THE BILLIONAIRE WHO DIVORCED ME BEGGED ME TO COME BACK

The steak was cold. Again. Serena Vale stared at the plate in front of her and sighed. She checked the wall clock. 8:17 p.m. Adrian was late. Not unusually late. Adrian Blackwood had a talent for making late feel like a permanent personality trait. Still, tonight was different. Tonight was their third wedding anniversary. Serena looked down at herself. The emerald dress she wore was simple, elegant, and probably far too expensive for a dinner that might end with her eating alone. She had spent nearly an hour deciding whether to wear it before finally laughing at herself. It's only dinner. She had told herself that three times. It didn't work. She picked up her phone from beside her plate. No messages. She opened their chat. The last message was from her. Don't forget tonight. I made your favorite. Sent at 5:42 p.m. No reply. Serena stared at the message for a few seconds before locking her phone. She wasn't going to text again. She had dignity. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. She walked back into the kitchen and lifted the lid from the pot. The smell of rosemary and garlic filled the room. The sauce had thickened too much. “Perfect,” she muttered. “Absolutely perfect.” She reached for a spoon, tasted it, and immediately frowned. Too salty. She grabbed a glass of water. “This is why restaurants exist.” Despite herself, she laughed. Three years ago, Adrian had once told her she could burn water if he left her alone in a kitchen. She had thrown a napkin at him. “You should stay, then.” He had caught the napkin, laughed, and kissed her forehead. Maybe I will. The memory came so clearly that her smile faded. That Adrian had been different. Or maybe she had simply been foolish enough to believe he was. The sound of the front door opening interrupted her thoughts. Serena's heart gave an embarrassing little jump. She immediately composed herself. Footsteps crossed the marble floor. Then Adrian appeared in the doorway. He was still wearing his black suit, his tie slightly loosened, his dark hair pushed back from his forehead. He looked exhausted. Beautifully exhausted. Serena hated that she still noticed things like that. “You're late,” she said. Adrian glanced at his watch. “I know.” She folded her arms. “Do you know what time you were supposed to be here?” His lips moved slightly. “Seven.” “Seven.” “I said I know.” “You're an hour and seventeen minutes late.” He looked at her. For a second, something almost amused appeared in his eyes. “Did you calculate the exact number of minutes?” “Of course.” “That's slightly terrifying.” Serena smiled. “You're lucky I'm your wife.” Adrian's expression changed. Only for a second. But Serena noticed. She always noticed him. “Happy anniversary,” he said quietly. Her irritation softened. “Happy anniversary.” He walked closer. His gaze moved over her dress. “You look beautiful.” Serena looked away before he could see how much those four words affected her. “Thank you.” She picked up his jacket. “You should eat before everything gets cold.” “I'm not very hungry.” “You're never hungry when I cook.” “That isn't true.” “You once ate three plates of my pasta.” “That was different.” “How?” “I was trying to survive.” Serena stared at him. Adrian's mouth twitched. She laughed. For a few seconds, everything felt normal. Like the past three years hadn't been filled with long silences, missed dinners, business trips, and a husband who seemed to grow more distant every month. They sat down together. Serena poured him water. Adrian reached for his glass. Their fingers brushed. Neither moved immediately. Then Serena pulled her hand away. “So,” she said, trying to sound casual, “do you remember what happened three years ago today?” Adrian looked at her. “Of course.” “You paused.” “I was thinking.” “That makes it worse.” He actually smiled. A real one. Serena felt something warm settle in her chest. She had missed that smile. She lowered her eyes to her plate. “I thought you forgot.” “I didn't.” “Good.” She took a bite. For a while, they ate quietly. It wasn't uncomfortable. That was the strange thing about Adrian. Even when he said nothing, Serena could still feel his presence. She knew when he was tired. She knew when he was angry. She knew he hated mushrooms but tolerated them when she cooked them. She knew he loosened his watch whenever he was anxious. Tonight, he had loosened it twice. Serena noticed. “Is something wrong?” Adrian looked up. “No.” “You've checked your phone six times.” “Work.” “On our anniversary?” He hesitated. “There's a situation at the company.” Serena studied his face. “Is Blackwood Industries in trouble?” His eyes sharpened. “Why would you ask that?” Serena shrugged. “Because you look like you're waiting for bad news.” Adrian leaned back. “Everything is under control.” She smiled faintly. “You always say that.” “Because it's usually true.” Her phone vibrated. Serena glanced at it. An email notification appeared. SV CAPITAL — QUARTERLY ACQUISITION APPROVED. She immediately turned the screen facedown. Adrian's gaze briefly moved toward the phone. “What was that?” “Nothing important.” His eyebrows lifted. “That's usually my line.” “Then we're finally becoming more alike.” He gave a quiet laugh. Serena smiled. She wanted to remember this moment. The ordinary teasing. The familiar look in his eyes. The feeling that maybe, just maybe, their marriage wasn't as empty as she sometimes feared. She had never told Adrian how much she loved him. Not properly. Not since the contract marriage had begun. At first, she had been afraid. Then she had convinced herself that there was no need. After all, actions mattered more than words. Didn't they? She looked across the table at him. His phone vibrated again. This time, Adrian didn't touch it. He simply stared at the screen. Something changed in his expression. The warmth disappeared. Serena's stomach tightened. “Adrian?” He looked at her. “What?” “What's wrong?” “Nothing.” “You're lying.” He was silent. Then he picked up his phone and turned it off. Serena frowned. “That's not suspicious at all.” “I said it's nothing.” She didn't argue. Instead, she reached beneath the table and touched the small gift bag beside her chair. She had bought him something. Nothing extravagant. Just a watch. She had noticed him looking at it months ago in a*****e window. He had forgotten about it. She hadn't. “There's something for you.” Adrian looked at the bag. “You didn't have to.” “I know.” She handed it to him. He opened it slowly. When he saw the watch, his expression softened. “You remembered.” Serena smiled. “I remember everything about you.” For some reason, Adrian didn't respond. He stared at the watch in his palm. Then he looked at her. Something was wrong. Serena could feel it now. “Adrian?” He stood. Her smile disappeared. He reached for his briefcase. For one terrible moment, she thought he was leaving. Instead, he placed the briefcase on the table. Opened it. And took out a folder. Serena stared at it. Her heart began beating faster. Adrian pushed the folder toward her. She didn't touch it. “What is this?” He said nothing. “Adrian?” His jaw tightened. Finally, he looked away. Serena opened the folder. The first page was enough. Her fingers went cold. DIVORCE AGREEMENT She looked up at him. The room suddenly felt too quiet. “What's this?” Adrian remained standing across from her. His face was unreadable. Then, quietly, he said, “We need to talk.” And Serena knew, before he said another word, that their anniversary dinner had never been a celebration. It had been a goodbye.