His Biggest Regret(chasing his ex wife back)

The Grand Ballroom of the Peninsula Hotel glittered under crystal chandeliers, a sea of black ties and sequins ringing in the new year. Champagne flowed like rivers, laughter echoed off marble walls, but at Table One, reserved for the company’s inner circle. Jason Hargrove, CEO of Apex Ventures, held court at the center. His tuxedo was perfect, his smile captivated investors. To his right sat Elena—his wife of fifteen years in a midnight-blue gown that caught the light like deep water. She was elegant, poised, the kind of beauty that deepened with time. Yet Jason’s eyes slid past her as if she were part of the table setting. One of the venture partners leaned in. “Jason, that keynote you gave at Davos last month was brilliant. How do you always know exactly what the market wants?” Jason laughed, raising his glass. “Instinct, mostly. And surrounding myself with the right people.” His gaze flicked dismissively toward Elena. “Though sometimes you outgrow the early advisors, don’t you? What worked in the garage days doesn’t always translate to the boardroom.” A ripple of polite chuckles around the table. Elena’s fingers tightened around her champagne flute, but her face remained serene. No one noticed the subtle cruelty; they never did. To them, she was simply “the wife”—lovely, quiet, decorative. She remembered the garage days all too well. Late nights when Jason was just another ambitious coder with big dreams and no capital. She’d been the one reviewing pitch decks at 2 a.m., refining his messaging, teaching him how to read a room. Her family connections had opened the first doors; her quiet counsel had shaped every major decision that built Apex into a billion-dollar empire. She had polished him, positioned him, even chosen his wardrobe for that first crucial investor meeting. And now? Now he attended galas with twenty-something influencers on his arm—women whose primary talent was looking good in photographs. Last month’s Tech Awards red carpet had featured him grinning beside a Victoria’s Secret model, while Elena stayed home with a fabricated “headache.” The countdown began. The ballroom erupted in cheers as midnight struck—fireworks blooming over the city skyline visible through floor-to-ceiling windows. Jason stood to kiss his latest board member on both cheeks, already turning away to network. Elena remained seated a moment longer, watching the room celebrate new beginnings—fireworks bursting beyond the windows, strangers kissing under paper streamers, Jason already turning away to charm the next investor. She quietly placed her napkin on the table, rose, and walked toward the exit. No scene. No tears. Just the soft click of her heels on marble, steady as a heartbeat she wasn’t going to breakdown, she’s a strong woman. As she moved through the glittering crowd, the noise faded into a distant hum, and memory pulled her back six years. She was nineteen, a sophomore at Columbia, hurrying across campus in the rain with an armful of economics textbooks. Jason—twenty-four, cocky, and already launching his first startup had been guest-lecturing in her entrepreneurship class. Afterward, he’d lingered by the door, pretending to check emails until she passed. When she slipped on the wet steps, he caught her elbow, steadying her with a grin that felt like sunlight breaking through clouds. “You okay?” he’d asked, voice warm, eyes locking onto hers as if the rest of the world had blurred. She’d laughed, embarrassed, raindrops clinging to her lashes. “Fine. Just gravity testing me.” He’d insisted on walking her to the library, holding his umbrella over her even though it left half of him soaked. By the time they reached the steps, he’d coaxed her number from her with effortless charm, promising coffee “to discuss valuation models.” That coffee turned into late-night coding sessions in his tiny apartment, her sharp insights shaping his pitch deck, his ambition igniting something certain in her chest. She had believed, from that very first rain-soaked moment, that they were building something eternal. Now, six years later, Elena stepped into the hotel lobby, the echo of that young love fading with every measured footfall. In the lobby, she paused beneath the grand clock. For years, she’d dimmed her own light to make his shine brighter. But the light had always been hers to control. Outside, the winter air was chilly and frosty, She stepped into it without looking back, hailing a cab to the apartment she’d secretly purchased months ago—a space that was entirely her own. She didn’t know how long this was going to continue, tired of the mistreating, tired of how Jason act like she’s just an outsider to him. She was mentally tired but loved him deeply, she remembered how they got married, she was so excited to marry him, felt perfect until last year she realized he was just using her for his benefits. My dream is to startup my own brand, build something that bore her name, be the ceo of a multi–billion company that people will always want to come to her for advice, To step into the spotlight he had tried to deny from her. As the city lights blurred past the cab window, Elena smiled for the first time that night. The new year wasn’t just beginning. It was hers.