Page 163 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

The mornings waking up together.

The trips.

The plans we kept postponing because we thought we had all the time in the world.

We were supposed to decide together when to start a family.

Instead, someone else made that choice for us.

And the thought makes me want to burn everything to the ground.

*

The morning passes in a blur.

I catch up on the work that piled up during my absence: urgent files, financial reports, legal notes.

And above all, I make several important calls, including one to an old friend.

Henri answers after two rings.

“Dante. I was expecting your call.”

“Nothing ever catches you off guard, does it?”

“All the signs are there. You just have to know how to read them.”

I smile.

“Impress me.”

“You’ve decided to accept my offer.”

A smirk pulls at my mouth.

“And you know that because…?”

“The market is already buzzing with rumors since the negotiations were suspended.”

He doesn’t mention that Aurenza needs liquidity, and I’m grateful for that.

We went through a difficult period after Valeria’s disappearance, and I wasn’t exactly the most involved CEO.

But that changes now.

“You don’t miss a thing, do you?”

A brief hesitation follows before he says:

“I also heard about your wedding. I assume you’re back with Valeria?”

“Not officially.”

“Why not?”

Still as direct as ever. People who don’t know him mistake it for brutality. With Henri, it’s simply efficiency.

I search for the best possible answer.