Divorced by the CEO, He Regrets it

Five.

Tiffany’s POV

I stood in front of the mirror in the motel bathroom, staring at my reflection. The same girl who had giggled at herself in that burgundy dress just days ago now looked tired, eyes puffy, but there was something harder in my gaze. Pain and strength twisted together. I touched the glass. “You’re not broken,” I whispered. “Not completely.”

Austin had convinced me to move. I let him take me to one of my secret properties, an old office building I had kept under a different name.

When I stepped inside, Mr. Reynolds, my most trusted former employee, looked up from his desk and smiled like he’d been waiting for me for years.

“Miss Harrington,” he said warmly. “It’s good to see you back.”

We sat in the quiet conference room. I told him pieces of what happened with David. He listened without pity, just calm anger.

“I want to make one move,” I said. “Quietly, cancel the partnership with David’s company on the Meridian deal. No explanation yet.”

Reynolds nodded. “Consider it done by the end of day. He won’t trace it to you immediately.”

“Good, let him feel it first.”

My phone rang as I left the office. David’s name flashed on the screen. I answered, keeping my voice steady.

“Tiffany,” he said, sounding irritated. “My lawyer says you’ve got someone good on your side already. We need to talk about asset division. Don’t make this difficult.”

I almost laughed. “Difficult? You humiliated me in public and now you want easy?”

He paused on the other end. I could almost see him rubbing his temple the way he did when deals went sideways.

“Listen,” he said, switching to that fake-patient tone he used with clients. “I know things got ugly at the club. But we’re adults. Sophia wants this settled before the wedding announcements go public. Just tell your lawyer to stop blocking everything. You’ll walk away with enough to live comfortably. Isn’t that what you always wanted? A quiet life?”

“Look, I’m trying to be fair. Just sign the rest of the papers and stop dragging this out. Sophia and I have a wedding to plan.”

“Fair?” My voice rose. “You emptied the joint account. You threw me away like trash. Tell your lawyer I’m not signing anything until I’m ready.”

He sighed like I was being dramatic. “You’re still so emotional. This is why we didn’t work.”

I hung up on him. Back at the motel to grab the last of my things, I found Sophia waiting outside my door, looking flawless in heels and a tight dress. She flashed her engagement ring at me.

“Cute place,” she said with a smirk. “David asked me to come tell you to stay away. No more calls, no more showing up. You’re already embarrassing him.”

I stayed calm on the outside. “Tell David I heard him the first time and congratulations on winning against a man who throws away five years like it’s nothing.”

She laughed. “He was never really yours, honey. He told me how boring it was. How you never understood his world.” She leaned closer. “Stay in your lane.” and walked away.

I closed the door slowly and leaned against it, heart racing. My hands were shaking but I hadn’t yelled. I hadn’t begged. For once I had stayed calm while she tried to tear me down.

But the second her expensive heels clicked away down the hallway, the mask cracked. I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor, knees to my chest. The tears came fast and hot.

“Why am I never enough?” I whispered to the empty room.

“Five years of loving him through every failure, every late night, every doubt… and she gets to wear his ring like it was nothing.”

I sank onto the bed and cried again, loud and ugly, fists clenched in the sheets. Everything still hurts so much.

Austin knocked a few minutes later. He let himself in, saw my face, and pulled me against him without a word. He sat beside me and pulled me into his lap like I weighed nothing. His shirt smelled like fresh air and expensive cologne, nothing like the cheap motel scent I had gotten used to.

“You faced her?” he asked quietly.

I nodded against his chest. “She flaunted the ring. Told me David never really loved me. That I was boring.”

Austin’s arms tightened. “She’s scared. She knows you’re more than she’ll ever be.” His fingers brushed through my hair gently. The touch sent a small, unexpected warmth through the pain. I didn’t pull away.

“You don’t have to be strong every second,” he said quietly, chin resting on my head. “Not with me.”

“I cancelled one of his big deals today,” I whispered into his shirt. “He doesn’t know it was me yet.”

Austin’s hand rubbed slow circles on my back. “Good. That’s my girl.” His voice had a low edge that made my stomach flutter despite everything.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, our faces close. The air felt thicker for a moment. He brushed a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “We’ll take it slow. Whatever you need.”

Later that evening, Austin drove me to my real home, a penthouse I had kept hidden for years. Marble floors, city lights sparkling through floor-to-ceiling windows. He whistled low when we stepped inside.

“This is you,” he said softly. “The real you.”

We were sitting on the couch, going over papers, when my phone started ringing. David’s name again. This time it kept buzzing, urgent.

I stared at it, heart hammering. Austin sat beside me, shoulder pressed to mine.

David’s voice came through when I finally answered, panicked and sharp.

“Tiffany, what the hell is going on with Harrington Legacy Group? A major partnership just collapsed. Millions down the drain. Tell me you didn’t…”

I didn’t say a word. I just looked at Austin, my pulse racing.

“Should I answer?” I whispered.

The line crackled with David’s rising anger. “Tiffany? Tiffany, answer me damn it!”