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163 The Recording
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Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 164 House of Horrors
(Winona)The following week, we flew into my old city early this morning. I’ve never been back on this side of it since the day I was taken to live with Anne. I didn’t ever want to come back.My hands are shaking. All of me is. The memories make me want to run away as fast as I can. The nightmare I lived here. Those moments replay in my mind. The fear. The hunger. The pain. The loneliness. All the horrors are reawakened.The house stands in front of me, the same house I grew up in, but somehow different. It’s still just as rundown I remember, but there’s a sense of care now—a small attempt at making it better.The windows are clean, the front steps swept, and there are even a few potted plants by the door. It’s like someone put a fresh coat of paint on a sinking ship.I hesitate, my hand hovering just above the doorknob. Part of me wants to walk right in, like I used to when I was a kid, but I can’t. Not now. Not after all these years. I have no clue who lives here.Jayden stands bes
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 165 Sisters Meet
(Winona)I glance around the living room. There’s a peninsula bench dividing the space. Over that, the small kitchen. I know up the hall there are two bedrooms, but I was never allowed in those. If I ever did peak in, I got a beating. Now I know why.It’s the same layout. The same place.But I can see the signs of care—clean dishes stacked in the sink corner, fresh flowers in a chipped vase. Furnishings that are older but not the trash we once had here. She’s been trying. It’s not much, but it’s something.Somehow, amongst the dilapidated structure, this place looks and feels like a home. Not my home but a home.I can’t help but wonder how she’s made ends meet all these years. It’s been over eighteen years.“I got help. Did some courses. Learned how my experience could help me help others. I do social work part time. It isn’t much but we live simple lives.” It’s like she’s read my mind.I nod. “That’s great.”“I can’t work any more hours because of the trauma I suffered. I can only do
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 166 Higher Power
(Ashlyn) I sit on the edge of my narrow bed, the cold, sterile walls of the facility pressing in on me. The room is small, with nothing more than a bed, a table, and a chair. It’s a far cry from the luxury I was used to, but it’s fitting. I don’t deserve anything better. Not after everything I’ve done.The silence here is deafening in its way, but it gives me time to think, to reflect on everything that’s led me to this point. I’ve spent countless hours replaying the past in my mind, dissecting every action, every decision, every hurtful word.I’ve talked to my psychiatrist and, more importantly, listened.And I’ve come to realize just how wrong I was. How wrong Judy is.About everything.But it’s not just the talks and the thinking, there’s a higher power at play here. Now I know there’s something out there bigger than all of us, it was easy to accept responsibility. Easy for me to want to be a better person.When I think about Winona and Jayden, there’s a knot of guilt that tigh
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 167 Two Worlds
(Winona)We check into the best hotel in the city.I don’t belong here wasting money while others are suffering. I don’t deserve it.Jayden is busy at the front desk, handling the details, but my mind is back at that house. The contrast between this opulence and the place I grew up in is too much. How do I reconcile these two worlds?How do I accept that I’m living in one and ignoring the other?When Jayden comes back with the electronic room key, I can’t help but voice what’s on my mind. “This place is over the top, Jayden. We don’t need all this. It’s… unnecessary.”He looks at me, his expression softening. “You’ve been triggered. We’ll stick a pin in this for now and talk about it in therapy.”Is he being understanding or patronizing? We take the elevator up to our suite in silence, the plush carpet underfoot almost mocking the rough, cold floors of my past.When we step into the room, it’s as luxurious as expected—huge windows with a view of the city. A bed that looks like it cou
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 168 Into the Fray
(Jayden)As we head towards the hotel parking lot, Winona suddenly stops in her tracks. “We can’t take that car where we’re going,” she says, her voice low but firm.I glance at the sleek, black luxury sedan we rented. She’s probably right. It stuck out like a dog's balls at Winona’s old house.“Okay,” I say, pulling out my phone. “Let me make another call.”I dial my head of security, Gunner, who’s used to handling all kinds of situations. The man’s ex-military, special services. If there’s anyone I trust to get us what we need right now, it’s him.“Mr. Brennan,” Gunner answers on the first ring. Always professional, always on point.“Gunner, I need security. And a car that won’t get us killed or robbed. Something that blends in where we’re going. We need protection—people who aren’t afraid to use force if necessary. I’ll send you the location.”There’s a brief pause before Gunner responds. “Understood, sir. I’ll arrange everything. Give me thirty minutes.”“It’s urgent.”“Consider i
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 169 Surprise After Surprise
(Jayden)Before he can finish, Winona’s hand shoots out, grabbing his wrist and twisting it hard.The guy yelps in pain, dropping to one knee, and Winona doesn’t hesitate. She delivers a swift kick to his side, sending him sprawling onto the pavement.Then finishes it off with a smash to his balls.The three of us men in the SUV all wince.“Don’t fuck with me. She comin’ home now!” Winona pulls a pistol out of her jeans pocket. “Any you other fuckers want to mess with this mamma and get your brains spread over the footpath? Go right ahead.”I’m stunned. When the fuck did she get a gun?I’ve never seen this side of Winona before, and it’s a shock to realize just how capable she is of defending herself. She doesn’t even flinch, her focus entirely on Cass as she holds the gun steady towards the other men.Cass takes a step back, her eyes wide as she stares at Winona. “What the hell?”“Get in the car. Now!” Winona says, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Don’t make me beat your ass.”
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 170 Packing Up the Past
(Winona) Back in the old house, Jayden steps outside to make a call, leaving me alone with my mom and Cass.“Mom, you need to pack what you need for a few nights. We’re getting you and Cass out until the coast is clear.”Mom hesitates, her hand lingering on the worn armrest of the couch. “This is my home, Winona. The only thing I have that’s mine.”“It’s dangerous right now, Mom. You know what can happen if they come here...”Mom nods. “What were you doing, Cass? You’re usually not that reckless.”“I’m sorry. I didn’t think she was going to turn up and go all gangsta on me.” Cass says and puts her arm around Mom. “I shouldn’t have run out on you like that.”“It’s okay, Cass. It was a lot to take in. But it’s better you know the truth.”“I’m pissed that you had to be that person. It isn’t you, Mom. You know that don’t you?”Mom smiles and brushes her hand down Cass’s arm. “I left all that in the past the day I knew you survived cold turkey. I barely survived it. I knew then I’d give y
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 171 Family Bonds
(Winona)I go to her and hold her now and we sob together. I finally got it. Why she never could leave and why she never contacted me after I was taken away. She made the ultimate sacrifice so I would go on to have a bright future.I think of Abby and I know I’d do nothing less for her if I had to.Just then, Jayden steps back inside, and I can see his expression and I know he’s heard. “I swear that slug is going to get what he deserves one day.”His hatred for Steve evident.“I wish he was dead,” Mom says quietly, her voice shaking. “But I’m grateful he never came back here. I’m grateful he left you alone.”“Not exactly. He’s been in our lives recently, remember? He’s the one who told me he’d left you almost here and pregnant. I wasn’t sure what I’d find here, or if either of you survived, but I’m so glad. He’s actually done me a favor.”“My short-term memory is a little shot. So many years of drug abuse took its toll.”“It doesn’t matter. He’s gone now. I don’t think he’ll be back.”
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Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 294 Uneasy Feelings
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