Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband novel Chapter 477

(Winona)

Lisa sits curled into the corner of her couch, her legs tucked beneath her and a blanket draped across her lap.

“So, one reading down, one to go,” I say, setting two mugs on the coffee table and taking a seat in the armchair across from her. “Are you ready?”

She looks up, blinking like she’s coming out of a daze. “Yeah, well... I don’t think I can be there. It’s still too much.”

“Fair.” I lean forward, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. “I know it’s hard. But it’s a start, you know? A start to getting on the other side of all this.”

She shrugs.

“I’ll be right by your side.”

Lisa exhales slowly, tugging the blanket tighter. “It’s just... everything. The way it happened. The way he let me in and really loved me for those few days. The way he left. And now this reading, like it’s going to somehow tie up all the loose ends. But it won’t, will it? Nothing changes that he’s gone.”

I nod, letting her words hang in the air for a moment. “No, it doesn’t change that. But it might give you some clarity. Or at least something to hold onto.”

Her laugh is short and bitter. “Clarity. Right. Like hearing whatever Lance decided to leave behind will somehow make it all better.”

“Have you watched the USB yet?” I ask gently.

She shakes her head quickly. “No. I’m not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

I shift in my seat, watching her carefully. “Why not?”

“Because it won’t help,” she says, her voice rising slightly. “What could he possibly say that makes any of this okay? He’s still gone, Winona. He still made that choice, no matter what’s on that stupid video clip.”

I let out a soft sigh. “Lisa, I know it feels like that, but—”

“No,” she cuts me off. “Don’t try to tell me it’s not my fault, or that there was nothing I could’ve done, because I already know that. It doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

I nod slowly, choosing my words carefully. “You loved him, Lisa. And he loved you, in his own way. But he was carrying something so much heavier than either of us could have imagined. That’s not on you.”

She looks at me, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. “I just wish he’d talked to me. Even if it wouldn’t have changed anything, I wish I could’ve had a chance to try.”

“Both,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I want him to want to fix things, to try. But I’m terrified he doesn’t.”

She leans back, sighing. “Jayden’s always been complicated. But if there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that he doesn’t give up easily. Not on you, not on the kids.”

“I know,” I say, staring at the mug in my hands. “And deep down I know he will never give up on the family we’ve created together. But that’s not our marriage, our love. I broke his trust in me. What if we are broken too much?”

“You are pregnant and going through all of this. With or without Jayden loving you, you push through. You are more than just what you and he are together.”

I glance at her, offering a small smile. “Thank you. I know you’re right. But, I still really hope he can be with me again. Not out of duty or pity, but because he loves and trusts me again.”

“Oh, we are a mess, aren’t we? At least, I am.”

“And that’s okay,” I say firmly. “You’re allowed to be a mess. Grief isn’t something you just get over. It takes time. But part of it is facing what comes next, and that is the reading today.”

Lisa nods, her expression softening. “You’re right. I’m not getting anywhere by not going. I need to be there.”

I squeeze her hand gently. “Brave choice. That’s my girl.”