Chapter 8: Her Ex-Husband

I stood frozen in the doorway of the senior executives' office, my heart pounding in my chest. The words I had just overheard felt like a blow to my entire existence. Callum Winter Stone—my ex-husband, the man who had once promised me everything only to abandon me for Emilia Rhodes—was now stepping into the most powerful position at Rhodes Company.

My mind struggled to process the news. How could this be happening? After everything, after all the pain he had caused me, he was back. And in control.

I didn’t even realize I had walked out until I found myself in the comfort room, the cold tile against my back as I leaned against the wall. My breath came in short, shaky gasps, and the tears I had been holding back finally broke free. How could I possibly face him again? I had worked so hard to rebuild my life, to distance myself from the person I used to be—someone who had been destroyed by him. But now, I was about to be forced into his orbit once again, with no choice but to swallow my pride and pretend everything was fine.

The door opened, and a familiar voice broke through my spiral of thoughts. "Athena?"

I didn’t look up at first, too consumed by my own emotions. I heard Lia’s footsteps, then felt the warmth of her hand on my shoulder, steady and comforting. She always knew when I was falling apart.

"I... I can't believe this is happening," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Callum. CEO. How am I supposed to work with him again, Lia? After everything... After how he left me for her, how he destroyed me... How am I supposed to just pretend it doesn’t matter?"

Lia’s grip tightened, her voice calm but firm. "You have to. For Ryan. For yourself. You can’t let Callum see your weakness. You can’t let him get to you. You’ve come too far, Athena. Think about what’s at stake here."

I closed my eyes, fighting the wave of emotions threatening to swallow me whole. Ryan. My brother. I couldn't forget that. He was why I had taken this job in the first place. His medical bills. His future. I had sacrificed everything for him, and I couldn’t afford to lose everything now.

Lia’s voice softened, but there was no mistaking the urgency in her words. "You have to be strong. For Ryan’s sake. You can’t walk away now. You’ll be risking everything you’ve worked for. Everything you've built."

I nodded, even though the lump in my throat made it hard to breathe. "I know. I know you're right."

I let out a shaky breath, wiping away the tears that were still falling. "But how do I do it, Lia? How do I look at him and act like nothing ever happened? Like he didn’t break me?"

Lia gave me a small, reassuring smile. "You do it because you’re not the same woman you were back then. You’ve changed, Athena. You’re stronger now. And Callum? He doesn’t get to control your future anymore. He’s just a man. A man who’s about to realize that you’re not the same vulnerable woman he left behind."

I nodded again, this time with more resolve. She was right. I wasn’t that person anymore. I couldn’t let him see the parts of me that still ached from what he had done. For Ryan. For my own dignity. I had to be strong, even if it meant swallowing every ounce of pride I had left.

“I’ll do it,” I said, my voice steady now. “I’ll face him. I’ll make sure he knows—this is my fight, not his. He won’t destroy me again.”

Lia gave me a small, proud smile. "That’s the Athena I know."

I took one last deep breath before pushing the door open. As I walked back into the chaos of the office, my mind raced. I had no idea how I was going to survive this. But for Ryan, for everything that mattered, I would not back down. I would stand tall, even if it meant facing Callum Winter Stone again.

Days passed, and the office still buzzed with the tension of Emilia’s unexpected death. The air felt heavy with grief, but no one seemed to know the full story behind it. Illness? An accident? The Rhodes family kept everything private, which only fueled the whispers. The secrecy felt strange, but we all respected it—after all, Emilia was the heiress. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it.

And then, there was Callum.

As much as I tried to push it to the back of my mind, I couldn’t. Callum Winter Stone. Now the new CEO of Rhodes Company. The man who had walked away from me years ago, choosing Emilia over me, was now back in the game. He had stepped into the most powerful position at Rhodes Company, and somehow, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I stared at my computer screen, trying to focus, but all I could hear was Lia’s voice in the back of my mind, reminding me of everything that happened between Callum and me. It was hard not to feel suffocated by the thought of working under him again.

Lia’s voice broke through my thoughts. "Athena, you’re really quiet today. Something’s bothering you."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "It’s nothing... Just thinking about everything with the company and Callum. I didn’t expect this."

Lia raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying my calm act. She leaned in closer. "I can see that. You’re still trying to figure out how to handle it, aren’t you? You’re not the only one who’s been dreading Callum’s return."

I gave her a half-hearted smile. "I just keep hoping he won’t show up here, that maybe... maybe they’ll keep him in the upper departments.”

"What about Emilia? She was the face of the company. But… she was always so distant with us. She never really interacted with the department. Do you think Callum will be the same? Always absent, staying in the upper levels?"

Lia let out a soft chuckle, but there was no humor in her voice. She seemed to think about it for a moment before replying. "Emilia was different, Athena. She had her own world in the upper levels. She barely touched the operations down here. Her role as heiress was more about image and maintaining the Rhodes legacy. But Callum?" She shook her head.

"Callum is different. This is his introduction as CEO. Everyone’s going to meet him, whether they like it or not. The board’s going to make sure of that. There’s no avoiding him, no matter how much we want to."