My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61

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I interrupt and ask again. “Did you know?”

“Yes,” was his only response.

“You knew the SEC was investigating Mark and you didn’t tell me?”

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“The SEC wasn’t investigating. Not until last night. But yes, I knew there was evidence of financial crimes. My team found it during…”

“During what? Your revenge research?” I’m out of bed now, pacing. “How long have you known?”

“About a week. We’ve been building a case…”

“A week?” My voice rises. “You’ve known for a week that Mark was embezzling money and you didn’t think to mention it?”

“I was protecting you…”

“I don’t need protecting! I need honesty! I need…” I stop. Press my hands to my face. “Patricia, I’ll call you back.”

“Lila, don’t make any decisions while you’re emotional. Just breathe. Process. We’ll talk later.”

I hang up. Throw the phone on the bed.

Aidan stands. “Let me explain…”

“Explain what? That you’ve been investigating my ex-husband behind my back? Building some kind of case against him without telling me?”

“It’s not like that…”

“Then what is it like, Aidan? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re still treating me like I’m your weapon instead of your partner.”

Another moment of silence, just the two of us breathing heavily.

“If I’d have known everything was happening so fast, I would have told you.”

“I’m not some delicate flower, and I don’t need you to protect me from what’s happening in my life.”

“I know.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

He sits down on the bed next to me, not touching but very close.

“You were happy; for the first time since I’ve known you, you have been truly happy. You were sleeping at night, and you were smiling. You haven’t been jumping at every text that comes through. And I didn’t want to be the cause of the end of your happiness by telling you all the things that Mark had done to you.”

10:18 Wed, May 13 N

Chapter 61

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“Those things are my burden, whether or not I know about them. He was my husband at one time, and because of that everything to do with his company is relative to me and will affect how people perceive me”

And then my cell phone rings again, so I ignore it. A minute later, it rings again using a different number.

“Here comes the press, and all of the people that want something from you,” says Aidan, in a very low tone but still loud enough to be heard.

“My comment on what? That my ex-husband is a criminal? That I..” I stop. Horror washing over me. “Oh God. They’re going to say I knew. That I was involved. That I…”

“No.” Aidan takes my hand. Finally touching me. “No. Legal already prepared a statement. You divorced Mark over a year ago. You had no access to Knight Group’s finances. You’re a victim of his deception just like everyone else.”

“But people will think…”

“Let them think. The evidence is clear. The timeline is clear. You left Mark and joined Storm Industries before any of this came to light. There’s no connection.”

“Except that you’re the one who found the evidence. You. My…” I stop. We haven’t defined what we are. Boyfriend feels too small. Partner feels too clinical. “The man I’m with. People are going to say this is coordinated. That we’re working together to destroy him.”

“So what if they do? It’s not true. The evidence speaks for itself.”

My phone rings again. And again. And again.

“Make it stop,” I whisper. “Please just make it stop.”

Aidan takes my phone. Powers it off. Then his own. “There. Stopped.”

“That’s not a solution…”

“It’s a temporary one. You need to breathe. Process. Figure out how you feel about this before you talk to anyone.”

“How I feel?” I laugh. It sounds slightly hysterical. “I feel like my life is a circus and Mark is the ringmaster and no matter how far I run, he’s still…” I stop. Take a breath. “Did you send the evidence to the SEC?”

Silence.

“Aidan. Did you send it?”

“Not directly. Anonymous tip. Completely untraceable to Storm Industries.”

“But you orchestrated it.”

“My team did. Yes.”

I stand. Walk to the windows. The city is waking up, people heading to work, living normal lives, not dealing

10:18 Wed, May 13 N

Chapter 61

with ex-husbands being investigated for federal crimes.

:))

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“I want to be angry with you,” I say without turning around. “I want to be furious that you kept this from me. That you made decisions about my life without telling me.”

“You should be angry. You have every right…”

“But I’m not.” I turn to face him. “I’m not angry. I’m scared. Because every time I think I’m free of Mark, he pulls me back in. And now his crimes, his choices, they’re going to be connected to me forever. Every article about him will mention me. Every interview. Every…”

“Then we control the narrative.” Aidan stands. Walks to me. “You’ve already told your story. The abuse. The manipulation. The divorce. Now Mark’s financial crimes just prove that you were right to leave. That he was exactly who you said he was.”

“Or they prove I’m vindictive. That I orchestrated all of this. That I seduced you to get revenge on…”

“Stop.” His hands are on my shoulders. Firm. Grounding. “Stop letting Mark’s potential accusations define how you react. Yes, this is complicated. Yes, there will be questions. But you have nothing to hide. Nothing to apologize for. You left an abusive marriage. You rebuilt your life. You’re succeeding. That’s your story. Mark’s crimes are his own.”

“Are they though? Or did I …” I stop. The thought is too horrible to finish.

“Did you what?”

“Did I push him to this? Did leaving him, tdid that push him over the edge? Make him desperate enough to…”

“No.” Aidan’s voice is steel. “No. Mark Knight made his own choices. He embezzled money because he’s a criminal who thought he was above consequences. He attacked you because he’s an abuser who can’t handle losing control. None of that is your fault. None of it.”

Gosh, Aidan must be tired of me already.

“I want to find out what people are saying.” I stated as I attempted to reach for it.

Aidan gently placed his hand over mine and prevented me from picking the laptop up.

“Not at this time. Let the story run its course. Let the truth unfold. Then we begin to address it,” he said.

“But…”

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