Damian's Redemption: The Billionaire Regret

Aurora let out a soft sigh in the courtroom as they all waited for the judge to give the final verdict. She was divorcing her husband Damian Blackwood for doing something she would never in a million years expect. Her hands were clenched together and her eyes were downcast, she was praying inside of her for this to be over quickly.

Across from her, sat Damian Blackwood. Looking calm and collected as usual, and his face expressionless. It was really hard to tell what was going on in his mind, impossible even. All he did was throw several glances at Aurora When she wasn't looking.

The judge finally spoke after a while, "In the matter of Aurora Sinclair versus Damian Blackwood, the Court hereby declares that the marriage between the aforementioned parties is hereby legally dissolved. The divorce is finalized, effective immediately." He slammed the gavel on the desk.

The sound sent a cold shiver down Aurora's spine. Six years, six damn years... just gone. On the outside, she seemed composed. On the Inside though...

She stood up and made her way towards Damian, she scoffed inwardly at how unbothered he looked, "Stoic as ever." She whispered. "That's Six long years down the drain."

Damian turned at the sound of her voice, he didn't say a word but just stared at her in silence. Aurora took his hand and placed both her wedding and engagement rings on his palm. "I never wanted anything from you, Damian. I just wanted to be loved by you..."

Damian remained silent.

She then took a step back and let out a stiff laugh, "But it seems that was also too much for me to ask." She turned around. Before leaving, she added, "Have a nice life with Selene."

Damian silently watched her as she continued to walk away, clutching her purse tightly. A sigh left his thin lips. His eyes then slowly panned down to the two rings on his palm that he was still holding out, they felt cold and lifeless, indicating the sad end of their six year relationship. He swallowed and clenched his fists tightly.

Outside the courthouse.

Aurora slammed her car door shut and started the engine. She drove off with insane speed that matched perfectly with how she was feeling inside- conflicted. After letting out a dry laugh, she sighed, "What a joke."

The memories of the past 2 weeks came back, crashing down on her.

Two weeks ago.

Aurora parked the car in the company's reserved parking lot. She got out of the car after grabbing the things she got for her husband. A small bag from his favorite restaurant and a vintage red wine which was really hard to get. She stared at the tall glass building which reflected the evening sun.

Blackwood Enterprises. A powerful company run by her husband, Damian Blackwood. She smiled to herself, never been more proud of Damian. He's been working nonstop in the past few days, barely having any time to eat.

And now, as a little reward for working hard, she planned a few things for the night. A romantic, candlelit dinner for two, followed by a warm bath to melt the tension from his muscles. And afterward... Well, she had picked out a very special piece of lingerie that he wouldn't be able to resist peeling off of her.

Her chest tightened with excitement as she walked into the building.

She found it odd at first that no one was at the receptionist area, "Maybe they all went home early?" She wondered aloud as she walked towards the elevator.

In the mirrored elevator, she gave herself a once-over and smiled. Aurora had always been beautiful, but tonight, she had made sure she looked breathtaking. Her light brown hair, sleek and straight, cascaded over her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Her deep brown eyes sparkled, enhanced by a touch of eyeliner and mascara. She had chosen a soft red lipstick, a shade Damian had once told her was his favorite.

She knocked twice on Damian's office door before going in. To her surprise, he wasn't there. There were files scattered all over his desk and even on the floor. Aurora wondered where he went. And why was no one around? She left the office.

A short while after coming out of the office, she bumped into several women chatting and laughing with each of them holding a glass of wine. They all stopped short in their tracks the moment they spotted her and started to murmur amongst themselves.

Aurora didn't really pay attention to them, she knew where Damian was now. Beneath the floor she was on, there was a small event hall where special occasions or announcements are held. She figured right away thanks to the outfit the women were putting on. She let out a relieved sigh and went back in the office to put the restaurant bag and wine on his desk. It would be awkward for her to walk into the event carrying those, it's meant for Damian alone after all.

Good thing she was dressed beautifully, Aurora was not one to be seen looking "ordinary" outside her home. She always wore the most gorgeous outfits, even though they were not over the top.

She finally got to the event hall. After standing outside for a few seconds to catch her breath- she walked pretty fast to get there because she was excited to see Damian, she went in. An what she saw next made her eyes widen.

Damian was on the podium, giving a vote of thanks while holding hands with another woman. After taking a much better look, Aurora recognized her.

Selene Davenport, a socialite heiress whose father is one of the most powerful men in the country. Selene's obsession with Damian was no news to Aurora and Damian always reassured her that nothing was going on whenever she would meet them in his office. Aurora sure trusted Damian. But Selene on the other hand was one to watch out for. Even if they had met under different circumstances, Aurora was sure she would have hated her on sight. There was just something about the woman that rubbed her the wrong way.

Damian stopped talking the moment he saw her. The people present started whispering. And she caught some of what they were saying as she walked towards him.

"How come she's here?"

"Will she cause a scene?"

"Did they not tell her about it?"

Aurora walked up to the podium, "Damian," she called, "What's going on right now? And why is she...?" Her eyes were on their intertwined hands. Damian blinked and put down the mic. He pulled his hand away from Selene and walked up to her, "Aurora. Let's talk in my office."

"There's nothing to talk about in your office, Damian. Just let her know now!" Someone's voice shot up from the audience. Aurora looked, her brows furrowed. It was no other than Damian's father...Victor Blackwood.

Victor Blackwood, founder of Blackwood enterprises. Aurora's relationship with Victor was never really on the nice side. Ever since they discovered that Aurora was incapable of having children, he stopped paying attention to her and naturally the daughter in-law and father in-law bond began to wither.

She turned to Damian, "Explain this. Explain all of this!"

Whispers filled the hall. Everyone's eyes were on Aurora. She was so close to losing it. She looked at Selene who was holding back a sly smirk. Her cunning blue eyes lit up in a way that Aurora despised.

Damian sighed, "Aurora, I'm sorry. I.. I'm engaged to Selene. This is our engagement party."

Aurora's eyes darkened, "Your what?" She stepped closer to him, "Care to repeat what you just said?"

Before Damian could say another word, Victor stood up, "Look here, Sinclair. My son owes you no explanation, understood? Just leave quietly and await further instructions from us. Don't make this hard for yourself."

Aurora couldn't believe her ears, "Is this some kind of joke? Sinclair? I'm Aurora Blackwood!" She looked back at Damian, "Tell them, Damian. I'm your wife."

"Using that title is a bit of a stretch, isn't it? Considering that you can't have children." Victor calmly said. The hall was now filled with loud mummurs.

"She can't have children?"

"So she's infertile."

"No wonder they put her aside so easily."

Aurora's heart skipped a beat, "Seriously? You're clowning me for something I have no control over?"

"Well, how can we be so sure you didn't fool around before you met my son?" Victor shrugged and everyone looked at each other in agreement.

"Excuse me? I met your son in high school! We got married when I was 19! He was the first and only person to-"

Damian held her arm, "Aurora, please."

"Take your hands off me!" She pulled away and shot Damian a glare. Her expression took him aback, not once did he think that Aurora would have this kind of look on her face.

She let out a breath, "So this is your plan?" She asked the Blackwood men, "This is what you have decided to do?" She then looked at Selene, "You're picking her? Of all people?"

"Unlike you, Selene has a proper background and is capable of giving me a grandchild. She's everything you're not. And the perfect woman for Damian."

"Hah!" Aurora laughed bitterly, "You've decided already." She stepped down from the podium and made her way towards the exit. Her heels clacking loudly as she walked. When she reached the exit, she turned and looked at Damian, "You'll regret this." Her eyes went from Damian to Victor, then to Selene,"You'll all regret this." She left.

"Good riddance. Carry on with your speech, Damian." Aurora heard Victor say. She still couldn't believe any of it.

It wasn't until she reached the elevator that the tears came. She slumped down, right there on the elevator floor and cried her eyes out.

__

Now at the present.

She crashed into her bed, after leaving Blackwood enterprises 2 weeks ago, she went back to the Blackwood mansion to grab a few things and left. She then checked into a hotel and it's where she's been ever since. "Back to being single." She whispered and chuckled painfully, She then sat up, "Screw you, Damian Blackwood." She cursed silently and got up.

She went to the bathroom to take a long warm shower. In the process of turning on the water heater, she noticed her reflection in the mirror. No matter how much she didn't wanna admit it, the whole process took quite a toll on her body. Her hair had lost colour, she got a little thinner and her skin appeared pale. She never really left the hotel that much since she checked in except when she had a few meetings with her lawyer, and she even had to drive there so getting some sunlight was really not in her activity list the past 2 weeks.

She shuddered at the sight of her reflection and looked away, "Screw you, Damian Blackwood." She said again and prepared for the shower.

__

At the Blackwood mansion.

A sleek black sedan parked in front of the mansion and the door opened. Damian got off and walked in, accompanied by his bodyguards. Selene was in the luxurious-looking living room, waiting for him. She stood up when he walked in and hopped towards him happily, "Honey!" She called excitedly and wrapped her hands around his neck. Not minding the presence of his bodyguards, she pressed a kiss against his lips.

"Congratulations on being free from that bitch." She said after letting go and brought out an expensive champagne, "Now we can finally push through with the wedding. No more obstacles, am I right?"

"Sure." This was all Damian said, he then turned and walked away. Selene's smile faded, she scoffed and put down the champagne bottle, "Who does he think he is?" she angrily muttered to herself.

__

Damian finally got the quiet he needed, he rested on the door for a while after closing it behind him. He didn't say a word. He then went to sit on the bed and undo his tie. During this process, his eyes then spotted the vintage red wine Aurora had gotten him two weeks ago. Turns out he had gone back to his office after his speech to be alone for a while and there they were sitting on his desk, the bag and the wine.

He of course couldn't bring himself to eat what she had gotten him, he gave it out. The wine though, he knew how rare it was and could only imagine how hard it was for Aurora to get him that. He just couldn't give it away, throw it out aot even drink it. It was just there...the last thing she got him before leaving the mansion.

The door opened and Victor stepped in, "Why the long face? You should be celebrating." His cold voice echoed through the room. Damian looked away, "I'm just a little tired."

"Still not enough time for you to give your future wife the cold shoulder. You should treat her well, Mr Davenport agreed to that investment deal on the condition that his daughter is happy and marries you, Damian. Go apologize to her, now."

Damian looked at him. His grey eyes had an unreadable flicker, "I'll make it up to her tomorrow." His voice left no room for further discussions regarding Selene. Victor sighed, his eyes landed on the wine a few inches from him, he picked up the bottle.

Damian's eye moved from Victor to the wine.

"She couldn't even get the nicer version, how cheap." He said with a sneer and left the bottle in the air, making it fall to the ground and shatter. A few of the bottle pieces flew towards random directions. And the wine flowed out of the top half of the bottle.

Damian stood up, his jaw worked, his thick eyebrows creased and his fist subconsciously clenched.

Victor scoffed, "See? Cheap. The real one wouldn't have cracked, let alone shattering at the bottom." He then looked at Damian dead in the eye and added, "That ought to help you forget about that useless wench and focus on the matters at hand. We have a wedding to go through with, papers to sign and monies to make. Try not to get distracted. I didn't pay that judge millions to speed up the divorce process just for you to sit here and still think about her. You got that?"

Damian swallowed, "Yes, father." He looked away.

Victor smiled and patted his shoulder, "That's my son." He said with a smile and added before leaving, "I'll send someone to come clean up this trash. Get some rest, son. Busy day tomorrow."

Damian stared at the flowing liquid in silence for a while and eventually let out a little sigh.

One week later.

The morning sun rays peeped through the closed curtains. Aurora's phone went off, someone was calling. She rolled towards the nightstand where the phone was and sat up, no one had called her in the past 3 weeks except her lawyer. Even her lawyer stopped calling 2 days after the divorce was finalized. She was all alone now, or was she? Her eyes lit up a little when she saw the name of the person calling. Doctor Maywell Caldwell. She picked up, "Hello?" She regretted speaking without clearing her voice first, her voice was raspy and she sounded really stressed. And knowing Dr Caldwell, she'd definitely make it a big deal out of it. "What the? Have you been smoking? You sound really croaky." Aurora was right, she cleared her throat, it may have taken the cracking effect away but it didn't take away how stressed she sounded, "It's just my morning voice, Dr Caldwell."

There was a long pause then, Maywell spoke, "I read about the divorce."

Aurora's breath hitched, "Sounds like you been busy." She managed to joke but Maywell wasn't having it. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

Aurora chuckled, "And then what? You'd offer me support? Please, Dr Caldwell. That won't change anything. And besides, I'm fine. I went through it and I'm fine." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Maywell.

There was silence on the other side of the line for a while. Then she finally spoke, "Come in today for some check ups. I need to be sure that you're alright."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. I'll see you in thirty minutes to an hour." Maywell did not wait for her response before ending the call.

Aurora sighed. She stood up after placing her phone back on the nightstand and stretched a bit. She went towards the windows and spread the curtains, the sharp sunlight almost blinded her. How long did she sleep for? Her eyes then travelled to the wall clock, almost 10am. She closed back the curtains, the light was too much for her at the moment.

With another sigh, she made her way to the bathroom.

__

She walked along the hallway, slowly but steadily. It's the first time she left the hotel since the divorce and it almost felt like she was new in town. She even almost forgot the road to the hospital Maywell worked at. She stopped at the door at the end of the hallway. On the door, "Examination room" was boldly written on it.

Before she could knock, a familiar voice echoed behind her. "Wow. You look like you could pass out any moment from now."

Aurora turned around and there she was, Doctor Maywell Caldwell standing in front of her. Aurora took off the face mask she was wearing- associates of the Blackwood family are pretty well known, so she wanted to avoid any unnecessary drama. She smiled sheepishly, "Hello, Dr Caldwell."

Maywell sighed, and walked past her. She opened the door to the examination room and gestured for her to come in. The moment the door closed behind her, Aurora found herself in Maywell's arms. "You poor thing...you went through so much in so little time."

Aurora swore to not cry, but right now, she couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears kepi falling from her face.

__

Doctor Maywell Caldwell. Aurora's personal doctor and closest friend, probably Aurora's only friend. She's been with her since she got married to Damian.Together, the two have worked tirelessly trying to boost Aurora's fertility. They tried various ways, including naturally and scientifically. And during this process, they have built a really strong friendship in the past six years. Aurora always discussed everything with her, from her professional life to her marriage life and Maywell has always supported and encouraged her. And was always there for her during emotionally hard times, like her current situation.

She continued to let Aurora cry for a few more minutes and then gave her some water. After Aurora calmed down, she laughed, "I wasn't planning on letting anyone see me like this."

"Well," Maywell took the glass of from her and put it down, "I've seen you."

"Yeah. I guess I can only show my vulnerable side around you." Aurora grabbed a tissue from the box and wiped her tears, she wasn't wearing any make up so she didn't worry about ruining her looks. "Shall we get started then?"

__

Aurora sat on the examination table, silent, as Dr. Caldwell moved around her, taking her vitals, checking her pulse, and frowning the entire time. "Are you disappointed?" She asked Maywell with a small smile.

Maywell scoffed, scribbling something on her clipboard. "This isn't a joke. You haven't been eating properly, your blood pressure is all over the place, and I can tell you're barely sleeping." She put her hands on her hips and gave Aurora a pointed look.

Aurora shrugged, "It is what it is."

"No it's not." Maywell snapped, "You should take better care of yourself. I know it's not easy but come on... you should know better than to leave yourself like this."

"I get you, okay? I'm not going to let this separation bring me down. I'll pick myself up and I'll do better. For now, just let me breathe."

Maywell leaned closer, "You to eat to breathe. When's the last time you had a proper meal?"

Aurora pondered for a while, "Well, the hotel meals are pretty decent."

Maywell rubbed her forehead, gosh this woman won't be the death of her. She put down the clipboard and looked Aurora straight in the eye, "I am going to order some food...and you are going to eat them in front of me. No leftovers."

Aurora swallowed, "Okay, Doctor." Maywell gave a small smile and brought out her phone. As she went outside to make the call. Aurora checked herself in the mirror one more time. She really did look sick and wanted to change that. No more letting the past bother her. She leaned back and waited for that food, her appetite was slowly making its way back.

__

Aurora went back to the hotel. What was at first going to be just a check up ended up being a refreshing visit to a close friend. She spent 4 hours at Maywell's office, which would've been longer if she (Maywell) wasn't so busy. She had a great time and hoped it continued.

She threw her things on the bed and headed to the bathroom for a nice shower.

__

Later that evening, Aurora went for a short walk. There was a nice playground directly opposite the hotel building, that's where Aurora went. The sun was setting, it reminded her of the evening she stumbled upon the engagement party of Damian and Selene. A scoff left her lips, to think that they'd been planning that for a while and she never even suspected a thing. Damian was a loving husband until that moment she found out, and the fact that he wasn't even man enough to go against his father's wishes baffled her. Damian was a straightforward and dominant person...unless Victor is involved.

She shook her head, no more thinking about them. "They can all go to hell." She said and stood up to go back to the hotel. No more thinking about them...