The Billionaire's regret; a second chance at love

|Aria's POV|

My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I perceived the aroma of the little feast I was preparing, wondering what would be his reaction. Will he like it or will he throw it at my face?

"Signora. I am sure he would love it very much," Elena, the head chef of my husband's mansion assured me.

"I am just so nervous, and I wanted to make it more special because it's his birthday, But, I can't stop feeling like I will mess it up." I rambled.

She dropped her apron, which she was adamant about wearing even if she didn't help with the preparation. "Signora, it's perfetto!" Her Italian accent picked up my crumbled confidence.

"Thank you very much, Elena. Now take your leave, Ace will be back soon." I hurried, shoving her out of the kitchen playfully.

I rubbed my hands on my apron back and forth as I checked the time, it was around 7 p.m., so he should be back already.

My legs were shaking, so I decided to take a seat.

"8 o'clock," I muttered before going outside to check the driveway even if I knew the possibility of him sitting in his car and not coming in was slim.

'9 o'clock'

'Did I piss him off?'

'10 o'clock.'

Raindrops raced down the windowpane, mirroring the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. The thunder outside seemed to match the tempest brewing within me.

I know a lot of people do a lot of stupid things right? I am sure I easily outrank them because imagine a literature student whose dream is to have her husband make her walk on a poetry-designed ground and getting married to a ruthless billionaire who is incapable of loving anyone but himself and maybe Gabriella, my step-sister.

My heart clenched painfully when I remembered the day I met Ace; I have always heard his name on the internet because I had a huge crush on him and my father but on that day, I was invited to my father's house for dinner.

I was surprised at first when I realized that he was going to be joining us for dinner. However, I saw the subtle glances he gave Gabriella, even the blind could see how much he liked her because he wouldn't even spare me a glance.

We both received the shock of our lives when we woke up in the sheet tangled the next morning, we had been drugged. My father wouldn't allow him to be with Gabriella since the night resulted in pregnancy.

In summary, Ace was forced to marry me if not, my dad was ready to destroy his company and he had hated me since then.

However, I believe he would warm up to me completely. 'Baby steps.' I reminded myself because there was a time he wouldn't even sleep in the same house with me.

The sound of screeching tyres halted my thoughts, and my heart beat wildly as I anticipated my husband.

Slamming the entrance door, Ace boomed. "Aria!!!"

"Sweetheart. You are back. Happy birthday to you." I whispered.

His voice made butterflies appear even if he sounded so pissed. But when does he not sound so pissed?

My lips curled upward as my legs moved on their own accord. My body was so eager to be in his arms, where it actually belonged. A tightness appeared in my chest when he moved away from me like he was told that I was diagnosed with the most deadly and infectious disease.

"Do. not. Call. me. That." He gritted out.

Whipping out his phone, he tapped furiously on it before shoving it to my face. " Listen to this."

"What is th-" I paused when I heard my voice coming from his phone.

"Yeah, it requires drugging the billionaire and having sex with him." My jaw dropped but I could not speak, my head kept shaking.

"N-N-No" I stuttered. All I could think about was how he was misinterpreting all of this coincidental information while the recording was being played.

"Then blackmailing him into marrying me when I get pregnant."

"Obviously, he wouldn't want to tarnish our reputation, so jackpot." The recording ended, as he tucked his phone back into his suit pocket.

"Wh- where did you get that from? I swear, it's not what it looks like." I whispered, my voice barely audible as I attempted to hold his hand.

His hardened gaze stopped me in my tracks. " Where did I get it from? Are you surprised I got the recording??"

"I swear, that was a scene I was asked to play. I was simply narrating it to my best friend. This part was just a coincidence with what happened." My lips quivered and my eyes welled with tears as I tried to make him see that it was just a setup.

Cocking his eyebrows, his voice cold and murderous "You mean, you were asked to play the same scene that happened between us days before it happened??"

"No. It was your plan all along. You knew I was going to be invited by your father for dinner and you decided to drug me!" He yelled.

"We were both drugged. You weren't the only one," I staggered backwards at the weight of his accusation.

"You know, I was even kind of tolerant when I heard you were pregnant. At least, I was hoping something good would come out from the unfortunate marriage I was forced into." My legs wobbled as it looked like icy arrows were driven into my heart.

"Un-Unfortunate marriage?" My voice broke.

"But, you couldn't even protect the baby well. It's been three years and yet no baby from you." He spat.

A wave of hot tears brimmed in my orbs when I remembered the unfortunate situation of how my only hope vanished like my dreams.

"You wouldn't even look at me in the eyes. It is as if I disgust you badly, one day you want me, the other you don't." My voice quivered and I felt my eyes stung, tears threatening to fall, my hands clutching my chest.

"You disgust me. I despise you for ruining my dreams and imposing yours on me." He spat coldly.

My eyes widened and my lips parted in disbelief, a lump forming in my throat. "What? I ruined your dreams? You even asked me to stop acting, saying you don't want that career for your wife."

Ace paused and scoffed. "You know, with the evidence I have, I can decide to sue you in court. However, I would give you a less destructive option."

"Wh....what?"

"Su- Sue?"

'What other option?' I reasoned.

"Ace...please...ple.." My heart pounded hard against my ribcage, feeling my blood growing cold each minute.

"Ace?" I barely muttered, taking a step closer, trying to come in contact with him but he yanked my hands away as if my touch burned him.

'When does this end....when?' I pondered as I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

"We are getting divorced. Sign the papers before I change my mind." He threw the documents at me, pushing me to the side as he took long strides out of the door.

Shit!

|Aria's POV|

I woke up with my heart drumming wildly against my ribcage. Beaded sweats started dropping from my face and my palms became sweaty. A puff of breath escaped my lips as I remembered the horrific dream I had just had.

With a sigh, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. As I reached for my phone, my eyes fell on a single, sealed envelope sitting on my bedside table.

A wave of dread washed over me immediately after I recognised the handwriting. With trembling hands, I tore open the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

My heart pounded as I read the words, My mind racing. "No, No. This was supposed to be the horrific dream."

The letter was a divorce decree, finalizing the end of my marriage and most probably the end of my life. I felt a cold numbness creep over me while I reread the words, the reality of my situation sinking in.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I let them fall freely, my heart heavy with sorrow and disbelief as I replayed yesterday's events, my heart clenched painfully making me wrap my hands around myself, feeling an invisible knife being twisted in my heart.

I stared at the full-length mirror, my sunken yet puffy eyes indicating that I had cried myself to bed last night and that maybe all this was not a dream after all.

"N-no. It has to be a misunderstanding. He can't divorce me." I concluded, my heart searing with pain.

'I need to go to his office. Maybe when I get there, he will admit this is just a threat and doesn't mean it.' I reasoned as I went to pick up a dress in his favourite colour. I couldn't help but straighten the black tailored suit, hoping he would be a bit pleased at my choice.

Before long, I was dressed and I picked up the envelope, heading out.

"Jared," I called out to my driver.

"Yes, Signora." He answered, rushing after me to the garage.

"Jared, please take me to Ace's headquarters," I informed.

"Yes ma'am," He bobbed his head while opening the door for me, and the next moment, he hurried into his driver's seat before turning on the ignition.

My face began to tense up again as I dragged in a laboured breath, a sniffle escaped me as I met Jared's worried face looking at me through the rearview mirror. I should at least be sure of this before wallowing in self-pity.

The ride to the headquarters was as silent as a corpse being transported in this sports car. All I could think of was how he got the recording of me explaining the script to my best friend.

'And to make the situation worse, I can't find the original recording on my phone. It was as if that part of our chat was mistakenly deleted.'

I flinched as Jared's startling voice snapped me out of my train of thought. "Signora. We are here!"

"You can do this. I am sure it's just a misunderstanding." I whispered to myself before straightening out the invisible crease on my dress.

Walking into the building was a bit strange because I was not allowed to meddle with Ace's business affairs. He said he would love me to be a stay-at-home wife, I honestly don't mind because that means I was doing something that would make him happy.

The Elevator dinged, and immediately some workers came out wondering who I was.

Do they know me?

'Uhm, not sure. They might think you are one of the flings that regular the top floor.' My subconscious chipped in.

I entered the elevator and tried to bury whatever was coming to my head because some part of me knew it was true but I have always believed that Ace would warm up to me.

'I guess the warming up you meant was getting a divorce letter, right?'

"Hello, Good day ma'am. Who are you here to see?" The doe-eyed lady sitting behind the secretary chair questioned.

Lifting my lips to give her a warm smile, a contrast to my inner turmoil. "I am here to see my husband, Mr Ace Kings."

Shaking her head erratically. "Uh- uhm. You are his wife. Oh my goodness."

"Mr Kings is in huh a - Yes, a very serious meeting and he asked me not to accept any visitors for him." She rambled, looking at her pointy heels like it was the most interesting thing.

"Oh sweetheart, I am not a visitor. I am his wife. And I can wait." I reassured her.

"Uh ma, it isn't advisable to wait. The meeting is going to be a very long one ma'am." She advised while scratching her nose, an obvious body language that she was hiding something.

"What is your name?" I demanded, my voice cold and unwavering.

"Mirabel, ma'am" She stammered, chewing on her fingernails as she looked elsewhere other than in my direction.

"Do you mind telling me what my husband is doing in his office?" I seethed, slamming my hands on the table.

"Uhm- uhmmmm," She stuttered.

Desperate to find out what was going on, I moved away from her, with anger brewing in my veins. "You know what? I will find out myself."

I walked further away from her despite hearing her screams of protest. Reality started dawning on me that my subconscious might be right.

Especially nowadays, he doesn't come home often, always claiming that work is holding him down and he is busy.

'Yeah, he is busy burying himself in other women's private parts.'

Standing by the door of his office, my fingers trembled as I raised my hands to knock on the door. I hesitated before finally summoning the courage to knock. Three sharp bangs that seemed to drain me of all the heat in my body.

Straining my ears and leaning on the door, hoping to get a glimpse of what might be happening, the door swung open and I saw my husband in a white robe.

Wait, what? White robe? In his office?!

My eyes raked down his chest which glistened. Even though I had seen him yesterday, he still looked like he walked straight out of Armani's model shoot, and my anger slowly dissipated.

My breath seized as I met his cold hardened gaze, his fury palpable.

"What are you doing here Aria?" His voice was sharp and condescending.

Peering over his shoulder and trying to see if he had company "Why are you in a robe?" I retorted with a question of my own.

He shrugged, taking long strides to his desk before grabbing the scotch bottle and downing it.

"I owe you no explanation of what I do with my life." His voice was laced with irritation.

His gaze hardened as he glared at me "Now, why are you in my office?"

"I-I ca-came here, concerning the letter on the bedside table, I don't understand what you meant." I stuttered as my eyes searched every corner of his office, purposely avoiding his gaze as his tone drowned all my confidence.

Shifting his muscular body to block my wandering eyes, He answered "Is English that hard for you to comprehend?? What is there that you couldn't comprehend?"

Noticing his intentions, the surge of strength, and the possibility that he might be cheating on me, coupled with the frustration of trying to impress him for three years and still not being good enough, I shoved him apart.

My eyes darted around but the room was empty, however, the smirk on the corner of his lips made me believe otherwise.

"I am not interested in this unfruitful marriage anymore, I want to get divorced." He repeated.

Desperation flowed through my veins as I clutched his hands, pleading, hoping my worst nightmare wouldn't come to reality.

My voice trembled as tears threatened to resurface. My lips quivered as I clutched the robe "Please, we can fix this. Let's not take this critical step."

Just as he was about to give me a reply, I heard the sound of water rushing from the tap in the bathroom as the door made a faint sound.

I froze as my heart plummeted in my chest, my worst nightmare was becoming a reality. I know I shouldn't turn around, but the urge to see who is convincing him to make such a drastic decision was more controlling.

'Wait'

My trembling hands flew to cover my mouth as I turned around.

My teary eyes flickered from the female figure standing half-naked in front of me to my husband and then I looked back at her, my eyes growing wider each second and my legs losing their balance.

"No...no.....no..no." I whimpered as my voice lost all its strength.

It was someone I knew all this while??

|Aria's POV|

It was Gabriella, my step-sister!

There are moments when you feel your life turning over for the worse and all you can just do is watch it happen, your tongue becomes tied and you suddenly can't do anything but remain frozen. For me, that time is now.

As I stood in Ace's office, Gabriella wore nothing but a towel, her eyes locked on Ace with unnerving familiarity. Every second felt like a spear piercing my heart.

A strangled sob escaped my lips as I staggered backwards, my whole body stiffened, and the event continued to replay in my head.

Memories flooded my mind: Gabriella and her mother infiltrating our lives, manipulating my father's grief after my mother's tragic fall. The staircase accident still lingered, an open wound.

"Aria.." Ace's voice pierced the silence, popping the bubble. My eyes washed over him and slid to my step-sister, unsure of who to blame.

"What? Why?" I croaked out, after recovering myself from the partial dumbness that enveloped me. She and her evil mother had already succeeded in poisoning my father's mind against me. The old man doesn't even want to see me and now she wants to take my husband?

I didn't wait for a second, I didn't think about the consequence of what would happen as I did what I know how to do best, RUN. My heels clacked against the marble floor as I shoved Ace out of my way, eager to get away from them before I did what I would regret.

My face grew red as I rushed out of the office and met with the secretary who gave me a sympathetic look.

I frantically clicked the buttons of the elevator to get out of this place as the pain slowly consumed me. The elevator door clicked close as I bent down, wrapping my arms around myself as the tightness in my chest increased. I let the tears fall slowly, realising that the marriage was no longer redeemable.

I rushed out of the elevator hurriedly, my head down as I tried to leave the building undetected.

Opening the car door, I whispered defeatedly "Jared, please take me home."

My head spun, tears threatening to resurface again as I thought about how I had been so stupid and delusional. I had always known Ace wouldn't fall in love due to the situation surrounding our marriage.

The betrayal hit deep as I realized that I had wasted almost three and a half years of my life trying to do nothing but please Ace.

As Jared stepped on the accelerator, painful memories assaulted me;

Ace's words during my pregnancy echoed in my mind. "Just take care of my heir. You do not need to work." I had devoted myself to him, oblivious to the emptiness in our marriage.

How could I be so blind to all of these? Love is the best thing and the worst thing that can happen to someone.

I sat absent-mindedly for the next God knows when. My whole mind was disoriented.

But from the change of scenery and how the buildings passed in blurs outside the window, I knew we had been driving for a while.

'Ace, why...?'

'And my sister???'

The betrayal cut so deep that I rubbed my chest to reduce the ache.

Muttering silently so as not to startle me, Jared whispered. "Ma'am we are here."

I stumbled out of the car as I felt sickness hit the back of my throat and the sandwich I had eaten earlier threatened to resurface, so I rushed inside the mansion, slamming the guest restroom door open.

After throwing what was left in my stomach into the cold porcelain, with hazy eyes, I made my way to the closest living room and I slumped on the sofa, thinking about what next to do with my life.

A lump formed in my throat as I realized what leaving the marriage was. It means separation.

Going back to my father was not an option because I am sure no father would love to accept that his daughter slept with his business partner and got divorced. After all, I got pregnant and was about to tarnish his reputation.

My heartbeat accelerated when a ding reverberated in the room, my hopes high that he was going to reach out to me and tell me it was a prank and that he was willing to reconsider. I hurriedly tapped on his chat icon as his message popped up.

My chest grew heavy as each word I read felt like the words were being carved into my heart with a very blunt knife. Ace's message appeared.

"Get your things and leave my house."

My voice croaked as I sent him a voice message with a glimmer of hope.

"Ace, I am willing to forgive you for cheating with my sister. Please let's reconsider this. We can't end this way. I know you might not admit it but we love each other."

I paced around the room staring at my screen and seeing the three grey bubbly dots appear, anticipation building in my chest.

"You love me. It's not a mutual thing, It is one-sided. And there is no 'we' anymore. It has never been 'we'." I read out loud.

"You do not understand. You can't be loved. You fail at everything. You had three years to make me fall in love with you and you failed. You even failed at keeping your baby alive." He continued.

I flinched as the texts echoed in my head, like a bell on a Sunday morning. With shaky hands and a pounding heart, I reread the paper again.

A scoff of disbelief escaped my lips when I saw the part where he allocated 40% of his fortune to me, I slashed out that part while writing an Uppercase "Go to hell with your fortune".

His signature was sitting proudly on the divorce letter like it was a billion-dollar deal.

Without wasting more of my time on the heartless monster, I shoved a few clothes into the suitcase. Eager to leave this place that was making my skin crawl, I looked at the interior and was proud of my choice. However, I despise that I made this a home for us and he couldn't even find a room for me in his heart.

"Signora, you're leaving. Make sure to keep in touch." Elena sniffled.

My eyes stung as I remembered how much I was really head over heels for Ace. I learned how to cook his favourite dishes just to please him but now that I realized, he had never complimented any of the dishes even though he knew I was always putting in effort and I craved his validation.

"I need to. I will miss you." I croaked out as I untangled myself from her embrace.

I don't know what the future holds for me and I simply don't know what I would do but there was one thing I was sure of, more than ever. Walking out of Ace Kings's life.

With a heavy and shattered heart, I walked out of Ace King's house, out of his life with absolutely no idea of where to go.