He Divorced Me_ Now He's Begging For My Love

A lot people filled the grand hall of the Meridian Hotel. There were cameras near the stage, men in suits holding glasses of champagne, women in expensive dresses laughing at things that were not funny. Everything looked perfect in her eyes.

Evelyn stood near the back and smiled, rubbing her stomach, though the bump was not visible yet.

Today was a special day, for her husband; Aidan, the man she spent her whole life loving. She had done her hair up the way he liked, with a few strands loose at the sides. and even worn the small diamond earrings he had given her on their first anniversary, back when they had nothing but each other.

Tonight was his night, His IPO announcement. The moment everything they had worked for would finally mean something.

Her eyes finally landed on him and she smiled.

She was still smiling until she saw her. The woman was standing near the stage, close to where Aidan was. She was tall, with long black hair and a silver dress. Her name was Jane Winters.

Evelyn had seen her many times. Her father was one of the kind, generous people that helped Aidan's start up.

It still didn't make sense why she was up there.

People talked about them at Aidan's office. She had asked Aidan about her once, months ago.

He had said, "She's just someone from work, Honey. Plus her father is supporting the company, remember?"

Now Jane was standing there, laughing at something his business partner and assistant, Marcus and touching Aidan's arm like she had every right to.

That was supposed to be her spot. Evelyn thought.

She started walking toward them. She actually needed to talk to her husband before things started. She needed him to see her.

As she proceeded, Marcus immediately walked up to her and stopped her.

"Evelyn," he said. His voice was too smooth.

"Marcus, not now." She rolled her eyes and tried to step around him. "I need to talk to Aidan."

"I dont think he wants to talk to you either. He already found what he needed to know, Evelyn." he said as if her name was derogatory.

She stopped, confused. "What do you mean?"

Marcus reached into his jacket and held out a phone. On the screen was a photograph. The first photo he showed , it was Evelyn at a restaurant with Damien Holt; a man connected to her father and Aidan's business rival. In the next photo, they were entering a hotel room together, Damien's hand at her back. They were leaning close and she was laughing.

If she wasnt the one in the picture, she'd think it was real. But everything in the photo was not true.

Yes, she had met Damien Holt, but they never went to a hotel room, just the restaurant. It was fake.

"Where did you get this? This is not true, i-its fake and you know it." She tried to grab it, but Marcus pulled back. "Where did you get this, Marcus?" she said. Her voice was low.

"The question," Marcus said, "is why you were there at all."

Evelyn scoffed. "Marcus, he reached out about my father's case. He said he had evidence to prove that my dad is innocent. You know my dad was accused wrongly. I was just trying to- We never went to the hotel."

"You should have thought about that before you sat down with the man who's been trying to sabotage Aidan's deal."

He came closer to her "Aidan's seen these, he's seen all of them."

The room suddenly felt very hot for her.

She immediately moved passed Marcus and when Evelyn walked up to Aidan, he turned around. And she knew immediately from his eyes - that flat, cold look she had never seen directed at her before - that whatever was going to happen was already decided.

"Aidan." She touched his arm, gently. "Baby, we need to talk, somewhere private too."

He stepped back, away from her touch. "There's nothing to talk about in private that can't be said here."

One of the investors shifted uncomfortably.

"Aidan, please," she whispered. "Whatever Marcus showed you, it isn't what it looks like. It's not true. I can explain everything if you just give me five minutes..."

"Five minutes?" He smiled, but it wasn't warm. "You want five minutes to explain why you've been meeting with Damien Holt behind my back? While I've been building something that affects both of us?"

"It was about my father's case. That's all it was.You know that."

"And the hotel? Was that about your father's case too?"

People around gasped and it made Evelyn immediately feel sick.

"That photo is staged." Her voice cracked now. "Baby, someone set this up. Please just listen to me -"

Jane laughed.

It was a small sound, but it was mocking. Jane looked at her with a smile and said, "Oh, Evelyn, you really thought you could cheat on Aidan and get away with it?"

"Jane please-"

Jane immediately spilled her glass of wine on Evelyn. This drew everyone's attention.

Evelyn was in shock.

"Oops", Jane smirked.

Evelyn looked at her, fighting back tears now. Then she looked at Aidan.

He said nothing. He just looked at her with that cold face. He reached for Marcus and Marcus handed him a file and Aidan held it out to Evelyn. This made everybody's attention divert to them.

"These are divorce papers, Sign them," he said. "My lawyer will contact yours."

Evelyn was taken aback. She did not take the envelope. "Aidan-"

"I refuse to continue any relationship with an unfaithful woman." He raised his voice then he threw the file at her.

Right there, in front of everyone, he threw the divorce papers at her fce. They landed on the floor of the ballroom with a soft sound that nobody missed.

Jane took a slow sip of her drink and said, loud enough for the farthest tables to hear, "I always knew she was trash. I don't know why it took you this long to realize. Let it be known that Evelyn tried to leech off on two men. She IS A CHEAT!!"

Evelyn couldn't hold the tears back in now. "Aidan, those photos are fake," her voice trembled. "Are you really," she sniffed, "going to believe them over me?"

"Yes, Evelyn. I no longer want anything to do with you. Sign these papers and leave!"

At this moment, she confirmed it. Her heart broke. The love of her life had already made his decision, so quickly, you'd think they'd never shared anything together.

Evelyn looked down at the envelope on the floor.

She felt pairs of eyes staring at her, judging her. She felt the heat of the cameras. She felt her own heartbeat, loud in her ears.

She bent down and picked up the file.

She thought about telling him. The words were right there: Aidan, I'm pregnant. I found out last week. I've been trying to find the right moment and this is the worst possible one but you need to know.

She looked at his face, then at Jane standing beside him, smiling.

And she thought: no.

If she said it now, it would be used against her. People would say she was desperate, they would say she was making it up. He would say it wasnt his.

Her baby deserved better than to be announced into this moment.

So she held the file and lifted her chin. She walked out of the ballroom with slow, steady steps, past the tables and the cameras and the people staring.

She did not run.

She would not give them that.

Outside, in the cold air of the parking lot, she finally stopped walking. She stood between two parked cars where nobody could see her, and she pressed her hand over her stomach and breathed.

"It's okay," she whispered. She did not know if she was talking to herself or to the small life she was carrying.

"It's okay. We don't need him."

She stayed there, sobbing badly for a while, her hands on her stomach.

"Aidan Smith, I'm never going to forgive you!" she swore under her breath. "One day," she whispered.

"You'll regret choosing everyone else over us."

"Mommy!"

A little boy's laughter echoed through the fashion studio.

Evelyn looked up just in time to see him sprinting straight toward her, his tiny backpack bouncing against his shoulders.

"Leon," she laughed, setting down the sketch she'd been working on. "Slow down."

"But I have news!"

He threw himself into her arms with all the excitement a six-year-old could possibly have.

Evelyn caught him effortlessly. "What happened?"

"My teacher said my drawing was the best in class!"

"Really?"

He nodded so hard his hair flopped into his eyes.

"And she put it on the wall!"

Evelyn smiled. To the world, Leon was the son of a powerful designer.

But to Evelyn, he was her everything.

Her reason to survive those six painful years.

Her reason to keep moving forward.

She smiled, "Well... I guess I'll have to hire you as LUXE's newest designer."

Leon gasped dramatically.

"I get paid?" Evelyn looked at her boy, he was five years old and already had a personality. He had her eyes too.

She laughed.

"We'll discuss your salary."

The entire studio burst into laughter and Leon grinned proudly as though he'd already signed the contract.

Zara, her personal assistant and bestfriend, appeared in the doorway holding two copies of the magazine. She was grinning in the wide, slightly smug way of someone who was really impressed.

"Have you seen this?" Zara said.

"I was there for the photo shoot, Zara." Evelyn laughed and rolled her eyes.

"That"s not the point. The point is that it's on every newsstand in Europe and women are posting photos of it and tagging us and we have had over four hundred new inquiries in the inbox since midnight." She placed both copies on the table. "So I need you to at least pretend to be excited, Eve."

Evelyn looked at the cover for a moment. At her own face looking back at her; calm, poise and unafraid.

Even though she tried not to, but she immediately remenbered a different face, then, standing outside a hotel parking lot crying.

The memory stung her immediately.

"I'm excited," she said, as she walked to her working desk. "But let's focus on the spring line because we're three weeks behind."

Zara shook her head but she was still smiling.

"Oh, I almost forgot. AS Tech called again," Zara said.

Evelyn did not look up from her laptop. "Oh, have they agreed to our terms?."

"They want a face-to-face. The acquisitions team is serious about the partnership, apparently the CEO is personally involved now."

"Of course, it's their loss if the partnership doesn't work, not mine."

"Evelyn."

"We've been through three rounds of preliminary talks, Zara. If AS Tech wants to partner with LUXE, they will accept our terms. If they don't accept our terms, there are six other offers on the table."

"I know. I'm just saying, the CEO personally coming to Milan is not a standard acquisition move. Whoever this man is, he wants the meeting to happen."

Evelyn paused briefly. "Yeah, whoever he is. Ok just set it up. Wednesday, here. And make sure the conference room has good lighting. I want them to see every stitch on the new autumn line before we talk numbers."

Zara made a note, satisfied. She was halfway to the door when she stopped. "Daniel called too. He wants to know if you're free for dinner Friday."

Something in Evelyn's expression softened and complicated itself at the same time.

Daniel Marsh had appeared in her life three years ago through a mutual friend, and had eventually become quietly and consistently present in her life. Even she found it alarming at first but , ended up being comfortable. He was a good man.

He was kind to Leon which mattered more than anything else. But she did not love him the way he wanted to be loved.

She had been honest with herself about this for a long time.

"Tell him yes," she said. "I have time on Friday. And Zara, please back to work, we have the Valentino fitting running late."

"Okay, Eve. Already planned," Zara said, and left.

Leon came running back in with a paper airplane flying from his tiny hand. He let in fly and it crashed into a mannequin.

"Oh no." he said.

Leon hurried over, carefully picked it up and looked around like he'd committed a serious crime.

Evelyn watched from her desk. "Baby, you've just attacked my newest collection."

Leon gasped dramatically.

"I didn't mean to." He pouted.

"It's ok, baby. It's just a paper, nothing happened."

He smiled.

"Whew." He ran towards her, opening the paper and handing it over to her. It was a drawing of both of them, holding hands.

Above them was a large building with the words LUXE Fashion House written at the top.

"It's beautiful," she said gently.

Leon beamed. "You," she said, "are going to be a very good designer."

"Just like mommy?"

"Maybe better." she booped his nose.

He smiled, satisfied and ran away, leaving Evelyn to go back to work.

Leon had grown up in this fashion house. He knew every corner of it, every person in it and every new staff even. LUXE was as much his as it was hers.

That was something nobody could take from them, at least

Zara returned soon. " Ma'am, AS Tech is in Paris, the whole team."

Evelyn raised her brows, surprised. "So soon? The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. That's in two days" she said.

Leon overheard this since he was nearby. "What's AS Tech, mommy?"

"Some technology company," Evelyn said.

"What kind?"

"The kind that makes other things work."

"Like zippers?"

"Zippers?"

"Yeah. Dresses don't work properly without them."

Evelyn laughed.

"Something like that."

Leon nodded and went back to his book.

Zara watched this exchange with a warm, slightly amused expression. She continued, "One more thing,"

"Ok?" Evelyn listened.

"Their CEO insisted on coming himself."

Evelyn was taken aback a bit. "Thats new. What's his name?"

Zara looked down at her tablet.

"...Aidan Smith."

Aidan Smith had not planned to come to Milan himself.

That was what teams were for. He had an entire acquisitions department; smart, capable people who got paid very well to walk into buildings and figure out if partnering with them made sense.

He trusted his team. He had given three separate people the job of closing the LUXE deal and all three had come back saying the founder was polite, professional, and impossible to pin down. He arrived two days ago in Milan for this too.

So here he was, on a Wednesday morning.

His driver pulled up to the LUXE building at eight forty-five. Aidan stepped out, straightened his jacket, and looked at the building.

It was clean. He was impressed.

"The advance team is already inside," his assistant, Priya, said, falling into step beside him.

"We're set for nine, boss"

"Good." Aidan's phone vibrated. Jane.

He considered ignoring it.

Then answered.

"Yes, Jane?"

Her voice was sharp, impatient. "Did you land already?"

"Yes, about two days ago too."

"Oh- But you said the meeting was yesterday."

Aidan sighed. "No Jane, it's today."

A pause. Then Jane sighed. "Baby, you should have sent someone else. You hate Italy."

"It's business."

Another pause followed,

"Fine," she said. "Call me when the deal is done."

"Jane-"

But the line had already gone dead.

Aidan lowered the phone slowly.

Six years of whatever they had , and their conversations rarely lasted longer than a minute.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Uh-, The founder's team has been very organized. They sent over a revised agenda this morning." His assistant spoke.

"What's the founder's name again?" He asked.

Priya looked down at her tablet. "Evelyn Cole. She founded the brand six years ago out of Milan. She's been -"

"I'll read the file later," Aidan said, pushing through the glass doors.

He walked into the lobby and immediately felt the quality of the space. Pale stone floors, clean lines.

The kind of space that said we take our work seriously and so should you.

He smiled. His advance team was at the reception.

Aidan stopped in the center of the lobby and looked around.

That was when he heard the voice.

"Is that a Patek or a fake?" He turned.

A small boy was sitting in a reading corner to his left– a low shelf of books, two soft chairs, clearly a space someone had made on purpose. The boy was wearing a blue well designed shirt and looked at Aidan with the focused attention of someone conducting an evaluation.

Aidan blinked. Then he looked down at his watch. Then back at the boy.

"What do you know about Patek Philippe?" he asked, surprised.

"My mum has one," the boy said. "She says you can never actually own a Patek Philippe. You jusr look after it for the next generation."" He tilted his head. "So what type of Patek is it and who gave you yours?"

Behind Aidan, Priya made a small choking sound.

Aidan crouched down to the boy's level. He could not help it.

"The Calatrava. You can tell by the case shape and the crown."

The boy leaned forward and looked very closely. "And it is second hand. It's old. I can tell."

"My father's." Aidan smiled.

"Oh." The boy sat back. like he had just received important information. "I"m Leon." He brought out his little hands for a handshake.

"Aidan."

Aidan shook his hand.

"What do you do, Mr Aidan?"

Aidan turned to Priya, clearly enjoying this little boy. "Well, I run a technology company."

"Ou, What kind of technology?"

"Communications, mostly. Infrastructure. Well...systems that make other systems work."

Leon thought about this with complete seriousness. "Like zips in dresses," he said.

Aidan stared at him and chuckled.

"Uhm, yes," he said. "Exactly like that."

Leon nodded like this confirmed something. "I want to be a designer. Like my mommy. But maybe also an astronaut."

"That's quite a combination." Aidan laughed.

"Yes, but my mum says there are more problems to solve on earth to become an astronaut." He considered. "She is probably right. She usually is."

Aidan laughed. He could not remember the last time something had made him laugh before a morning meeting without any effort at all.

Leon was watching him with quiet curiosity, and there was something about those eyes; dark brown, it felt familiar to Aidan in a way he could not place.

"Your mommy sounds smart," Aidan said.

"She is the smartest person I know." Leon smiled. "She built LUXE by herself. She always says if someone throws you away, you build yourself something better than what they had."

Aidan went very still.

Something about that sentence landed oddly. He could not explain why.

"She sounds like someone worth meeting, huh" he said carefully.

"Are you here to meet her?" Leon asked, like this was obvious. "You are from AS Tech, aren't you? I heard Mom talk about your company"

"...Yes." Aidan glanced and Priya then back at Leon.

Leon looked around before whispering in Aidan's ear. "She likes your company but she won't say yes." Leon looked at him very directly. "She doesn't say yes easily."

Aidan laughed and opened his mouth to respond.

He heard heels coming from the direction of the elevators.

He turned around.

She was crossing the lobby with a folder under her arm and a coffee in her hand, wearing an expensive tailored black dress and her hairdo up with small diamond earrings.

Then her face. She saw him at the exact same moment too. Aidan's breath caught.

For a long, frozen heartbeat, neither of them moved.

"Evelyn," he whispered to himself.

Six years. Six years since he had treated her like a piece of nothing. It felt like yesterday. He couldn't hide the guilt he felt instantly.

He hadn't expected her. He had prepared for presentations, charts, negotiations, but definetely not her.

She owned this place too?

The effortless authority in the way she walked. She was no longer the same Evelyn he had dismissed.

Evelyn Smith to Evelyn Cole, the name on every fashion magazine, a billionaire in her own right, commanding respect simply by existing in a room. How did he not catch this earlier?

Evelyn's face flickered just for a second before her mask of professionalism fell back into place.

He wanted to say a lot of things at that moment-anything-but he couldn't. Because he had no right to and now she stood there, whole and formidable, and he felt so small.

"Leon." Her voice was calm. "Go upstairs to Zara. Mommy has to take care of business now."

"Mommy, I was talking to-"

"Now, sweetheart. Please." she begged slightly.

As soon as he was gone, Evelyn looked at Aidan.

It was a look with nothing in it. Not a single trace of friendliness , just a clean, professional blankness, like he was any man who had shown up early for a meeting she had agreed to for business reasons only.

"Mr. Smith," she said. "The conference room will be ready at nine. My assistant will bring your team up."

She walked past him to the reception desk.

She did not look back.

Aidan stood there, shocked. As much as he thought about her as she left, another thing was on his mind.

Her son. What was the probability that child....was his?