THE BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET

I was pregnant. Tears filled my eyes, but this time they were happy tears. After three years of Alexander telling me I was barren, after all the cold nights he spent in his office instead of our bedroom, God had finally given me a miracle. Today was our third wedding anniversary. What better day to tell him? I quickly hid the test in my purse and ran downstairs. I had spent the whole morning decorating our mansion. Rose petals from the door to the dining table. His favorite - steak and red wine. I even wore the white dress he said made me look innocent. Innocent enough to control. At exactly 7 PM, I heard his Bentley pull in. My heart was beating like a drum. "Alexander is home. Our baby's father is home." The door opened. Alexander Knight walked in, looking as handsome and cold as ever. Tall, broad shoulders in his black Armani suit, jaw sharp like it was carved from ice. My husband. The billionaire everyone feared and I loved. But he wasn't alone. Clinging to his arm was Vanessa. Vanessa Moore. My supposed best friend. "Alexander? Vanessa? What... what is going on?" My smile froze. Alexander didn't even look guilty. He loosened his tie and said in that cold voice, "We need to talk, Sophia." Vanessa smiled, rubbing her flat stomach. "We're expecting too, Sophia. Alexander's baby. I'm two months along." The world stopped. My ears were ringing. I looked at Alexander, waiting for him to say it was a joke. A sick joke for our anniversary. He looked me dead in the eye and said, "I want a divorce. I have never loved you, Sophia. You were just a convenient wife my grandfather forced on me. Vanessa is the woman I actually want. She comes from a real wealthy family, not a broke orphan like you." Every word was a knife. "But... but today is our anniversary," I whispered, my voice breaking. "And it's the perfect day to end this mistake," he said. He brought out an envelope and threw it on the table. Divorce papers. He had already signed them. "Sign it. You will get ten million dollars as compensation. That's more than someone like you will ever see in your life." I couldn't breathe. My hand unconsciously went to my own stomach. My baby. Our baby. The baby he said I could never give him. Vanessa walked up to me, pretending to be sympathetic. "Don't be sad, darling. You should be happy for us. Alexander needs an heir from a woman with good genes. Not you." Then she deliberately bumped into me, knocking my purse over. The pregnancy test fell out and landed on the marble floor. Silence. Alexander's eyes dropped to it. He picked it up. He stared at the two lines, then at me. His face twisted in disgust. "What is this? You're pregnant? Whose bastard is it? Don't tell me you cheated on me because you knew I wanted to leave you?" I was shocked. "What? Alexander, it's yours! It's your baby! I just found out today!" "Liar!" He shouted, throwing the test at me. It hit my cheek. "We haven't slept together in four months! You think I'm a fool? You went and opened your legs for another man and you want to pin the pregnancy on me?" Four months? We had... it was three weeks ago, after his grandfather's birthday party when he was drunk. He didn't remember. "Alexander, please, it was three weeks ago, after your grandfather's party... you were drunk, you came to my room..." "Enough!" He roared. "I don't want to hear your lies. Sign the papers. I want you out of my house tonight." Vanessa smirked. "Alexander, darling, don't be so harsh. Maybe we should let her stay until she figures out who the real father is?" I wiped my tears. Something inside me broke, but something else - something stronger - was born. I picked up the pen. My hand was no longer shaking. "You will regret this, Alexander Knight," I said, my voice cold. "You will regret the day you called your own child a bastard." I signed. Sophia Williams. Not Sophia Knight anymore. "Ten million dollars will be in your account tomorrow," he said, already turning away with Vanessa in his arms. "My driver will take you wherever you want to go. Just disappear from my life." I didn't take his money. I left the mansion with nothing but my purse, my torn white dress, and my baby. The rain was pouring outside. I had nowhere to go. My parents died when I was sixteen. Vanessa was my only friend and she had betrayed me. I stood in the rain in front of the mansion I once called home, and I swore. I swore that I would survive. That I would build an empire bigger than his. That my child would never lack anything. And I swore that one day, Alexander Knight would kneel and beg me to come back. That night, with only 200 dollars in my account, I boarded a bus to New York. Three years later, they would know my name. I am Sophia Williams, CEO of Bella Fashion Empire, and the mother they never saw coming.