The Rise Of The Ex-Wife: From Mrs. To CEO

U

than fake a smile on broke

bitch, or shameless-I don't care. I'll tak

s since Maven told me

nce picked out together, in his perfectly pressed suit, trying to loo

uess

t on the outs

the i

the mug, had gone cold. There was a tightness in my chest that wasn't heartbreak. It was restrain

've thrown the cup, probably at him.

, I sipped

ate nights at 'work,' passworded gadgets, secret calls an

n kn

ways

because hope is easier

e through the fog like it came from another room. I bli

as if he hadn't been slipping away fro

e gave a damn. He acted like the same man who once said he'd

kind of love that had me building ca

s never

rted showing, I already

needed one more year for everything to fall in place before

to cut the c

my coffee and taking a sip, lettin

. I swallowed down the scream that had risen

the marble countertops. I had a 10 a.m. board meeting and an inspection at the new office site... The sam

uld finish every damn project he ever started for

ought I'd cry. Break down. Get

dining chair like he'd just been sta

e been amusing if it di

ct me to wail? To g

e catching the sunlight. "Come on, honey. Let's

ust a fraction in a blend of confusion and a pinch of regret. He searched m

e found w

at under that steel,

I stopped midway out of the

n though his voice sounded st

oat like glass. "We stay married. To the

Until I'm fully set up and ready to walk away on my own terms." I proposed

ous, Lush. I mean... we can'

g my eyes like they might burn him. "We can'

sonal life anymore," I said and paused, forcing out the words that sliced the back of my throat, "I've bui

o long or breathe too deep. If I lost control

't deserve

nervously against my ribs, hoping against

at name was the golden key to the empire I'd been trying to build. I wasn't about to give

ve

s crossed. I could see the battle in his eyes-t

al." Just

ngs collapse in

self at him and sob into his chest like

't that wo

by the weekend," he adde

even look me

acid poured over an open

he pieces of my life after five years of being

"See you in the office," I added and walked away before the tears could crawl

n't the tim

e time I was done with all I had planned out, I would walk away on stile