My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Lila

The worst part is that I clearly remember writing that email.

Not vaguely like it was a long time ago.

Not emotionally like I was upset.

Perfectly like it was yesterday.

I recall the night I wrote it.

The exact sweater I was wearing.

The moment I realized how humiliating it was, sitting alone in my apartment staring at my laptop trying to decide if being close to Aidan Storm was becoming a problem at work. I just couldn’t think around him.

Oh God my stomach hurts so much I almost drop the phone.

Aidan catches it before it falls from my hand.

“Lila.” he says.

I take a moment to answer.

Because suddenly I’m sitting on my couch at 1 am laptop open tears welling up in my eyes. My boss looked at me in a conference room that afternoon like I was the only person there and something inside me reacted before I could stop it.

It’s humiliating.

Terrifying.

Also wonderful.

I didn’t send the email because I realized leaving Storm Industries wouldn’t solve the problem.

The problem wasn’t being close to Aidan.

It was that I already loved him.

Now someone has that email.

Aidan looks at me carefully.

“What is it?” he asks.

I swallow hard.

“I wrote that.” I say.

His expression changes.

Not to suspicion.

Concern.

Chapter 98

“You sent it?” he asks.

“No.” I reply.

“Then how does someone have it?” he asks.

That’s a good question.

My pulse starts racing.

The screenshot attached to the text is definitely real.

My old email draft.

My words.

The timestamp.

Nothing fake.

Which means…

“Oh my God” I say.

Aidan freezes.

“What?” he asks.

“That draft was saved on my work laptop “I explain.

The room changes instantly.

I see the realization hit him.

Cold.

Fast.

Dangerous.

“Your Storm laptop?” he asks.

“Yes I reply.

“When was the last time you had it?” he asks.

“They archived everything when I left “I say. “IT collected the device.”

Aidans jaw tightens.

“Thomas” he says, already reaching for his phone.

I stop him.

“No I say sharply.

He pauses.

I stand un from the sofa abruptly pacing two steps before stopping. My skin feels too tight.

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Chapter 98

This means they had access to my files I say.

“They accessed archived data Aidan corrects.

I’m not comforted.

That doesn’t make me feel better.

I laugh once in disbelief.

“That’s not comforting” I say.

He watches me carefully as I pace again.

The email.

That email was never meant for anyone.

It was one of those moments people are supposed to have without being shared.

Aidan says something quietly into the phone to Thomas while I try to calm down.

I know what this is supposed to do.

That’s the part.

The email changes the story.

Before Evelyn was just implying things.

Now there’s evidence.

Not affair evidence.

Worse.

Mutual feelings.

Human feelings.

The kind people get obsessed with dissecting because everyone secretly thinks emotional cheating is more romantic than physical.

I feel exhausted.

Aidan ends the call. Approaches me carefully.

“Sit down” he says.

I don’t want to.

“Lila he says.

“I feel like I’m being exposed in public “I say.

The words come out before I can soften them.

Silence falls between us.

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Chapter 98

Then his face changes.

Not anger.

Pain.

I regret saying it because now he looks like he’d dismantle the internet if it would stop hurting me.

He reaches for me slowly.

I let him.

His hands settle at my waist holding me.

“Listen to me ” he says.

I look at him.

“That email isn’t shameful ” he says.

My throat tightens.

“It feels shameful.” I say.

“Why?” he asks.

Because I loved him before he loved me back.

Because I knew it was dangerous.

Because some part of me enjoyed the danger.

Because there’s humiliation in wanting someone while trying to remain respectable.

I look away.

“It makes me look pathetic ” I say.

Aidans grip tightens.

“Lila’ he says.

“No, objectively…” I start.

“You wrote an unsent email because you were trying to create distance from someone you had feelings for ” he says. “That’s not pathetic. That’s responsible.”

Emotion flashes inside me.

I hate when he does this.

Takes my thoughts and turns them around.

“You’re biased ‘I say.

“Yes he says. “Wildly.”

Despite myself I laugh softly.

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Chapter 98

The sound breaks because exhaustion catches it.

Aidans expression softens.

Then he pulls me against him.

No hesitation.

No carefulness.

Just his arms wrapping tightly around me.

Suddenly the humiliation hits me.

Not intellectually.

Physically.

I grip his sweater hard.

“I hate this.” I whisper.

“I know.” he says.

“No I really hate this. “I say.

“I know.” he says.

“I hate that strangers are reading things I never said aloud.” I say.

His hand slides up my back.

“I know.” he says.

“I hate that they’re probably romanticizing it. “I say.

He pauses.

“They absolutely are.” he says.

I make a sound between laughter and despair.

Because of course they are.

The internet loves longing.

Attractive impossible longing.

God.

Aidan tilts my face up.

You want stories out of feelings I once tried to bury. “he says.

I move away from him pressing my palms against my eyes.

This is so humiliating I say.

Behind me Aidans voice is calm.

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Chapter 98

“It’s invasive not humiliating” he says.

“It can be both. I reply.

Silence.

“Yes.” He says quietly.

I drop my hands and look at him.

God he looks tired.

Not physically.

Violently.

Like exhaustion sharpened into focus.

His tie is gone. Sleeves rolled up. Hair disordered.

Beautiful man.

Terrible circumstances.

Hes still looking at me like I’m the one who needs holding together.

Something inside me aches.

“You should hate this more. “I say softly.

His brows pull together.

“What?” he asks.

“This situation ” I say. “Me becoming complicated publicly. Your company getting dragged into this. Investors panicking. Your ex-girlfriend using history against me, tarnishing your image, trying to ruin us and our marriage.” My throat tightens. “You should be angrier at me for existing in the middle of it.”

Aidan stares at me like I’ve spoken another language.

“Lila ” he starts slowly.

I look away.

Because the second after saying it I hear how damaged it sounds.

There it is.

The real fracture beneath all of this.

Not fear he’ll stop loving me.

Fear he’ll decide loving me costs much.

Mark again.

Always Mark.

I wrap my arms around myself tightly.

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Chapter 98

You know what the worst part is?” I ask.

Aidan waits.

“The comments aren’t entirely wrong. “I say.

His entire body stills.

I continue before he can interrupt.

“I did fall in love with you while working for you” I say. My voice shakes. “I did stay after realizing it was emotionally dangerous. I did look at you in ways I shouldn’t have sometimes.” I laugh softly without humor. “God there are probably dozens of photographs where I look half in love with you before we even touched each other.”

“Lila” he says.

“I’m serious.” I say.

“So am I.” he says.

The sharpness in his tone cuts through mine.

I look up.

His eyes are locked on me.

Focused.

Certain.

“You are speaking about your feelings like they were failures. ” he says.

Emotion lodges in my throat.

“Weren’t they?” I ask.

“No.” he says.

“You were my boss.” I say.

“And I was responsible, for maintaining boundaries ” he says.

The firmness of that answer startles me.

He steps closer.

“You want the truth?” he asks quietly.

I nod.

“The truth is that I spent months wanting you while refusing to touch you because I knew the power imbalance mattered he says.

My breath catches.

“And when I realized you felt something too ” he continues, “I became more careful. Not less.”

I stare at him.

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Chapter 98

Because suddenly I remember all of it differently.

The distance he sometimes put between us after moments when we accidentally got close.

The restraint.

The painful professionalism whenever tension became too obvious between us.

God.

At the time I thought he simply didn’t want me enough.

Aidan studies my face carefully.

“You think you corrupted me somehow.” he says softly.

“I think…”

“No.” His voice gets a bit softer. “You think loving me made you manipulative.”

My eyes sting away because his words hit too hard.

He breathes slowly through his nose.

Then takes my face carefully in both hands.

“Lila I need you to listen to me carefully right now.”

I do.

“You loved me before it was safe to.”

I feel emotion crack through me at that.

“And using it to your advantage “he continues quietly “you tried to leave.”

The room gets still.

Because he’s right.

That email was never meant to seduce.

It was surrender.

I close my eyes for a moment.

“You make everything sound noble.”

“No.” His thumb brushes lightly under my eye. “I make it sound truthful.”

A dangerous silence settles between us after that.

The kind that comes from much honesty.

I look at him.

Really look at him.

At the exhaustion around his eyes. The tension in his jaw. The way he keeps moving to me like being near me calms him.

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Chaprer 98

Suddenly something sharp and protective moves through me too

Not him protecting me.

Me protecting him.

Because Evelyn didn’t just choose a scandal carefully.

She chose the timing.

The leaks are getting worse.

First it was a suggestion.

Then history.

Then private emotions.

She’s building toward something.

I feel it suddenly with certainty.

“Aidan.”

His eyes stay on mine.

“She’s not finished.”

A pause.

“No” he says quietly. “She isn’t.”

The certainty in his voice scares me more than panic would have.

I pull away slightly. Grab my phone again despite his obvious disapproval.

“Lila.”

“I need to see the reaction to the email.”

“You really don’t.”

“I really do.”

Before he can stop me I reopen the app.

The comments are worse now.

Not crueler.

More invested.

That’s somehow more dangerous.

THE UNSENT EMAIL???

Oh they were really into each other before the marriage.

I’m sorry. This is the most romantic scandal I’ve ever seen.

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Chapter 98

No. because if my coworker sent drafts like that about me I’d marry her too.

This woman was fighting for her life trying not to fall for him.

Heat floods my face instantly.

“Oh my God.”

Aidan glances over my shoulder briefly.

Then immediately regrets it.

“I’m deleting the internet.”

I scroll further.

That’s when the tone changes.

Sharper comments now.

Meaner.

It’s interesting how everyone ignores the power imbalance because he’s hot.

She emotionally attached herself to a billionaire boss. People think that’s romantic?

If genders were reversed you’d call this predatory.

That one hits hard.

Not because it’s entirely wrong.

Because it’s complicated.

Complexity dies online.

I stare at the screen for long.

Long enough that Aidan gently takes the phone from my hand again.

“Enough.”

This time I let him.

Because suddenly my chest feels hollow.

Not destroyed.

Exposed.

Aidan sets the phone aside carefully before sitting beside me on the sofa.

Close enough that our knees touch.

Neither of us speaks immediately.

Then finally I whisper:

“I don’t know how to exist anymore.”

Chapter 98

His head turns toward me instantly.

“Yes you do.”

I laugh softly. “That confidence feels misplaced.”

“No.” He watches me steadily. “You’re overwhelmed. That’s different.”

I lean back against the sofa cushions

“What if they never believe me?”

“About what?”

“That I loved you honestly.”

The second the words leave my mouth his expression changes.

God.

There it is again.

That look.

Like every wall inside him drops at once.

He reaches for my hand slowly.

“Lila.”

I look at him.

“You have never once loved me dishonestly.”

Emotion floods through my chest so fast it almost hurts.

Then his phone rings.

Not vibrates.

Rings.

Sharp against the room.

Thomas.

Aidan answers immediately.

“Yes.”

I watch his face change in time.

Confusion first.

Then disbelief.

Then something colder.

“What do you mean she’s missing?”

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Chapter 98

Every muscle in my body locks.

Aidan stands abruptly from the sofa.

“When?” he says sharply.

Silence while Thomas answers.

Then:

“Find her before the press does.”

My stomach drops violently.

Aidan lowers the phone slowly.

I’m already standing.

“What happened?”

His gaze lifts to mine.

For the first time since this started I see genuine alarm break through his composure.

“Evelyn disappeared this morning ” he says quietly.

Then, after a beat:

“She left a note.”

田

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10:03 Mon, Jun 1 M M