His Regret After Divorcing His Ex Wife

Avery  stood in the middle of the living room with the manila envelope from Charles hanging heavily in her hand. She had been waiting for that moment, but the divorce papers still hit her firmly. The fact that all of this paperwork meant the end of her marriage felt like a dream.

"Mrs Reagan," Charles said in his usual cold way as he handed her the envelope. "You have three days to sign the papers and leave the property."

She looked at Charles for a second, but his face was as blank as always. She didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked down at the envelope, feeling the sting of the words she hadn't read yet. Words that were about to destroy the last bit of her pride.

"Three days," she said to herself again, and the words tasted awful on her tongue.

Hayden Reagan had not been kind to her before. But this? It was so cold that it made it difficult to breathe.

The room was quiet, but the sound of paper tearing filled it as she opened the envelope. She could already picture what it would say: everything carefully planned to get her out of his life without a second thought. She took out the divorce papers and quickly read through them with her eyes. There it was.

"Ten million dollars in alimony, but he can't ever see me again?"

She laughed dryly, but it wasn't funny. "Ten million dollars for what?" For a marriage that never happened? She threw the paper on the coffee table, getting more and more angry, the nerve of it. He had let her down, not the other way around. He had made himself disappear, and she had to put things back together.

She looked over the rest, barely able to hold back her anger. "According to the terms of the divorce agreement, Avery has not fulfilled her duties as a wife for three years. As a result, Hayden Reagan is entitled to start divorce proceedings."

The nerve.

Avery couldn't help but laugh. She muttered, "How can he even say that?" "How could I possibly be a good wife when he hasn't even been here?" She threw the papers away in disgust.

How could he change the story like that? How could he make her look like the one who had failed when it had always been him? Always. The man who built his empire and then disappeared behind it never made time for her or saw her for who she was.

Her thoughts went back to the start of their marriage. Her grandfather had pushed for this marriage. Three easy things to do: stay out of the public eye, help Hayden with Reagan Enterprises, and be there for him in everything he does. A deal. She had said yes because she thought it was her duty to her family and because she thought it might mean something in the end. She hoped that, perhaps, she could eventually reach him.

But no one had ever seen her.

She had become an invisible part of his carefully planned life. She tried for the first few months to get his attention by reaching out, making lunches, and visiting his office. She hoped that something—anything—would make him look at her.

But people didn't care. He was always "busy", "out of town", or "too busy with work". The visits slowly became nothing more than a lonely routine. As the months went by, Avery realised that her marriage was just a joke. In Hayden's world, she was a shadow.

This divorce agreement, which was the last straw, was supposed to be her "payment" for three years of silence and three years of sacrifice.

As she stood up and walked around, her fingers curled into fists. "Ten million dollars? To get rid of me? She shook her head, her heart racing with a mix of anger and disbelief. "Does he really think this will fix everything? He thinks a cheque will make up for what he did to me?

She put the papers back on the coffee table, her mind racing. She had lost so much. She had given up everything—her job, her freedom—to be with him and help him run Reagan Enterprises. What had she gotten in return? Nothing.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. "He is mistaken if he thinks he can just walk away without any problems. It won't end like this.

She grabbed her phone and called Hayden's office with determination. In all their years of marriage, this was the first time she had talked to him. And it still felt wrong. A woman picked up the phone after it rang three times.

"Office of Hayden."

Avery's heart raced. It had been a long time since she had talked to anyone at Hayden's office. The woman on the other end sounded young and didn't care at all who she was.

"Hi," Avery said, her voice calm even though she was feeling many things. "I need to talk to Hayden."

The woman didn't answer right away. Instead, she laughed and then finally said, "Who's talking?"

"I'm his wife." Avery's words sounded strange when they came out of her mouth. "You're not his secretary, are you?"

The woman laughed dryly. "Oh, I get it. You used to be his wife, right? What do you want from him?

Avery's grip on the phone got tighter. "I have some questions about the terms of the divorce."

"Any questions?" The woman's voice was full of sarcasm. "He won't talk to you. He has already told you how he feels about you. He has done enough for you, useless wife. "What else do you want?"

The words hit Avery hard. A wife who doesn't help? Did he really see her that way? A failure for loving him? For trying to make it work?

She heard Hayden's voice in the background before she could answer. He was there, that voice was chilly and rude.

"Emily," he said sharply, "why are you picking up my phone? That's not true.

Avery's breath stopped. Hey, Emily, the other lady. The one that Hayden had put in her place. The woman who had become his best friend and partner in everything.

"Hayden, your wife is calling you," Emily said in a teasing tone. "She is keen to know more about the divorce."

Avery could tell by the way she spoke that she was having fun, and it made her sick. She clenched her teeth to keep her anger from getting worse. So, this is what really happened in their marriage. Hayden had already moved on before this divorce agreement was even signed.

Hayden finally picked up the phone after a moment of silence. His voice was as cold as it had ever been. "I don't need to keep this marriage going anymore. "I've given you enough, and we don't need to talk about it anymore."

He hung up.

Avery stood there, looking at the phone she was holding. There was a clear lack of connection. How could he be freezing? So confident in himself? He had thrown her away like she was nothing. But Avery was not going to be his trash.

She threw the phone on the couch and walked around the room in a mix of disbelief and anger. "Nothing to talk about? Does he really think that after all that after all  I've done for him?"

She couldn't hold back her anger any longer. "Useless wife?" she said again, this time with anger. "Is that really how he sees me?"

The anger that had been building up inside her suddenly changed into something sharper and more determined. "Fine, if this is how he wants it to end. But I'm not going down without a fight.

She ran over to the divorce papers and picked them up with shaky hands. She read through them one last time, narrowing her eyes to focus. He could only get a divorce if she agreed to it.

She quickly ripped the papers in half, and the sound of the paper ripping was loud in the quiet room. "Ten million dollars?" she said to herself. "He's got something else coming."

She didn't need his cash. She didn't need him. She could do it by herself.

Avery sat down at her desk and opened her laptop, determined. She quickly started typing, her fingers flying over the keys as she wrote her version of the divorce agreement. This time, the terms were going to be fair. They were terms that she could live with and that would give her control over her life.

She was pleased with the changes and printed out the new agreement. She took her Montblanc pen and signed her name with a flourish. Avery Doran-Reagan. One last time. The ceremony was the last thing that happened in this marriage.

Avery looked at the printed page and smiled, she had done it, she was in charge.

She turned around and left the room, going to Hayden's study. There, just like she thought, was the seal of Reagan Enterprises. She put her mark on the paper and put it back in the envelope, sealing her fate.

On her own terms.

She asked for Peter, the servant, and when he got there, she gave him the envelope. "Send this to Reagan Enterprises," she said. "And get my stuff ready to go. We're going.

Peter nodded, and Avery knew that her life was finally hers again.

As she looked out the window, she realised something she hadn't fully let herself understand. The marriage was done and this time, it was how she wanted it.

She called a number she knew well, one that had been quiet for too long, without looking back.

"It's done," she said, her voice full of strength.

Avery put down her phone and felt at peace for the first time.

It was over for her and Hayden for good.

Hayden Reagan had sent Charles to give Avery the divorce papers three days before. He walked back and forth in his corner office, looking out at the city skyline as if it were a world he controlled. But today, he felt like he had no control over anything, not even his feelings, not the marriage, not the divorce.

He was waiting for Avery to put her name on the papers. And, as expected, she had used up all three days. There wasn't really any other choice for her; the deal he made with her was very generous, much more than she deserved after all that had happened, she had her own rules, and he had his but now it is over. The marriage and the contract were both coming to an end.

Before Laura came in, the door knocked softly. Laura, Hayden's secretary, came in with an envelope in her hand. Her face was as unreadable as ever.

Laura put the envelope on his desk and said, "She signed and has moved out."

Hayden hardly looked up. "Of course." She should be.

"Abou