Too late to regret

"Sign them, Maya. I don't have all night."

The words hit me harder than the cold draft rattling the penthouse windows. I froze, the silver tray in my hands trembling. On it sat two glasses of vintage champagne and a small, velvet box-my gift to him for our third secret anniversary.

I forced a smile, though my heart was already beginning to hammer against my ribs. "Julian? It's nearly midnight. We're supposed to be celebrating. You said after tonight, we wouldn't have to hide anymore."

Julian Vane didn't look at the champagne. He didn't look at me. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass, his tailored suit jacket discarded, looking every bit the cold, ruthless billionaire the world feared. On the mahogany desk between us lay a thick stack of papers.

The word DIVORCE stared back at me in bold, uncompromising ink.

"The three years are up, Maya," he said, his voice as flat as a dial tone. "The arrangement has served its purpose. My father's estate is settled, my position as CEO is secure, and I no longer require a wife."

"A requirement?" My voice cracked, a lump rising in my throat that felt like swallowing glass. "Is that all I've been to you? A business box you needed to check?"

He finally turned, his eyes icy and devoid of the warmth I thought I'd seen there just last week. "Don't make this emotional. You knew the terms. You got your tuition paid, your mother's medical bills covered. You've been compensated."

"I loved you, Julian."

He flinched, but only for a second. "That was your first mistake. Tomorrow, I'm announcing my engagement to Isabella. She's the one who saved my family's reputation when we were kids-she's the one who actually belongs by my side."

The tray slipped from my numb fingers. The crystal shattered, expensive bubbles soaking into the designer rug. I didn't care. "You're marrying her? The woman you told me was just a family friend?"

"She is what the Vane empire needs," he said, pushing a pen toward me. "Sign the papers, Maya. If you leave quietly, I'll add a zero to your settlement. If you make a scene, you leave with nothing."

I looked at the pen, then at the man I had spent three years protecting, loving, and waiting for. The girl who would have done anything for him died in that moment of shattered glass.

I picked up the pen. My hands didn't shake anymore.

"I don't want your extra zero, Julian," I whispered, signing my name with a sharp, jagged stroke. "I want you to remember this night. Because one day, you're going to realize exactly what you threw away. And by then, it will be too late."

I walked out without looking back, leaving the velvet box-and my heart-on the desk.

The bass from the club below thrummed through the soles of my heels, a rhythmic reminder of a life I no longer felt part of.

"To Maya! To freedom and getting rid of dead weight!" my best friend, Sarah, shouted over the music, hoisting a neon-colored shot glass.

I forced my lips into a practiced curve-the same fake smile I'd been wearing for the last three hours. "To freedom," I echoed, tilting the glass back. The liquid burned, but it didn't touch the cold void in my chest.

My friends meant well. They thought a night at The Onyx was the cure for a three-year secret marriage ending in a cold-blooded divorce. They didn't know that every time a slow song played, I could still feel Julian's hand on the small of my back. They didn't know that the "settlement" check sitting in my purse felt like blood money."I'm just going to the restroom," I whispered to Sarah after another thirty minutes of pretending to dance.

"Don't be long! The DJ is about to play your favorite!"

I nodded, keeping the smile tucked into place until I turned the corner toward the VIP hallway. The air was cooler here, dimmed by velvet wallpaper and soft gold lighting. I didn't head for the restroom. Instead, I pushed open a heavy oak door to a darkened lounge, desperate for a single moment where I didn't have to perform.

The room was silent, smelling of expensive cedar and aged bourbon. I leaned against the back of a leather armchair, and finally, the mask shattered.

The first sob felt like a physical tear in my throat. Then came the rest-a silent, shaking deluge of three years of suppressed loneliness, of being a secret, of being discarded for a woman who "fit the image." I gripped the leather until my knuckles turned white, my head bowed as I cried my eyes out for the girl who had been foolish enough to believe in fated love.

I was so lost in the sound of my own grief that I didn't hear the leather creak.

I didn't notice the shadow moving in the corner of the room.

Not until a hand appeared in my peripheral vision-large, steady, and holding a square of pristine blue silk.

I froze, my breath hitching in a jagged gasp. My eyes, blurred with tears and ruined mascara, followed the arm up. He was sitting in the shadows of a high-backed wing chair, a glass of amber liquid resting on the side table.He didn't say a word. He just kept the handkerchief stretched in my direction.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered, frantically wiping at my cheeks with my palms, only making the black streaks worse. "I didn't realize anyone was in here. I'll leave."

"The silk is better for the skin than your hands," a voice rumbled. It was deep, smooth, and held a command that made the air in the room feel heavy.

I hesitantly reached out, my fingers brushing his. A small jolt of electricity-sharp and unexpected-snapped through my skin. I took the handkerchief; it was warm and smelled faintly of sandalwood and something dangerously expensive.

"Thank you," I whispered, dabbing at my eyes.

"He isn't worth the ruined makeup," the man said.He leaned forward slightly, the dim light catching the sharp line of a jaw and eyes that seemed to read every secret I was trying to hide. "Whoever he is."

I stiffened, my pride flaring up through the sadness. "You don't know anything about it."

"I know that a woman who cries in the dark is usually mourning a ghost," he replied calmly. He stood up, and I realized just how much he towered over me. He was broader than Julian, more imposing, with an aura of raw power that made the penthouse I'd just left feel like a dollhouse. "Go back to your friends, Maya Thorne. The world is too small to hide in for long."

My heart stopped. "How do you know my name?"

He didn't answer. He simply picked up his glass, took a slow sip, and gestured toward the door. "Keep the handkerchief. You look like you might need it again before the night is over."I clutched the silk handkerchief, my heart hammering. "How do you know my name?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. "I've never met you."

"I make it my business to know the players in this city," he said, stepping fully into the light. He was devastatingly handsome, but in a way that felt dangerous-like a storm barely held in check by a three-piece suit. "And while your 'husband' kept you in the shadows, I've always found the shadows to be where the most interesting people hide."

He knew. He knew about the secret marriage. The humiliation I thought I was burying rose up, hot and stinging. "If you're looking for a scandal to use against Julian, you're too late. He's already moved on to his 'perfect' bride.""Is that what you think she is?" A ghost of a smirk played on his lips. He walked over to the small bar in the corner and poured a second glass-not bourbon, but a clear, sparkling water with a twist of lime. He held it out. "Drink. Dehydration makes for a terrible comeback story."

I took the glass, my fingers brushing his again. That same spark flared, but this time I didn't pull away. I took a sip, the coldness helping to settle the fluttering in my stomach.

"Julian Vane is a man who counts his coins and misses the gold," the stranger said, leaning against the bar with an effortless grace. "He thinks he traded up. In reality, he just traded a rare diamond for a piece of glass that shines only because of his family name."

I looked down at the blue silk in my hand. "You're very confident for someone I just met.""I'm Cyrus," he said, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made me forget how to breathe. "And I'm not confident. I'm just observant. For instance, I noticed that you've been 'smiling' for three hours, but your eyes haven't crinkled once. It's an impressive performance, Maya. You should retire it. It doesn't suit you."

I felt a genuine, small huff of a laugh escape me-the first one in weeks. "Is that your professional opinion, Mr. Cyrus?"

"It's my personal one," he replied, and for the first time, his expression softened. "There. A real smile. It's a start. It's much more expensive than anything Julian could ever buy Isabella."

The mention of my name and that slight jab at Julian's new life felt like a secret weapon being handed to me. For the first time since signing those papers, I didn't feel like a discarded object. I felt seen.

"I should go," I said, setting the glass down. "My friends will be looking for me."

"Of course," Cyrus said, bowing his head slightly. "But remember, Maya-the next time you want to cry, do it because you're winning. It's much more satisfying."

As I turned to leave, his voice caught me at the door one last time.

"Keep the handkerchief. Consider it a down payment on our next meeting."

I walked back into the loud, pulsing heat of the club, but the noise didn't bother me anymore. I felt the weight of the silk in my pocket-a blue promise from a man who seemed to know my worth better than the man I had been married to for three years.

The morning after the divorce felt like waking up in a body that didn't belong to me. My eyes were crusty, my throat was parched, and for a terrifying five seconds, I forgot everything. Then, I saw the empty space on my ring finger-a pale line of skin where my wedding band used to sit-and the weight of Julian's betrayal crashed back down, suffocating me.

I didn't have time to mourn. Not yet. I had exactly eight hundred dollars in my checking account and a mountain of student loans that Julian had "generously" stopped paying the moment I signed those papers.

I spent three hours perfecting my resume, removing any mention of the "private consulting" I'd done for Vane Group. I was a top graduate of St. Jude's Academy. I was a scholarship kid who had fought for every inch of my education. Surely, that counted for something.The first interview was at Loring & Associates, a prestigious firm in the heart of the financial district. The lobby was all marble and glass, smelling of expensive lilies and success.

"Miss Thorne? Mr. Henderson will see you now," the receptionist said with a polite smile.

For twenty minutes, the interview was a dream. Henderson was impressed. "Your analysis of the tech-sector volatility is some of the sharpest I've seen from someone your age," he said, leaning back in his leather chair. "I think you'd be a perfect fit for our junior associate program. Let's just get your ID on file for the formal background check."

I handed over my driver's license, my heart fluttering with a tiny spark of hope.

Henderson scanned the ID. He looked at his computer screen. Then, the smile vanished.It didn't just fade; it died. He looked at the phone on his desk, which had just blinked with a silent notification.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice suddenly sounding like he was reciting a funeral dirge. "There's been an error. This position was actually filled... five minutes ago. Internally."

"Five minutes ago?" I echoed, my voice small. "But you just said-"

"I'm busy, Miss Thorne. Please show yourself out."

The same thing happened at the second firm. And the third. By 4:00 PM, the pattern was undeniable. I was walking out of a mid-sized boutique firm, my heels clicking hollowly on the pavement, when a familiar silver Porsche pulled up to the curb.

The window rolled down, revealing the face of Blake Sterling. He was one of the "Kings of St. Jude's," a man who had spent three years laughing at my "poverty" while secretly trying to get me into bed behind Julian's back.

"Still trying to find a seat at the table, Maya?" he drawled, his eyes raking over my thrifted blazer with a sneer.

"What do you want, Blake?" I hissed, clutching my briefcase to my chest.

"I just wanted to see if the rumors were true. Word around the club is that Julian put a 'Red Flag' on your name across every HR department in the city." He hopped out of the car, leaning against the door with a cruel grin. "He didn't even have to say much. Just a little whisper that you were a 'thief' who tried to embezzle from the Vane estate. Who's going to hire a thief, Maya?"My blood turned to ice. "I never touched a cent of his money."

"Doesn't matter. In this city, Julian's word is gospel, and yours is trash." Blake stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, predatory hum. "He's waiting, you know. He told us you'd last about forty-eight hours before you realized you can't even buy a sandwich without his permission. He's got that settlement check on his desk. All you have to do is go to him, apologize for being 'difficult,' and sign the NDA. Maybe if you're sweet enough, he'll let you keep that pathetic little apartment."

I didn't wait for him to finish. I turned and ran. I didn't stop until I was inside my studio apartment, the door triple-locked behind me.

The darkness of the room swallowed me. I didn't turn on the lights. I didn't eat. I just sat on the floor, the cold hardwood seeping into my bones, and I cried. I cried for the girl who thought she had escaped her past. I cried for the woman who realized her husband was now her executioner. I cried until the moon crossed the sky and the sun began to peek through the blinds, leaving me hollow, exhausted, and utterly defeated.