My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Lila

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The penthouse is filled with the people who watched me transform from a broken woman into someone I’m proud to be.

I smooth down my champagne-colored dress, elegant, sophisticated, nothing like the clothes I wore when Mark controlled my wardrobe and watch Aidan across the room. He’s talking to David and Wilson, but his eyes keep finding mine. Each time our gazes meet, he smiles.

That smile. The one that says you’re the only person in this room who matters.

“Stop making heart eyes at your fiancé,” Marcus says, appearing at my elbow with two champagne flutes. “You’re making the rest of us feel inadequate.”

I laugh, accepting the glass. “I’m not making heart eyes.”

“You absolutely are. And he’s doing the same thing. It’s adorable and nauseating in equal measure.”

“You’re just jealous.”

“Extremely.” He grins. “But seriously, Lila. I’m happy for you both. You’re good for him. He’s…” He pauses, searching for words. “He’s different with you. More human. More himself.”

“He was always himself.”

“No. He was always the CEO. The strategist. The man who made billion-dollar decisions without blinking. With you, he’s just… Aidan. The man who looks at you like you hung the moon.”

Arms wrap around me from behind. I know his touch instantly. Lean back into Aidan’s chest.

“Having fun?” he murmurs against my ear.

“The best time.”

He spins me around. His hands settle on my waist. “Dance with me.”

“There’s no music.”

“There should be.” He calls over his shoulder: “Marcus! Music!”

Moments later, soft jazz fills the room. The same song that was playing the night he proposed.

Aidan pulls me close. We sway gently, ignoring the other guests, lost in our own world.

“This is perfect,” I whisper.

“You’re perfect.”

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Chapter 79

“I’m really not.”

“You’re perfect for me.” His hand slides up my back. “That’s all that matters.”

I rest my cheek against his chest. Feel his heartbeat steady and strong.

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“I keep thinking I’m going to wake up,” I admit quietly. “That this is too good to be true. That something will go wrong.”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can promise that whatever happens, we’ll face it together. That’s what marriage is. Partnership. Support. Facing the world side by side.”

I pull back to look at him. His gray eyes are intense. Full of love.

“How did I get so lucky?” I ask.

“I ask myself the same question every day.” He kisses my forehead. “Though I prefer to think it’s not luck. It’s choice. You chose to leave Mark. Chose to rebuild. Chose to say yes when I offered you a job. Chose to take a chance on us.”

“Best choices I ever made.”

“Same.”

Wilson clears his throat nearby. “Hate to interrupt, but David wants to make a toast.”

We break apart. Aidan keeps his hand on the small of my back as we turn to face the room.

David raises his glass. The conversations quiet.

“I’ve known Aidan Storm for fifteen years,” David begins. “Watched him build this company from the ground up. Watched him make difficult decisions. Watched him succeed beyond anyone’s expectations.”

He pauses, looking at me..

“But I’ve never seen him as happy as he is with you, Lila. You’ve brought something into his life, into all our lives, that was missing. Compassion. Purpose. Heart.” He smiles. “Aidan, you’re a brilliant CEO. But you’re an even better man with her beside you.”

I’m blinking back tears.

“To Aidan and Lila,” David continues. “May your marriage be filled with the same partnership, respect, and love you’ve already built together. May you continue to challenge each other, support each other, and make each other better. And may you always find your way back to moments like this, surrounded by people who love you, celebrating the beautiful life you’re creating.”

“To Aidan and Lila!” the room echoes.

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Chapter 79

Glasses clink. People drink. Someone whoops, probably Marcus.

Aidan turns to me. He kisses me. Gentle and sweet. Uncaring that everyone is watching.

When we break apart, the room erupts in applause and cheers.

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Sarah approaches with her phone out. “Can I get a photo for the foundation newsletter? Our founder and her brilliant fiancé?”

“Of course.”

We pose together. Aidan’s arm around my waist, my hand, with its beautiful ring, resting on his chest. We’re both smiling. Both glowing.

The camera clicks.

“Perfect,” Sarah says, showing us the photo. “This is going on the website too.”

I look at the image. At the woman staring back at me.

She’s confident. Happy. Loved.

She’s me.

And she’s nothing like the woman who left Mark two years ago.

“What are you thinking?” Aidan asks after Sarah walks away.

“That I don’t recognize myself sometimes. In the best way.”

“You’ve grown.”

“We’ve grown.” I touch his face. “Together.”

Marcus appears again, he’s been drinking, face flushed and happy. “Speech! The happy couple should make a speech!”

“Marcus, no one wants to hear us talk.”

“We do.” Someone calls out.

Soon the whole room is chanting: “Speech! Speech!”

Aidan looks at me. “You want to say something?”

“Together?”

“Together.”

We move to the center of the room. Aidan raises his hand and the room quiets.

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Chapter 79

“Thank you all for being here,” he begins. “For celebrating with us. For supporting us. For…”

He looks at me. I take over.

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“For believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. For giving me chances I didn’t think I deserved. For showing me what real partnership looks like.” My voice strengthens. “Years ago, was convinced I was worthless. That I’d never amount to anything. That I was lucky if anyone tolerated me.”

The room is completely silent.

“But you, all of you, showed me differently. You challenged me to be better. Supported me when I stumbled. Celebrated my victories. And never once made me feel like I didn’t belong.”

I look at Aidan. He’s watching me with such love I can barely breathe.

“And you,” I say to him. “You saved my life without trying to control it. You gave me space to grow without abandoning me. You loved me without diminishing me. You showed me what I was capable of when someone finally believed in me.”

“You did that yourself,” he says softly.

“We did it together.” I turn back to the room. “So thank you. All of you. For being part of this journey. For being part of our story. For being here tonight to celebrate the next chapter.”

Aidan raises his glass. “To family. To friends. To the people who make life worth living.”

“To love,” I add. “In all its forms.”

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