EX-HUSBAND WANTS ME BACK

The grand hall brimmed with laughter and chatter, the air thick with perfume and wealth. Waiters weaved through the crowd, offering trays of champagne, their white gloves spotless. Scarlett moved through the sea of guests, the fabric of her gown trailing behind her, but she felt like a ghost in her own life. She had attended these events countless times by Lucas’s side, smiling for the cameras, playing the perfect wife. But tonight, something was off. Her gaze landed on him across the room. Lucas Sterling. The man she had given everything to. And beside him—Isabella Carter. Scarlett’s breath caught. She wasn’t naïve. She had seen the late-night calls, the secret meetings, the whispers that stopped the moment she entered a room. But this? This was something else. Lucas leaned in, saying something into Isabella’s ear, his lips curving into a smile he hadn’t worn for Scarlett in months. Isabella laughed, tilting her head toward him, her hand resting lightly on his chest. A sharp sting bloomed inside Scarlett, spreading like wildfire. She forced her expression into something unreadable, though every nerve in her body screamed at her to react. But there were too many eyes, too many people waiting for a scandal. She wouldn’t give them one. Not yet. A glass appeared before her, and she turned to see Daniel Reed, one of Lucas’s closest business associates, offering it. “You might need this,” he murmured. Scarlett took it, bringing it to her lips, if only to keep from saying something reckless. Daniel studied her, then sighed. “You deserve better.” The words chipped at the walls she was trying to hold up. She glanced back at Lucas, watching as he brushed a stray lock of hair behind Isabella’s ear. Enough. Placing the glass on a passing tray, Scarlett moved through the crowd, each step measured. She ignored the curious glances, the murmured speculation. None of it mattered anymore. She reached them just as Isabella giggled again, the sound like nails against Scarlett’s skin. “Lucas.” Her voice was steady, even as her pulse raced. “Can I speak to you?” He barely looked at her. “Not now.” Her jaw tightened. “Now.” Something in her tone must have caught his attention because he let out a sigh, turning to Isabella with an easy smile. “Excuse me for a moment.” Scarlett turned, walking toward a quieter corner. Lucas followed, his steps unhurried, as if she were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. The moment they were away from prying eyes, she turned to face him. “Are you really doing this here?” she asked, voice sharp. Lucas arched a brow. “Doing what?” She let out a short, humorless laugh. “Don’t insult my intelligence. I see you with her.” He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even try to lie. “And?” That one word knocked the air from her lungs. Not an apology. Not an excuse. Just careless disregard. Her fingers curled at her sides. “So, it’s true.” Lucas sighed, running a hand over his face. “Scarlett, let’s not do this here.” Her chest ached. “How long?” His blue eyes met hers, unreadable. “Does it matter?” Yes. It mattered. It mattered because she had given him everything. “I loved you,” she whispered. “I stood by you. I gave up—” Lucas exhaled, impatient. “Scarlett, stop being dramatic.” She stared at him. The man she had loved was gone. Or maybe… he had never been there at all. Her shoulders squared. “I’m going home.” “You are free to,” he said, turning his back on her. Scarlett got home with tears in her eyes. She sat on the edge of the couch, her hands resting on her lap as she stared at the marriage ring on her finger. The room felt colder than it had ever been, every memory tied to this place now tainted by the truth she couldn’t unsee. She thought about Lucas, his empty smile, his indifference. He had stolen years from her, made her believe in something that was never real. But now, the blinders were off. About an hour later, The door creaked open behind her, and she didn’t need to turn to know it was him. She had asked him to come back here. Lucas stood by the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked bored, like this was all an inconvenience to him. “What is this, Scarlett? Another dramatic scene?” His voice carried no hint of remorse, only annoyance. She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she slowly pulled the ring from her finger and placed it on the coffee table between them, the silence that followed louder than any words could have been. Lucas glanced at the ring, then back at her. “Are we really doing this?” “Yes,” she replied, her tone sharp. “We are.” He walked further into the room. “So, this is it? You’re leaving me?” Scarlett finally stood, her gaze unwavering. “What did you expect, Lucas? That I’d just sit there and pretend not to see you with her? Or pretend not to see your indifference when I confronted you about it? That I’d keep being the perfect wife while you paraded around with Isabella in front of everyone?” His expression remained cold, unfeeling. “You’re overreacting. Isabella and I… it’s not what you think.” “Then what is it?” she asked, her voice rising. “Because from where I stood, it looked like you’ve moved on.” Lucas scoffed. “Scarlett, let’s not play games. You’ve known for a long time that our marriage wasn’t… ideal.” Her heart ached at the bluntness of his words, but she kept her face neutral. “No, Lucas. I thought we had problems, like every couple. But I didn’t know you’d already replaced me before we even ended.” Lucas shook his head, walking toward the window, hands stuffed in his pockets. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. What we had was good for a time, but people change. Things change.” Scarlett felt a wave of frustration wash over her. “You changed, Lucas. You stopped caring. You stopped trying. And I kept giving, hoping that one day, you’d look at me the way you used to.” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop. “I thought I wasn’t enough. But now I see—I wasn’t the one who failed.” Lucas turned back to face her, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t make this about you being the victim. You knew what you were getting into when we got married. It was always about status, about keeping up appearances. You wanted the life I gave you.” Scarlett’s stomach turned. “No, I wanted a marriage. A real one.” Lucas didn’t move, didn’t respond. He simply stood there, his expression unreadable. Scarlett swallowed hard. “I can’t do this anymore, Lucas. This isn’t love. It never was. I’m done pretending.” “So, what now?” he asked flatly. She squared her shoulders, finally feeling the weight lift from her. “I’ll have the papers drawn up. I want a divorce.”