My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Lila

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Years ago, I walked down an aisle toward a man who would spend the next few years destroying me; today. I walk toward the man who helped me rebuild.

The garden is perfect. Intimate. Just thirty people scattered among white chairs and climbing roses. No grand cathedral. No hundreds of strangers. Just the people who matter most, watching as I take the most important steps of my life.

Sarah adjusts my veil one final time. “You look absolutely radiant.”

I catch my reflection in the French doors leading to the garden. The woman staring back is almost unrecognizable from the one who signed divorce papers almost two years ago. This woman is confident. Glowing. Free.

The dress is simple, ivory silk that flows like water, off-shoulder sleeves, a subtle train. Nothing like the elaborate gown Mark insisted I wear at our wedding. That dress had been his choice, his vision, his control.

This dress is mine.

Everything about today is mine.

“Ready?” Marcus appears in the doorway. Aidan asked him to walk me down the aisle, a gesture that made me cry when he offered it. My father isn’t here. I didn’t invite him. He never owned up to his mistakes and actions.

“I’m ready.”

He offers his arm. I take it.

We step into the garden.

The music starts, a string quartet playing something soft and beautiful. Heads turn. People smile. I see Patricia my therapist, my stylist, make up artist.

But I focus on him.

Aidan stands at the altar beneath an arch covered in white roses and ivy. He’s wearing a charcoal suit that makes his gray eyes even more striking. His hair is slightly messy, he ran his hands through it, nervous habit. His face lights up when he sees me.

He’s crying.

Not trying to hide it. Not embarrassed. Just standing there with tears streaming down his face and the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.

My own tears start immediately.

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Chapter 80

Marcus squeezes my arm. “Don’t you dare trip. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

I laugh through the tears. “I won’t trip.”

We walk slowly. Each step deliberate. Meaningful. Taking me from my past into

When we reach the altar, Marcus hands me over. “Be happy,” he whispers.

“I already am.”

He places my hand in Aidan’s and steps back.

Aidan’s fingers close around mine. Warm. Steady. Real.

“Hi,” he says softly.

“Hi.”

“You’re so beautiful I can’t breathe.”

“You’re breathtakingly handsome.”

The officiant clears his throat gently. “Shall we begin?”

We nod, but neither of us looks away from each other.

my future.

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“We gather here today,” the officiant begins, “to witness the union of two souls who have found in each other not just love, but partnership. Not just attraction, but respect. Not just companionship, but true understanding.”

I squeeze Aidan’s hands. He squeezes back.

“Aidan and Lila have chosen to write their own vows. Aidan, would you like to begin?”

Aidan takes a breath. When he speaks, his voice is thick with emotion.

“Lila. Two years ago, you walked into my office and changed my life. You were scared and brilliant and so convinced you had nothing to offer. And I looked at you and thought, this woman has no idea how extraordinary she is.”

A tear slides down my cheek. He reaches up with his thumb, wipes it away.

“I watched you grow. Watched you fight. Watched you take all the pain and fear and doubt, and transform it into strength. Into purpose. Into something beautiful.” His voice breaks. “You made me believe in things I thought I was too cynical for. Made me want to be better. Made me understand what it means to truly love someone, not control them, not possess them, but support them while they become everything they’re meant to be.”

I’m crying openly now.

“You are the strongest person I know. The kindest. The most resilient. And I promise…I promise…to spend

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Chapter 80

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every day of the rest of our lives making sure you know how valued you are. How loved you are. How completely and utterly irreplaceable you are.” He pauses. “I promise to give you space when you need it and support when you ask for it. I promise to never make you feel small or controlled or less than extraordinary. I promise to be your partner in every sense of the word, equal, supportive, present.”

He’s shaking now. I hold his hands tighter.

“I promise to love you in the quiet moments and the loud ones. In the victories and the struggles. In the ordinary days and the extraordinary ones.” His voice drops to almost a whisper. “I promise to choose you. Every single day. For the rest of my life.”

Silence. Even the birds seem to be listening.

“Lila?” the officiant prompts gently.

I take a shaky breath. Look at the man who saved my life without trying to control it.

“Aidan. When I met you, I was broken. At least, I thought I was. I thought Mark had taken all the good parts of me and left nothing but damaged pieces.” My voice strengthens. “But you showed me I was never broken. I was just… folded. Compressed. Waiting for someone to give me space to unfold.”

Aidan’s grip on my hands tightens.

“You gave me that space. You challenged me to be better without making me feel inadequate. You supported me without making me feel weak. You loved me without making me feel owned.” Tears stream down my face. “You showed me what partnership looks like. What respect looks like. What love looks like when it’s not wrapped in control and manipulation.”

I see Marcus wiping his eyes. Sarah openly sobbing.

“I promise to never make you doubt how much you’re loved. I promise to support your dreams as fiercely as you’ve supported mine. I promise to be honest with you, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.” 1 smile through the tears. “I promise to keep growing with you, not for you. To keep challenging you and letting you challenge me. To keep building this beautiful life we’ve started together.”

My voice breaks. I push through.

“I promise to choose you. Every morning. Every night. In every moment in between.” I pause. “You taught me that I deserve to be loved without losing myself. That I can be strong and vulnerable. That I’m enough exactly as I am. And I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you that you’re enough too. That you’re everything.”

The garden is completely silent except for the sound of people crying.

The officiant’s voice is gentle. “The rings?”

Thomas Park steps forward with a small velvet box. Hands it to Aidan.

Aidan takes out my ring, a wedding band that fits perfectly against my engagement ring. Delicate. Elegant. Us.

“With this ring,” he says, sliding it onto my finger, “I thee wed. My partner. My love. My everything.”

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Chapter 80

I take his ring from the box. Platinum. Simple. Strong,

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“With this ring.” I say, my voice shaking as I slide it onto his finger, “I thee wed. My best friend. My safe place. My home.”

“By the power vested in me,” the officiant says, smiling, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Aidan, you may kiss your bride.”

Aidan doesn’t wait. He pulls me into his arms and kisses me like we’re the only two people in the world.

The garden erupts in applause and cheers.

But I barely hear it. I’m too focused on this moment. This kiss. This man who is now my husband.

When we finally break apart, we’re both laughing and crying.

“Hello, Mrs. Storm,” he says.

“I’m keeping Stark professionally,” I remind him.

“Hello, my wife who’s keeping her name professionally but is still mine in every way that matters.”

“Much better.”

He kisses me again. Shorter this time. Sweet.

We turn to face our guests. Their faces are full of joy. Love. Support.

These people watched me transform from victim to survivor to warrior. Watched me build a career, a foundation, a life worth living. Watched me fall in love with a man who treats me like an equal.

And now they’re watching me start the next chapter.

As we walk back down the aisle, husband and wife, I think about the girl I was six years ago. So desperate to be loved that she married a man who would destroy her. So convinced she was worthless that she accepted crumbs and called it affection.

That girl is gone.

In her place is a woman who knows her worth. Who demands respect. Who loves herself enough to choose partners who elevate her rather than diminish her.

I am not the woman Mark tried to create.

I am not even the woman who left him two years ago.

I am someone new. Someone stronger. Someone who survived and thrived and transformed pain into

purpose.

I am Lila Stark.

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Chapter 80

Founder. Advocate. Wife.

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