Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband

(Winona)

"Winona," he says, walking over to kiss my temple. "Welcome home. It feels so good here, right?"

"You feel it too?" That makes me happy. Knowing Jayden feels the same vibe the kids and I do in this place.

"You chose perfectly. I'm heading out for a meeting with Gus and Viktor. Figured I'd take Henry with me. He can nap in the car. If that's okay with you? Is Henry being with Gus okay?"

I nod. "Gus visited me, and we sorted some stuff. It's fine with me if it's fine with you."

He kisses my lips and whispers in my ear, "I can't wait to snuggle with you tonight. I have missed you so, so much after dinner time." He nuzzles my ear.

I smile as Henry tries to grab my hair.

"Hey, you two, get a room!" Lisa teases.

"Oh, we will." He steps away and Henry reaches for me and I hold his little hand in mine. I've missed him so much.

"Anyway, I better bounce. Get this Global Nexus stuff done," Jayden says.

"Henry can stay here if it's easier."

"No need. He's my right-hand man these days. He'll be fine," Jayden says, adjusting Henry's little hat. "You just take it easy and enjoy being home. He'll probably be up late, seems to be his thing lately. So you can make up for lost time then." "I will," I assure him. "Thanks for being amazing while I was in the hospital."

"Anything for you. Don't let Lisa talk you into anything crazy while I'm gone."

Lisa grins. "No promises."noveldrama

Jayden heads off, Henry babbling in his arms.

My hand goes to my abdomen and then I quickly move it again.

Don't spoil this perfect family vibe. It's all I ever wanted.

This pain from the loss will heal with time. I just need to focus on what I have here and stay busy.

***

Later, after the kids have shown me their freshly painted rooms and their chore charts, I find Lisa in the living room, sprawled on the massive sectional couch with her phone in hand. She's staying over tonight so we can get her meeting-ready.

"How's the meeting prep going?" I ask, settling into the rocking armchair across from her.

Lisa groans, tossing her phone onto the coffee table. "Ugh, don't remind me. I still think two days is too soon. You're barely out of the hospital."

"This isn't about me," I remind her. "This is about you stepping up and taking charge of Lance's foundation. I'm there as moral support, not running a marathon."

"I know, but..." she hesitates, biting her lip. "What if I fuck it up?"

"You won't," I say firmly. "Lance believed in you. I believe in you. You're going to do great."

"Maybe you have too much faith in me. I've never run a car boot sale stall let alone a corporate non-profit mothership."

"You helped take care of my kids and you aren't a mother yourself, same difference. You have the skills, you just don't realize it yet."

"For motherhood? No way."

"For the business, I mean." I roll my eyes at her. "Stop changing the subject."

"It would be way easier to just go to the bar and have some shots. Forget about all of this work stuff. Jobs are overrated."

"How would you know if you've never had one?"

"There's zero reason to bring logic into this."

I laugh. "If you don't try, you'll never know. If you try and fail, all good. At least you tried."

"Hah! As if failure is an option. You know how Lance felt about that." Lisa rubs her hands together like she does when she's stressed.

"Lance will appreciate that at least you had a go and can make an informed decision about letting it go. He would never hold it against you."

"I'm scared to be bad at it. That's why I never tried anything before. What if I suck so hard at it that I hate myself."

"That won't happen. You'll see. I'm sure that whoever the team are that run it now, they are all experts in their field. This might be very fulfilling for you." "I guess."

"Have you watched that USB Lance left you yet?" I get up and go to put my laptop on charge on the side table.

Lisa's face darkens. "No."

"Okay." I stand and watch her. Lisa is not okay.

"I'm not going too. There's nothing on there that can possibly make me feel any better about him being gone. I hate that he left me like that. I hate that I wasn't enough. I wish he'd never come to Brussels with me.

"None of it is your fault, Lisa. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I shouldn't have had that night with him. It was selfish of me. I don't deserve for Jayden to forgive me like he has." I mean that.

"That's not true."

"It is. It really is. But what can I do? I can't walk away from Jayden and the kids now. That will only compound his hurt. I want my family to thrive. I want to thrive as well. I'm not sure I can really have both. I'm about to implement changes in a billion-dollar company."

"You've run your own company before," Lisa reminds me.

"This isn't a marketing agency I've built up myself. That was chicken feed in comparison. I've seen Jayden struggle with his time. How can I expect to do the same?"

"You won't know till you try." Lisa gives me a knowing look. "Have faith in yourself."

"Are you making me take my own advice?"

"Damn right I am. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for you. We'll get through this together."

"We'll give it our best shot. See what happens. I better go call my babies in to wash up for dinner." Those words out of my mouth are jarring.

My babies. My baby boy. I think of the baby I almost had. The dream. The hope. Gone but never forgotten. I remember Abbey as a newborn, and Henry. That smell they have. Their first smile and words.

It's incredibly sad that I'll never have that again. But some women never get that. I'm luckier than a lot. There are many worse off than me. I have no right to feel sorry for myself.

"Winona? Are you okay?" Lisa asks, suddenly she is standing beside me and helping support me. "I think we better get you into bed. I'll get the kids organized and they can bring your dinner in."

I realize my hand is over my abdomen and my head feels light, my knees weak. I lean on Lisa. "I'm okay. Just a big day I guess."

The loss of the baby is a shadow that lingers, a quiet pain I carry with me.

I take a deep breath and remind myself: I'm still here. My family is here.

My eyes burn from unshed tears as I let Lisa lead me to the main bedroom. I swallow the pain down. Soon enough, the pain will ease.

I got this.