour me a glass of water. No wine. There were no assumptions made about my needs.

That was also unsettling.

Aidan continued, “You have been married for over a year, with no affection from your spouse…”

Aidan had clearly done his homework.

“I conduct more than research, Miss Stark,” he replied.”I observe.”

I let out a soft laugh at his comment. “So you already know that I have divorced.”

“Yes,” he said and his eyes sharpened. “That was the moment you’ve stopped being invisible.“

I frowned at him. “You talk like you have been watching me.”

“I have been,” he said.

I should have been scared with what he had said.

I wasn’t; I was fascinated.

15:16 Tue, May 12

Chapter 6

“Why?” I quietly asked him.

Aidan leaned back slightly and steepled his fingers in front of him “Because many years ago, your mother saved my life.”

My heart skipped a beat. “My mother died when I was young, she was nobody”

“She was a Stark,” he said simply and calmly. “She was much more than a nobody”

The sounds of the city around me faded away.

“You look just like her,” he said. “Especially when you are angry and pretending not to be”

I swallowed and shook my head. “You don’t know me.”

“No, I don’t. But I know what has been taken from you and what Mark Knight threw away.”

My anger flared. If this is some type of revenge…

“This is an opportunity for you.”

He pushed a thin folder towards me across the table.

I didn’t touch it.

“What is this?” I have asked him.

“Proof,” he said. “Your mother was cut off from her inherited money when she married your father; not because she deserved it or didn’t deserve it; because she refused to stay obedient to her father’s wishes and the Stark family has covered up her existence. You’ve lived your life not knowing what is rightfully yours.”

My chest tightened.

“That cannot be true.”

“Then open the folder.”

I didn’t open the folder.

Partly, I didn’t want to open it because I was scared that it was true.

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Aidan continued, “Mark Knight married you because you were a convenient choice. You were quiet, you were disconnected and easy to control. He had no idea what he was marrying, and neither did you.”

I felt my nails digging into my palm.

“Okay, then if this is true,” I said, “why now?”

Aidan looked at me in a soft gaze that was obviously not one of kindness, but more of a purposeful one,

“Because men like Mark only learn through loss. And women like you only rise from the ashes once they have

15:16 Tue, May 12

Chapter 6:

stopped waiting for someone to choose them.”

We both were silent for what felt like eternity.

We could see how alive and indifferent the city was below us.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

He studied me for a long time, almost as if he were pondering his words carefully.

“I want you to stop existing,” he said, “and to start building.”

My throat tightened up as I said. “With you?”

“With yourself,” he then stated. “I am merely… a bridge.”

I released a slow sigh of frustration when I said, “You want me to trust a stranger.”

Aidan said, “No. I will give you the truth.”

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He stood up and walked to me as close as possible. So close I could see the small scar near his jaw. So close that I could feel the weight of his presence.

“What Mark Knight believes, this divorce only freed him,” he said quietly. “The reality is that this divorce also freed you.”

I looked up at him, heart racing. “If I say no?”

“Then I will leave,” he said without any hesitation.”You lived your life never understanding how much of an influence you can have on people.”

The moment was quiet, but suspenseful.

“Come on!”

After lifting the cover from the folder, my phone began to vibrate loudly on the table.

A text.

“Where are you?”

Another message came in almost immediately after. “We need to talk!”

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