A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 61:noveldrama

Vanessa, being Vanessa, wasn’t about to let it go. She launched into one of her infamous rants, her voice grating on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

“You don’t understand, Alex! Dominic lied about being married just to avoid me. I know Raina’s behind it. She’s always been petty like that,” she spat, crossing her arms like a petulant child.

I stared at her, unimpressed. “Even if Raina did it—which I highly doubt—she did nothing wrong. You can’t force a man to be with you, Vanessa. You need to let it go.”

Her face twisted in frustration. “Are you seriously taking her side? After everything?”

“Damn right, I am,” I snapped, stepping closer. “And you’d better not do anything to jeopardize the project, or so help me—”

My words caught in my throat as a nagging thought crept into my mind. Wasn’t I trying to do the same thing—force Raina to stay married to me?

I turned on my heel, muttering under my breath, “This isn’t the same thing.” It wasn’t. I wasn’t Vanessa, and Raina and I were still legally married. That made it different. Didn’t it?

I didn’t have time to linger on the thought. My day was packed, starting with a meeting I couldn’t afford to miss.

The conference room was alive with chatter, the steady hum of voices blending with the clinking of coffee cups and the rustle of papers. The team was energized, their enthusiasm palpable as they discussed strategies and figures. I should have been right there with them, focused and contributing, but my attention was elsewhere.

It was on her.

Raina sat at the far end of the table, her posture straight, her chin slightly lifted, exuding a quiet confidence that demanded respect. She didn’t need to speak to command the room. Her presence alone was enough.

And God, she was breathtaking.

The sunlight streaming through the window caught the soft waves of her hair, making it shimmer like silk. Her skin glowed with an effortless radiance, her features so striking it was impossible not to stare. The faint curve of her lips as she listened, the determined glint in her eyes as she scribbled a note—it all hit me like a punch to the gut. How the hell had I let her go?

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Even when I thought she’d cheated, how had I convinced myself that losing her was acceptable? That she didn’t deserve my fight?

I couldn’t look away. My gaze traced every line of her face, every movement of her hands, every subtle shift in her expression. She was so composed, so poised. It was as if the years apart had only made her stronger, more untouchable. And yet, I could feel the distance between us like a physical chasm—a rift I had created with my own damn hands.

The discussion around me faded into a blur. The voices, the figures, the charts projected on the screen—it all dissolved into meaningless noise. I couldn’t focus. How could I, when every fiber of my being was tuned to her?

The meeting dragged on, and I sat there, pretending to listen, pretending to care, while my mind raced. I thought about the nights I’d spent searching for her, the years I’d spent convincing myself I was better off without her, and the moment I realized I’d been wrong all along.

When the meeting finally ended, I didn’t wait. As people stood, gathering their papers and exchanging pleasantries, I zeroed in on her.

“Raina,” I said, my voice cutting through the buzz.

She glanced up, her expression unreadable, but the flicker of irritation in her eyes was unmistakable.

“We need to talk,” I added, taking a step toward her. My voice was steady, but the urgency was impossible to hide.

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