Chapter 5 REGRETS

Alex.

The last five years turned out to be the worst of my life. I had thought that divorcing Camilla was the best option.

I made myself believe that Alessia was the one. I love her so much, that I couldn't wait to get married to her. But She crushed my heart. I thought that once I married her, the world would stop being empty and she would make everything right. But, I was wrong. Totally wrong.

When Alessia returned from Paris, I thought she was still the same girl who had filled my head with dreams years before. The woman who pushed me, made me laugh, and was really driven and energetic. But she wasn't the same girl anymore. It was as if Paris had eaten away the best parts of her and replaced them with something darker. Her face seemed familiar, but her soul... I could scarcely recognise it.

It started with little, unimportant things. Her love for the better things in life was not new, but after Paris, it became more of an addiction. Expensive drinks, expensive clothes, and parties with people I didn't know. She became obsessed with status, and she seemed to enjoy the attention and wealth that came with it. I tried to understand, with the hope that she would change after a few months. But her extravagant spending only increased, and our home quickly became more of a luxury hotel for her and her friends - a place where they party with loud music, drink, and smoke hard. They turned my home into a club house.

Each time I come home from work with the hope of having a peaceful night, expecting that she had she would change, but instead I was always welcome by unsettling scenes. Alessia would be spread out on the couch, a glass of wine in her half-finished bottles scattered around. She'd see me go in and declare, in a drunken voice, "Oh, look who's home. It took long enough, didn't it?

The smell of alcohol filled the air, making it difficult for me to breathe. She'd lunge at me, needing my attention, and if I didn't react, she'd become more demanding. "Come on, Alex," she'd push, her hands rough and firm. "You can't avoid me forever, you know that. you can't ignore me forever."

I felt stuck. I was caved in my own house, which I had thought would be a fresh start after I sent Camilla away . But instead, it became something that I always try to run from whenever possible. I started staying late at work, looking for any reason to be anywhere other than home. It was never convenient on the few days that I come around. Alessia would be there, drunk and angry, pleading with me to join her idea of a perfect life.

I'd sit there, thinking about Camilla. I hadn't thought about her in years, yet she suddenly popped everywhere. I'd remember how she'd meet me after a long day, her warm smile as I walked through the door. There was tranquilly with her, a quiet stability that I didn't understand at the time. I took it all for granted, ignoring her kindness because I was too concerned with Alessia. And now that I was living in an empty, dead marriage, I could see it clearly. It pained me that I was too blind to see the love that Camilla was willing to give me.

One night, I found an old picture of Camilla. It was hidden in a box, with other things I thought I had left behind. She was smiling in the picture, her eyes full of joy. My mind went back to how she used to look at me as if I were the most important thing in the world. And I hardly returned her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Alessia's voice filled with trouble snapped me out of my daydream, and I quickly closed the box, hiding the picture.

"Nothing," I said, taking my eyes away from her.

"Nothing?" Her brow furrowed , her lips twisting into a sneer. "You've been saying 'nothing' a lot lately. Perhaps you should stop hiding things and be honest with yourself."

I did not move. What can I say? That I was beginning to see how stupid I had been? That I hated everything?

The worst part was that my marriage wasn't only killing me mentally; it was also killing my company. Alessia's spending became out of hand. Her demands for more expensive things grew month after month, eventually threatening my company's funds. I had set up a joint account to show my love for her, but that was a big mistake. The account leaked money faster than I could handle, and I had to stop it. I denied her access, and the following explosion was one I will never forget.

"How dare you!" she cried, throwing a glass across the room and breaking it against the wall. "I am your wife!" "Do you think you can just shut me out?"

"Alessia, it's for the good of the company," I said, my feelings on edge. "We can't keep draining funds like this."

"Oh, so now you're saying I'm a burden?" Her face changed, and her words were filled with hate. "After everything I sacrificed for you, this is what I get?"

I did not argue. There was no point. I was tired and knocked down, and all I wanted was a way out. Three times, I filed for divorce. Three times she refused to sign. I suppose she realised that without me, she wouldn't have the life she'd become used to. But it wasn't just about money. She refused to let go because she did not want to lose her power over me. I was bound and tied to a woman I no longer recognised.

I was half-buried in papers, looking out for possible partners for my new project, when something caught my eye. There was a name on the page that I had not seen in years. Camilla Brooke, the CEO of Ava Ltd. I froze and read it again to be sure. Ava Ltd. is one of the top marketing companies in the country. And it was hers.

I felt a strange mix of pride and surprise. Camilla had left my house with nothing-no help and no money. I knew she'd have a tough journey, but nonetheless she'd built this kingdom. She'd become someone powerful, successful, someone I could hardly believe was once my wife.

"She did this..." I whispered to myself, hardly able to understand anything. Memories of her drive, kindness, and patience flooded back. Camilla was always strong; I just never admitted it.

I felt a rush of pride, but it was coupled with a deep, painful sadness. I couldn't believe I had been so dumb. I let her leave and ignored her, all for the sake of fantasising about having fun with Alessia. And now here I was, drowning in the wreckage of that choice.

Her picture in the story broke my heart.

My thoughts turned to the time I filed for divorce against her, the way she looked at me with a mix of grief and relief, and the "thank you" message with the divorce paperwork before she left. She deserved so much more, and I had treated her as if she were nothing. I'd spent five years feeling the effects of my mistake, and now she's succeeding, while I'm stuck in the same life I thought I desired.

"Mr. Reynolds?" My assistant's comments shocked me back into reality. She had entered the room without my knowledge and was looking at me with a curious face.

"Yes?" I managed, trying to stay cool.

"The products are set, I wanted to confirm the partners you're interested in for the project."

I paused and then nodded. "Get in touch with Ava Ltd, now" I said. "Send a partnership proposal to the company."

This is it. This may be my chance to apologise to her and take this heavy weight off my heart.

She left the office, leaving me sitting there, staring at the empty desk. I knew it was too late to change the past, but I could still apologise. Maybe I could show her that I wasn't the same man I had been five years before.

As I sat there, I remembered her happiness, love, and kindness. I wasn't sure what I'd say, but I knew one thing for certain. I needed to see her. I wanted her to know that, after all this time, I had finally understood the importance of what I had lost.