The CEO Who Wants Her Back

Chapter 1

“Mom, I told you from the beginning. I want no part of this marriage.” Though his tone was calm at the beginning, anger quickly showed in his eyes, his jaw went tight, and he began to tire of the seemingly endless conversation after feeling his anger and frustration and that this marriage was being forced fully upon him against his will. “Son, that is not what I asked you”, said Dave's Mom, Diana Parker. “Why would you send your divorce papers to her home, without even meeting her?” In the pique of disappointment and condescension, she was making the choices for him. Craig let out a short, irritated breath. “Because I don’t want to know her.” “You set it all up. Not me.” When arranging the marriage, his mom was most likely sure. Impatience began to take over, and he lightly tapped his fingers along the sides of his chair. “This marriage was ordained well before her mother and father passed away,” Diana insisted, now still calm, but cold. “You lose your right to dismiss it. Dave's face remained cold and indifferent, and he responded coldly. “This is of no significance to me, and they are poor. You know how I cannot tolerate that.” His words blankly came out of his mouth. But they all fell stiff, with the piercing cold cover of the silence that filled the room. “Then choose,” said Diana, finally breaking the silence. “Choose what?” asked Dave. But he really didn’t want to know the answer. “Choose between me and your divorce,” said Diana. And with that, she ended the call.

Dave stared at his phone, confused for a second. “Hello? Mom? … Mom?” Nothing. She had already hung up. It was only a matter of moments before he was overwhelmed by the deafening silence that accompanied his mother's explosive phone behavior.

"Damn it," he said, tossing his phone across the desk. He stood up briefly, trying to calm the uneasiness he felt by running a hand through his hair, as he began to walk. “This has to stop. Enough is enough.” He stood there, remembering how mad he got at his mom for doing something exactly like this every single time, and how she always took it one step further.

“Sir?” his assistant, Jerry, who got over the threshold of the office, not wanting to trip a hair and cause an outburst, asked, “Are you okay?” And just like that, and for no real reason, Dave was calm and just like that, his phone was back in his hand. “We need to leave. Get the car ready.” Jerry walked out to complete his every command, and for the first time in as long as he wanted, his mother’s blown-out phone call was not his only problem.

Across town, everything felt different. The air, the space, the life. Maya stood in a small kitchen, her sleeves rolled slightly as she helped her foster mother. The room wasn’t perfect, but it was warm. Safe.

She was happy and extremely lucky to be the only thing that didn’t go awfully in the world. The stillness in the air, the peace in the space she occupied - everything was in heaven for her - and the smallness of everything in comparison to her grace and beauty just made her happier.

“Mom,” she said, turning all of a sudden. With a huge grin plastered across her face, she said, “I love you. I hope you know that.” Tracy’s eyes darted across the room in confusion. “What’s that about?” Tracy’s eyes narrowed. “I’m serious,” she replied. “One day, I will be rich, and you won’t have to work anymore.” She then extended her hands in the general direction of the kitchen. “We’ll move out. We’ll buy a house that’s bigger. I’ll buy you some things. You’ll be a relaxed Madam,” and stopped. As Tracy smiled, she shook her head. “You and your dreams,” was all she said, but her eyes said the rest.

“Yes, you can,” she said. “You have always made me proud. You have always made me proud.” Tracy let the words hang for a moment. Life had been tough for them, but she truly believed in her daughter’s dreams and for a moment, everything felt simple. Then Tracy said, “I wish your parents were here; they would have given you the life you deserve.” The words slipped out before she could stop them, and it hit them like a ton of bricks.

She waited for a second. She shook her head; “No,” she said. “Don’t say that.” She stepped forward. “You’re enough, Mom. You’re everything.” She looked at her, and this time, emotion felt a little more honest and a little more poignant. “You’re everything. You are.” She truly believed that. She felt a little lighter. The moment they shared felt slight.

Ding Dong

She was lost in thought when the doorbell broke her concentration. “I’ll get it,” she said. She was worried the tension would worsen, so she stood up and began working her hands with a rag again and diverted her mind back to whatever.

Somewhere in the distance, a car was shutting its engine off. She didn’t even bother to notice. She stood in front of the door and held the knob a little longer. Something was definitely off, but she had no idea what it was.

Her eyelids opened the door little by little.

As soon as she saw him, she froze.