Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband

(Cass)

The chill of the air doesn't bother me as I storm toward the cottage. My boots hit the gravel hard, and I clench my fists against the rising wave of emotions threatening to spill over.

I know I did the wrong thing, but I've also come out the other end. I don't need to hear judgment from anyone. My life has taken a turn for the better and nothing is going to take that from me. Viktor's condescending tone still rings in my ears. Who the hell does he think he is? And Jayden-he's acting like I'm the screw-up of the century. As if he hasn't held that title long term. I hear the car door slam behind me and glance over my shoulder. Jayden's long strides eat up the distance between us. "Cass, wait," he calls out, his voice calmer than I expect.

I don't slow down. "What now? Come to lecture me some more?"

"No," he says, catching up and matching my pace. "I want to apologize."

I stop abruptly, turning to face him. "Apologize? Seriously?"

"Yes." His eyes meet mine, steady and sincere. "I shouldn't have come down so hard on you. I'm just... under a lot of pressure right now."

"And you think I'm not?" I snap back. "This isn't just about you, Jayden. Winona's dealing with all of this too, and I'm here trying to clean up my own mess without stressing her out. Do you know how hard that is?"

He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. "You're right. It's hard for all of us. We are so scared we'll lose the baby. I'm scared about how that will affect Winona."

"I can't believe she is pregnant. It's so amazing."

"It really is. Hopefully we can keep her that way until the baby can be safely delivered."

"Like Henry?"

"Hopefully not that early. That was a trauma in itself."

"He's such a livewire now."

"I know right? Hard to believe he fit into the palm of my hands."

"The cottage will be quiet. But I think I'll just sleep for the next 24 hours before I start work."Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

"Cass, what about Mia? What do you know about her involvement in drugs?"

"I started using again a long time ago-way before Mia got involved. It was how I coped after losing Mom. Her cancer. Her shooting Steve. Everything."

My voice wavers, and I swallow hard. "Mom killed Steve so he couldn't hurt us anymore. It was her final gift, Jayden. She sacrificed herself for us. And I... I just couldn't deal with her being gone." Jayden doesn't say anything for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

I shake my head. "It's not your fault. I tried to deal with it, and I fooled myself that I was."

We walk in silence for a few steps before he asks, "And now, what about this debt? What happens if they go to Winona looking for you?"

"Do you think they will?" I never really thought about that.

"I'll pay off whatever needs to be

paid to make sure it stays done. I'll see if Gus has the connections to sort it out I'm more worried that Mia is into things a lot more deeply than casual. She was there when you were kidnapped in Cancun

"Mia didn't strike me as the type to get into anything big. It was always just casual with us-recreational She's not some cartel queenpin. If anything, I encouraged her to indulge at first." en

"Are you sure?" His tone is sharper now. "Gus thinks there's more to cher than we realize. If she's involved in something deeper, it could cause problems. Especially now she's in with Judy." en

"Mia is learning the business, I don't think she is doing more than using Judy right now."

"If Mia's living in Judy's apartment... that could make things tricky."

"Yeah," I say, "Mia's been staying there."

Jayden's brows furrow. "When I go back to see the kids in two weeks, I need to get into that apartment. If Mia's there, it could complicate things." "I'm sure you'll work something out."

"I need to really go all in with Judy. That's been a bit hard with Viktor's level of protection." Jayden nods towards the car already parked at the cottage.

"He's very... intense, isn't he?"

"He is. So, you can do something to thank me."

I turn my stare on him, I know that tone, "what?"

"Keep Viktor occupied a few days for me."

"Oh, no! No way. I'm not having him breathing down my neck here. I don't need a babysitter."

"I need the next few days to really convince Judy I'm back to being the old me. Come on, Cass. You owe me."

"You're an asshole."

"I do my best." He grins as he walks towards the car. "But really, you'll be doing me a big favor."

Viktor puts the window down as Jayden gets closer.

"I need you here for the next week."

"My job is to protect you," Viktor replies.

"But I'm okay, your team in London does a fabulous job. Cass needs protection until I can make sure this drug trouble isn't following her here. I don't know who else I can trust here." Viktor glances at me and then back at Jayden. "A week?"

"No more, I promise. In two weeks, we head to the states."

"Right."

I can see Viktor is as impressed about this as I am.

Hopefully we can stay out of each other's way.