MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S POV)

"Friends?" I taunted him. "Best friends? Just like you and Sofia?

He didn't respond, so I continued. "I have enough friends. I do not need more."

He nodded and rose to his feet. "I'll see you some other time.

I wanted to scoff and tell him, "You wish," but I restrained myself. Instead, I nodded curtly and followed him to the door. He hesitated for a moment, sparing me a glance before walking out.

As soon as the door shut, the dam broke. I walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it, burying my face in my palms. Reality finally dawned on me. I was truly divorced from Jared. I was not hallucinating, it was real.

I didn't realize how long I sat there sobbing, but the door going open alerted me that Ashley was home. I tried to bolt to hide my swollen face, but it was too late; she saw me.

"Are you all right? My goodness, have you been crying?" She shrieked, rushing to me.

I tried to hide my face by looking away, but she forcefully turned it to face her. "What happened to you?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Deciding hiding or lying was pointless, I opted to tell her the truth. "Jared was here-"

"Did he hurt you? I swear, I would kill him-"

"No," I shook my head. "He was here to sign the divorce papers."

"What?" Arielle exclaimed. And then she regained herself. "I'm sorry for my outburst; it's just that I was surprised since a few days ago, he refused to sign the papers. I'm just wondering what changed his mind." "I don't know. My marriage is indeed over. I finally lost to Sofia," I cried.

"Don't say that," Ashley cautioned, crushing me in a hug. "It's his loss. Jared lost a good woman."

I nodded, trying to be strong, but no matter how hard I tried, it still hurt. You don't love someone for years and expect the feelings to just go away.

Finally, after much consoling, Ashley was able to get me to stop crying.

"Tell me, do you regret your decision to divorce him?" Ashley asked.

"No, I don't," I responded, and it was the truth. I might be hurt that my marriage of three years has been annulled, but I don't regret it. It's for the best.

"It's a good thing that you've made up your mind," Ashley continued. "One of people's greatest fears is making the wrong decision."

I nodded.

"You know I've been in these shoes, right?"

"Really?" I asked, looking up at her in surprise. "You, miss ice, experience heartbreak? Now, that's hard to believe.

"Come on, I'm not that bad," Ashley whined, playfully slapping my shoulder.

"So how did you manage to get through it?" I asked, wanting to hear more about her experience.

She shrugged. "I just got over it. We all go through heartbreak at some point. Time is the greatest healer of all times."

I nodded in agreement; time was the best healer. It was all I needed to get over Jared, the end of my marriage, and the loss of my child. Time.

All of a sudden, Ashley playfully

threw a pillow at me. "So I heard one of the fastest ways of getting past a heartbreak or failed relationship is visiting the bar. Who knows, you could get drunk and end up in the arms of a smoky hot Mafiadord like those books written on W*****d."

"You're silly," I groaned.

(JARED'S POV)

I returned home, the divorce papers I signed still lingering in my mind. During the drive home, I tried to come to terms with the fact that I was now legally separated from Arielle.

en

She was a good woman, and a part of me was going to miss her, but I convinced myself it was for the best.

I sighed and walked into the house.

Sofia was waiting for me in the sitting room as usual. "Hey," she called out, all smiles. And then she glanced at the clock and frowned. "You're late."

"Only by a few minutes," I replied, taking a seat.

"That's right. How was your day?"

"Normal."

"Is something wrong?"

"No," and then I took a deep breath and added, "I signed the divorce papers."

Sofia's expression changed from concern to surprise, and then elation. She rushed to me, throwing her arms around me that I feared for her bump.

"I knew you'd do the right thing," she said excitedly.

I nodded.

"We have to celebrate properly."

"Celebrate what?" I asked.

"Celebrate our reconciliation! We've sorted all the issues we have. With no obstacle in our way, we can now be together."

"Arielle was not an obstacle," I countered.

"What was she then?" Sofia challenged.

"She was my wife!"