A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 294:

Her face fell, but that did nothing to quell the smile that lifted the corner of my lips. Wife. If only that were possible. If only Raina would take that leap, my family would be whole again. My entire existence would feel alive again. I didn’t need a family that would so easily betray me.

I shoved the key into the keyhole but paused, just to be sure.

“Vanessa.” I turned to face her.

Her eyes snapped to mine, gleaming with hope.

“Stay away from Raina. I fucking mean it, especially now that she’s pregnant with my child. I would hate to have to get a restraining order.”

She jumped, her eyes bright with glee. “No… that includes you too…” I cut her off before she could even open her mouth to speak.

She paused for a second, but the smile on her face was so wide, it never faded. “Hear me out.” She scoffed. I didn’t respond, just gave her the most bored look I could muster, which was easy. “I don’t want him or her born outside of a safe family unit. You should propose again. I’m sure if it’s glamorous enough, she would accept.” She smiled from ear to ear. “I repeat n-”

“That would be a perfect way into the Graham family. Things would go back to the way they were. Two power families united as one again. It’s perfect!” She held her chest, her thoughts already far gone to notice the glare I shot at her.

For fuck’s sake!

I knew she was going to bring the Graham fortune into it. That was all that ever mattered to her—social status, getting acceptance from a bunch of strangers who could barely look at themselves in the mirror with an actual smile.noveldrama

“Are you done?” I deadpanned. That seemed to snap her out of whatever daze she was in.

“What do you mean?”

“If I ever marry Raina again, let me just make one thing clear. She wouldn’t be staying in this house, because I would find another place where I could stay with my wife and kids, without anyone coming to disturb their peace.” I glared at Vanessa to emphasize my point. “I refuse to let the past repeat itself.”

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I didn’t wait for either of them to speak before I slid into my study and locked the door, making sure they couldn’t follow. I had bigger issues to deal with than my mother’s insistent butting in and Vanessa’s meaningless apologies.

I sighed as I dropped into the chair. I flipped through page after page for hours, but nothing made it past that one question: Why wouldn’t she want to marry me? I knew I wasn’t the most handsome or the best out there, but damn it, I would be anything she wanted me to be if it would make her happy. So why?!

Even if they mostly spoke about things that mattered far less than Vanessa did to me in that moment, my mother did have a point. The baby deserved more than being born outside a steady marriage, out of wedlock. Why couldn’t she just see how much I loved her? How much I was willing to do for her? I would literally do anything—everything—for her.

Getting married would solve a lot of unnecessary problems: the issue with the company, the baby in the picture, the endless thoughts that drove me closer to madness every passing day. It would fix a lot, but her trauma wasn’t something I could easily overcome.

I wanted to play with the idea, but not if it was going to be the final push that would send her back to the hidden spot behind the high walls of defense guarding her heart.

I groaned, shoving a hand through my hair, frustration raking through my entire being. There was barely any light streaming through the windows anymore, and still, I hadn’t gotten anything done after two full hours of ‘work’. This wasn’t working.

I grabbed my keys, shut the door behind me, and made my way to the garage. I drove above the speed limit—it was slowly becoming a habit, but I couldn’t care less at that moment. I needed clarity. I craved it, but I couldn’t rush her.

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