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179 Settling In
Last Updated:
2024-08-19 12:00:53
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Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 180 Daily Grind
(Jayden)Driving up to Anne’s place to pick up Abby feels like the first normal thing I’ve done in days. My days feel empty without Winona here, but I can’t deny the relief of having a bit of breathing room.It’s given me time to try and process everything—the messages from Ashlyn, the chaos with Winona’s family, and now, introducing Abby to her new grandmother and aunt.Not to mention fixing up a line up of work problems. I don’t know why I keep Brennan Industries going some days. Is it really worth it? This stress and workload is not a legacy I want to hand to my kid.Or kids…I realize if Ashlyn is still pregnant this will change my life.The daily grind I lived for is less and less appealing lately.Anne opens the door with a warm smile, Abby is beside her. As soon as she sees me, her little face lights up, and she launches up at me. “Daddy!”“Hey, sweetheart,” I say, picking her up. “I swear you’ve grown another inch. Were you good for Nanny Anne?”“She was an angel, as always,” A
Last Updated : 2024-08-19Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 181 Ashlyn’s Delusion
(Winona)Jayden and I are sitting across from Barnaby in his office office, the familiar surroundings doing little to ease the twisting in my stomach.Barnaby looks between us. “It seems there’s a lot on your minds today. Where would you like to start?”Jayden’s the first to speak, his voice steady. “I want to talk about Ashlyn. She’s recently sent me text messages.”I tense up, the mention of her name bringing a rush of emotions—anger, suspicion, fear. “What exactly did she text? I mean how can she have a phone in there? I didn’t think they were allowed.”“I don’t know but I bet Mother has something to do with that.”“I don’t doubt that. Have you spoken to Ashlyn before this?”“No. She contacted me while we were away. That's the first I’ve heard from her.” Jayden says, his eyes locking onto mine.I take a deep breath. “Jayden, what could she possibly want with you? With us?”I’m not ready for his next words.“She told me she’s still pregnant.”I feel like the floor just dropped out f
Last Updated : 2024-08-20Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 182 Confronting Issues Together
(Winona)We move into the next part of our therapy session. Barnaby asks my fears at the moment.“I’m worried about seeing Ashlyn,” I admit, my voice shaky. “But it’s not just her that I’m worried about. What if, by some miracle, there is a baby?”Jayden looks at me, surprise flickering in his eyes. “I don’t believe it for a second.”“But,” I say, taking a deep breath. “If she is still pregnant... that’s your child, Jayden. And it can’t be raised in a high-security mental facility. You know how your mother feels about your offspring. She might come back.”“Damn. Do you think she would? I’d rather she stayed away. I can breathe now, at least.”“If there is a baby, I can’t see her staying away. If there is a baby, I can’t see her not knowing about that already and leaving in the first place.” That much is true. “Something here doesn’t add up.”“Most likely because Ashlyn is being delusional, and this is exactly what she wants. To drive a wedge between us with lies. To make us doubt each
Last Updated : 2024-08-20Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 183 Making Strides
(Winona)Jayden shifts in his chair. “It hurts hearing you say that. But I accept your feelings. Thank you for being honest.”I smile. Wow. He is really real about all of this. About us. A surge of love and respect for Jayden engulfs me. He’s been to hell and back too.Just because he’s done it with billions of dollars doesn’t make it hurt any less for him.Barnaby leans back in his seat and grins. “You two are really making strides. I’ll be eating at the soup kitchen soon because I’m out of a job.”I laugh. “Don’t think you’ll be lining up anytime soon, doc. But I do feel that was a major shift for us. To be honest like that and not have Jayden get angry is amazing.”“I can tell you’re both serious and you are putting each other first. Well done.”“I did feel angry, and I felt hurt because it wasn’t what I wanted you to say. But being told what I want to hear and being pandered to all my life is what got me here. So, I’m trying to change that.”“Thinking outside yourself. Brilliant.
Last Updated : 2024-08-20Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 184 Where’s Steve?
(Winona)It takes a few days to set up the visit with Ashlyn. I haven’t told anyone we’re going, not even Lisa. Jayden and I agreed to keep this between us until we figure out what’s really going on.But just as I’m trying to focus on preparing for the visit, my phone rings. It’s Gus. I hesitate for a moment before answering. I mean the man has never really done anything to me. In fact, he’s been nothing but supportive.But I’d be a fool to trust him and think he’s a friend. Especially as he has Judy over there and I know she’s up to something. Gus probably knows that too. But Gus I know will protect Abby at all costs. The heir to Nexus Global.I’ll take that as a security blanket.“Gus,” I say, keeping my voice neutral. “What’s going on?”“Winona,” he says, his voice serious. “I need to ask you something. Have you seen Steve lately?”My heart thumps in dread. “Not for a few weeks. He met me in the park, and he told me my mother still lived in our old house and that there might be a
Last Updated : 2024-08-21Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 185 Is This A Trap?
(Winona)My heart is in my throat as we’re led to the private room where Ashlyn is waiting.Jayden’s hand brushes mine, a silent gesture of reassurance, but it does little to calm the storm of emotions churning inside me. I’m here, but every fiber of my being is telling me this is a mistake.I can’t shake the feeling that this is some kind of trap. I’ve been lured in but somehow I’m the bait as well.We enter the room, and there she is. Ashlyn. She’s sitting at a small table, her hands cuffed behind her. There’s a guard posted by the door, his presence a stark reminder of where we are.Ashlyn looks different—impossibly thinner, paler—and her eyes don’t have that same look.She reminds me of that teen, three years younger than me, that I first spoke to because she was sitting alone. I must be careful. She is far from that person, no matter what act she’s perfected right now.“Winona, I didn’t know you were coming,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.“Yeah, surprise,” I answer
Last Updated : 2024-08-21Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 186 Desperate Bargain
(Ashlyn)I watch Winona’s eyes, searching for any sign that she might believe me. But all I see is doubt, suspicion, and hate. She’s not going to make this easy, I know that. But I have to try.This is my last chance, my only chance, to do something right in this messed-up life I’ve created.To help this baby I’ve created. If I adopt the baby to just anyone, Judy will find it. I know she will. If I leave the baby solely to Jayden, Judy will make sure she takes over again. The only choice I have is to get Winona to agree to adopt my baby as her own and promise me, if things don’t work out with Jayden, she will fight to keep my baby with her.I guess I have no real guarantee that will happen, but I know Winona and if she makes a promise she always tries to keep it. Especially as a mother.“I need you to believe me,” I say, my voice cracking slightly. I hate how weak I sound, but it’s the truth. I am weak right now, weaker than I’ve ever been.Winona’s expression doesn’t change. She jus
Last Updated : 2024-08-21Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 187 The Edge
(Jayden)We’re back in my car, outside the high security facility, but my mind is still trapped in that room with Ashlyn. Her words stick in my head. This is a bad dream I can’t shake off.Judy will always have a hold on you. One day, she’ll control your life again.I grip the steering wheel tight, my knuckles turning white. The thought of my mother having any influence over me, over my life, twists in my gut. Ashlyn’s dragging me back into that nightmare.“How can she even say that?” I demand. “How can she think Mother will ever control my life again?”Winona stays quiet beside me, eyes fixed ahead. But she’s heard me. She’s thinking, processing, just like she always does. “And she doesn’t trust me to take care of the baby,” I continue, my voice heating up. “Like I’m some kind of puppet for my mother, incapable of making my own decisions.”Winona finally turns to look at me, her expression tells me she’s about to drop some hard truths. “Jayden, we don’t even know if there is a baby.
Last Updated : 2024-08-22
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Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband Dear Readers
Readers, I’ve been back through all your comments and it really touches me that so many of you cared about these characters. I want to send a very special shout out to mitzi.goodson and Theresa for your active love of the story all the way and for commenting regularly. I love you guys and I love all the readers #hearteyes# Also I have discovered a mistake in the upload of Chapter 553. Only half the chapter seems to have been uploaded and I have now fixed that. I know you’re asking about if you’ll see these characters again…right now, I’m letting them rest but I hope to update you on them in the future. Right now I’m focusing on my new stories which I know you’ll also love.In the next one, After waking from a 5 month coma, Ava Lancaster watches her beloved daughter die. Ex-husband Zach Lorne, allowed the mother of his first child, cunning Sienna Sinclair to use little Lila as a medical pawn. Consumed by grief, Ava sets their mansion ablaze—clutching Lila’s body while Zach pleads outs
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 600 Our Forever
(Winona)Lisa sits on the couch between me and Jayden, her fingers curled around the USB stick.“You don’t have to,” I remind her gently.“I know,” she replies. “But I want to. I can’t move forward if I don’t hear him out.” She hands the drive to Jayden.Jayden leans forward and plugs the drive in. The screen flickers.And then there he is.Lance. Black eye blooming from Jayden’s attack over hall pass week, bruised knuckles, the same crooked grin he always wore.“Lisa,” he says, “I’m so sorry. I wish this could have been different.”I glance at her. She flinches but doesn’t look away.He shakes his head. “No big poetic intro. No music. No tragic montage. Just me.”His smile cracks slightly.“First, I want to say this isn’t your fault. You didn’t fail me. You didn’t love me wrong. In fact, you’re probably the only person who ever loved me right.”Lisa’s breath hitches beside me.“I wasn’t built for longevity, Lisa. You knew that. Hell, I practically had an exit sign blinking over my he
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 599 Full Circle
(Winona)Viktor stands with his hands by his side while Jayden finishes up his announcement.I watch on, proud of them both. Not only staunch in business but as friends.“I’ll still be involved on a higher level, but day-to-day, Viktor’s your guy,” Jayden says, firm and confident. “Effective immediately, he’s the new CEO of Nexus Global.”There’s a brief pause before the quiet, respectful claps ripple through the room.Viktor just nods. “Thank you,” he says. No long speech. No dramatic reaction. Just two words. Classic Viktor.Jayden glances my way and walks over.“Proud of him,” I say quietly. “And of you.”“He’s ready,” Jayden replies. “Hell, he’s been ready for a while now. He taught me almost everything I know about Nexus Global.”Viktor lingers by the window, posture steady. Astrid steps up beside him, saying something low. He replies with a brief nod and the smallest of smirks.Jayden leans into me and murmurs, “did you see that?”I arch an eyebrow. “The nod or the smirk?”“Both
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 598 The Final Decision
(Winona)I see the moment his eyes catch mine in the window behind Astrid. He blinks like he’s seeing a ghost. Too late. I’m already across the restaurant floor, my heels pounding each step out in deliberate warning, the sound sharp against the quiet hum of late-night conversations. Heads turn. I don’t care.His face shifts from confusion to panic as I advance—his mouth parting slightly, eyes darting to Astrid like he’s trying to figure out if he’s imagining this. He’s not. I’m here. I saw everything.I saw the kiss. I saw the closeness after. The lingering smiles, the laughter, and the way Astrid’s hand stayed on his like they were sharing secrets. Like she belongs to him. You don’t need sound to understand body language.That kiss wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a friendly peck on the cheek. It was enough for me to wonder if they’ve been playing me for a fool for weeks. Maybe months.Jayden stands just as I reach the table, knocking his chair back in a clumsy scrape. Astrid rema
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 597 Impulsive Kiss
(Jayden)Astrid raises her glass, the candlelight catching the rim. “To surviving another quarter without firing anyone major.”“To the rest of us surviving the grueling schedule of the Ice Queen herself.”“You did okay.”“Just okay?”“Better than okay. You have quite the work drive, Jayden. Gus was right to leave Nexus in your hands.”“Not one of you thought that at first. You all hated me. Especially Hugo. I think he still might, actually.”“Oh, you are not so bad, after all.”We clink glasses. The wine’s sharp, dry—like her. The restaurant is dim, ambient, tucked just off the canal. Astrid insisted it was the best late-night spot in Brussels. So far, I can’t argue.The food was incredible, the service seamless, and the company? Easy. A little too easy.This dinner has gone longer than I expected. I expected an answer from Winona to my text. But it hasn’t come. The conversation just flowed so effortlessly tonight.No drama. No awkward silences. No carefully chosen words. Astrid, wh
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 596 Instincts Don't Lie
(Winona)It’s nearly 1 a.m. when I step off the jet into the crisp Brussels air. I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten properly. My thoughts have been chewing on each other for nine hours straight.I hear my phone notification, but I see Cass and I’m so damn happy. She’s about to launch the rest of her life and I’m excited for her.“It’s so good to see you.” I say as I run towards her and give her a hug.“You look like hell,” she says as she grins and hugs me back.“Oh, thanks for the compliment. You look like death yourself.”“Just finished a12 hour shift, what’s your excuse?”We walk out to the private parking area. Having a private jet is so convenient.“I can only blame stress and paranoia,” I tell her as we put my case in the back seat and get into her car.“Paranoia?”“Yes, about where Jayden and I stand in out marriage lately. I’m not sure I’m what makes him happy. All we do is fight, it seems.”“Okay… ah, so me telling him you’d have been better off never meeting him probably didn’
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 595 After Hours
(Jayden)It’s nearly ten. The office is quiet, except for the soft hum of fluorescent lights above the boardroom. Astrid and I have been going through projections for Q3. Numbers, strategies, deadlines. All things that used to matter more than they do right now. My family call is bothering me. It’s not that Winona had a sudden business trip, that’s expected, it’s just the way we interact lately. Going through the motions. Not speaking up on how we feel in case it triggers an argument. I’m as much to blame.“You missed an adjustment here,” she says, tapping the edge of my laptop.“I didn’t miss it,” I say, not looking up. “I just didn’t apply it yet.”She raises an eyebrow. She knows I’m distracted. I’ve worked with her long enough to recognize the look that says I’m full of shit.“You want my input or just someone to nod along while you pretend to work?” she asks.I lean back in my chair. “You always cut right through it, don’t you?”“Of course.”She’s right. She doesn’t have patie
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 594 Surface Tension
(Winona)The family call starts like any other.Except this time, I’ve told the kids I’ll be away and lied about where I’m going.Now I have to convince Jayden it’s an unexpected business trip.Bobby’s got a stack of papers next to him, pretending he’s not glancing at them while he listens to Jayden. He’s been working on some design options for the school vegetable garden.He’s become quietly obsessed with getting it right.Sarah is asking about when she can next visit the Nexus office again. Abby’s wearing one of Henry’s bibs and announcing herself as the ‘baby boss’ while trying to feed Henry a cracker he doesn’t want.Henry is slamming his hands on the table, shrieking with defiance, and Kit is doing her best to keep the screen steady while holding him.Chaos. Beautiful, familiar chaos. Welcome to the Brennan zoo.Jayden is calm, smiling, fully engaged. He’s asking Bobby about his team at school, praising his leadership skills. He tells Sarah he misses her drawings and promises to
Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband 593 Surprises
(Winona)Phillip is at his desk when I walk in, finishing up a call. He looks up and gives me a half smile, casual but watchful.I cross the room but remain standing. “I won’t keep you long. I just… I wanted to let you know I’m stepping down in an active capacity from Vault. Effective immediately.”Phillip’s face shifts from polite curiosity to astonishment. “Wait—stepping down how?”I nod. “I’ll remain the owner. But I’m not going to be overseeing day-to-day management or strategic decisions anymore. I’m handing all of that to you. If you want it. CEO, President, call it what you will—I’m out.”He studies me carefully. “That’s… a big move, Winona. You’ve always been a control fre… ahh, hands-on.”I give him a quick grin. “Nice save.”“I’m talented, what can I say? But you being hands-off, I’m not sure that’s even possible.”“I’ve realized I can’t keep devoting so much energy to business. My family needs me. My kids need me.”“Is this what Jayden asked you to do?” “No. He’s been exc
