Billionaire's Regrets: BEG TO MOMMY

"Can you get home earlier today? Pretty please ~!" Sending the message to my husband, I put the steak pie in the oven, his favorite. Because of a complicated pregnancy, I had a rough time getting over the postpartum depression and physical recovery. So, in the last three months, I couldn't give my husband the usual attention. Obviously, things had changed — we now had a little one who altered our dynamics. Hopefully, today he would at least give me a bit of his time to make up with the distance we had after the birth of our daughter. After finishing the cooking, I grabbed my phone to check his reply. But, as expected, there was no reply — just left on read. Feeling disheartened, I put my phone aside. At least he read it. He would come home eventually. However, the vibration of my phone caught my attention. It was a notification from the group chat that my husband and his friends actively used. I sat down for a bit. Standing on my feet for so long was killing my waist. But as soon as I entered the group chat, which I usually didn’t check much, my eyebrows raised. There was a picture of my husband holding a bouquet of yellow roses for Evelyn Freeman, his childhood sweetheart. Following with some messages from his friends, " Are you proposing a taken woman? Draven!" " Gosh! It looks like Draven can't hide the fact that Evelyn is way too good for him. Billionaire Daddy ~ You should remember you're a father now! XD" " Haha! Draven! Don't let your wife see it. She will be jealous!" What stung more is Evelyn's response, " I would have accepted your confession if you didn't become a father. You know that I don't like kids. No way to become a stepmother! LOL!" They all knew that I was in that group chat. Still they gave minimum respect. Evelyn Freeman had returned home almost three months ago with her current boyfriend. And since then, something had changed. Evelyn was a sweet girl with charisma and charm that attracted everyone — even me. She had that bubbly personality that could make anyone happy instantly. At first, I thought she was like a Barbie doll who knew how to please others. But day by day, I realized that my husband was too attached to her. Her arrival turned my perfect, sweet husband into an absent husband and father. "Rosé!" I snapped out of my thoughts when Draven called me from behind. I immediately put the phone away, turning towards my husband, Draven Montgomery. "Draven! Welcome home" He nodded quietly. “I was waiting for you. Is your work done?” I asked while helping him to take off his suit. “The meeting was canceled.” “I see! Meetings have been canceled a lot lately. I hope everything’s alright,” I said subconsciously, placing his suit on the armrest. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, his tone cold and indifferent. His sudden coldness sent a shiver down my spine. “Huh? Did I say something wrong?” I could feel warmth crawling from my neck to my face. Recently, he had been so cold with me. His expression shifted from indifferent to nonchalant. “No. Nothing. I’m hungry.” “Good timing, my Little Wild Bear!” I teased, biting his chin lightly before rushing to the kitchen. It had been a while since we had a proper dinner together. I wanted to have the best time with him. “Your favorite steak pie and lasagna.” I had already decorated the table since it was evening, and Draven usually returned home between 6 and 7 p.m. I was ready to enjoy a perfect dinner night with my Wild Bear. He loosened his tie and headed upstairs, saying nothing. I shrugged it off. The spark of the honeymoon period hadn't disappeared in the exhaustion of long days and busy schedules yet. I was pretty sure - he was still adjusting his life as a father. I loved this man from the moon to the earth, and I was ready to reignite the spark in our marriage. Lighting scented candles, I sat at the table. Thankfully, before taking the baked steak pie out, I had changed into a sexier outfit. After a risky childbirth, I had struggled to cope with everything, including giving quality time to my husband. In our five years together and two years of marriage, these last three months were the longest we’d gone without physical intimacy. Sometimes I tried to initiate, but he respectfully stopped me, knowing I wasn’t in good condition. At first, it felt like him — a caring, loving, and sweet husband. But gradually, the uneasy, ticklish feeling inside my heart kept telling me he was pulling away. He spent too much time with his friends, forgetting his wife and daughter. “What’s with that long face?” He appeared, sitting across the table, still dressing up. The cologne smelled different. Not his usual one. “Nothing. Leaving again?” I asked, disappointed that, as usual, he didn’t peck my forehead. “Yeah. Evelyn needed some help. Her boyfriend needed business advice. They invited me over.” Again, Evelyn. Yesterday, it was her cat’s stomachache. Instead of asking her boyfriend for help, she called my husband. How ironic! “I see.” I chose not to confront him. I could see his expression shift whenever I mentioned Evelyn. “She’s such a sweet girl. Invite her over sometime.” He looked at me, indifferent and emotionless. “She’s not comfortable with kids. She doesn’t want them.” “I see. Good choice,” I replied, the conversation turning awkward. “Let’s talk about her later. Can you stay tonight instead of going to her place? Her boyfriend can meet you tomorrow.” I slid my hand onto his, gently rubbing his warm wrist. “It’s been a while since we spent time together. Diana went sleep early today. Let's enjoy the night together-” Draven looked at my hand before pulling away, as if I’d touched him with something dirty. " I am busy!" My heart skipped a bit agonizingly . “What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Evelyn is important. She asked me for a favor. I can’t reject her for my own selfishness.” He calmly stated as if Evelyn was the most important person who he should be in service for 24/7. “Your own selfishness?” I whispered. “I’m your wife, Draven! It’s okay to prioritize your family over a friend sometimes. You have barely given us your time in the last three months!” I calmly said. Not an accusatory tone. I knew he cherished their friendship, but Evelyn’s presence made me feel like a third wheel. “She’s too important. If you have a problem, stop interfering.” He snapped with disdain and annoyance. I stared at him in disbelief and distraught. Did he announce that she was way too important than spending time with his own wife who had worked hard to cook and clean with a three month old baby. How much did you change? Draven!!! Confused and heartbroken, I just lowered my head. You can't force someone to make you their priority, right? That night, he made it very clear where his priorities lay. “Okay. Let’s have dinner. You can leave.” I smiled weakly, picking a slice of cucumber from my plate. I couldn’t tell him how worn out and vulnerable I felt. I just wanted to tell him that I needed him tonight — as my husband, my best friend, and my emotional support. “Before you leave, make sure you visit Diana. She needs to know her father, too.” I swallowed the pain. He said nothing. He finished half the lasagna without touching the steak pie I’d made for him. He left soon after. I thought he might have visited Diana before leaving. But when I entered the nursery after cleaning up, I found Diana whimpering, her face red — feverishly red. She had a high fever, and I hadn’t noticed. “My baby!” Didn't Draven come here? Why didn’t he tell me she had a fever? Didn’t he notice, or… Perhaps? Like usual, he never visited.