The Billionaire's Regret

‎‎Chapter One

‎‎The lights burned too bright. The music was too loud. The laughter stung like knives. And there I was, on my knees in front of my husband, begging him not to humiliate me.

‎‎“Daniel, please,” I whispered, clutching his wrist, my nails biting into his skin as though I could anchor him to me. “Not here. Not like this.”

‎‎His lips curled, not in pity but in that cruel smirk I had seen too many times behind closed doors. Tonight, he wanted the world to see it. He wanted them to watch me break.

‎‎Around us, the glittering hall fell silent. I could hear the faint clink of a champagne glass being set down, the faint shuffle of expensive heels against marble. People were staring. They loved it. They lived for it. Ava Reynolds, wife of Daniel Cobbs, the billionaire everyone called untouchable, was on her knees, pleading like a beggar at a royal court.

‎‎Daniel leaned down, close enough for only me to hear, though I knew he wanted me to repeat it aloud. “You should have thought about dignity before marrying me.”

‎‎My chest tightened. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

‎‎Then he yanked his arm free and stepped into the spotlight. The lights hit him, catching the sharp angles of his face. A perfect king in his throne room. And then, with deliberate cruelty, he reached for her.

‎‎Elizabeth Sterl.

‎‎Her gown glittered in silver sequins that clung to her curves. Her smile was soft, innocent to the untrained eye, but to me it was a knife sliding between my ribs. Daniel pulled her forward by the hand. Gasps rippled through the crowd like fire catching dry leaves.

‎‎“What is he doing?”

‎‎“Isn’t that Elizabeth Sterl? The model?”

‎‎“They say he’s been seen with her…”

‎‎“Oh my God, Ava is right there.”

‎‎Every whisper was a dagger. My ears rang as Daniel raised Elizabeth’s hand to his lips and kissed it slowly, savoring the sight of me watching. My knees pressed harder against the marble floor, the pain sharp, humiliating, real. He wanted me to hurt. He wanted them to see.

‎‎Then he said the words that shattered everything.

‎‎“Ladies and gentlemen,” his voice carried effortlessly across the hall, smooth and steady like he had rehearsed it. “I think it’s time to end this charade. I am divorcing Ava Reynolds. Effective immediately.”

‎‎The world tilted.

‎‎For a heartbeat, silence. No music, no laughter, no polite coughs. Just a stunned, breathless pause before the room erupted.

‎‎“Divorcing her? Here? Tonight?”

‎‎“Is he insane?”

‎‎“Or maybe she deserves it. You know how these society marriages go.”

‎‎“She begged him on her knees. Pathetic.”

‎‎“She has no pride left.”

‎‎Laughter bubbled, harsh and cruel, mixed with gasps and shrieks. Phones were raised instantly, flashes going off like fireworks. Some recorded me, my humiliation framed forever, while others zoomed in on Daniel’s proud stance and Elizabeth’s sly little smile.

‎‎“Did you get that? Oh my God, it’s going viral already.”

‎‎“He dumped her in front of everyone. Savage.”

‎‎Elizabeth leaned closer to him, loud enough for me to hear. “You did the right thing.” She tilted her head toward me, her eyes glinting. “She never really belonged here.”

‎‎I forced my body to move, but it felt like my bones were weighed down with stone. My palms pressed into the floor as I tried to stand. I couldn’t. My legs shook too much. People muttered, some sneering, some pitying.

‎‎“Look at her. Can’t even get up.”

‎‎“She should just walk out with her head high. But no, she clings.”

‎‎“Embarrassing.”

‎‎Daniel glanced at me once, cold eyes like steel. “You should have known better than to think you could stand at my side.”

‎The words sliced deeper than any knife.

‎My throat closed. I wanted to scream, to tell them all the truth, that I had loved him, that I had fought for him, that I had given up everything to stand by him. But nothing came out. Just a strangled breath. My chest heaved, my heart pounded, my vision blurred. The chandeliers above swayed like they were about to fall on me.

‎Whispers kept coming, sharper, faster, twisting tighter around my neck like a noose.

‎“He never loved her.”

‎“She was just a stepping stone.”

‎“She was always too plain for him.”

‎“Elizabeth is a better match anyway.”

‎“He destroyed her in front of everyone. Cold.”

‎More laughter erupted, louder this time. Some were recording not him, but me, zooming in on my swollen eyes, my trembling hands, my ruined dignity.

‎“She’s trending already,” someone chuckled.

‎“Headline tomorrow: Billionaire ditches wife for stunning model.”

‎“She won’t survive this. Not socially. Not financially.”

‎My stomach churned. I wanted to vomit, to collapse, to disappear. I thought of every dinner we had attended together, every time I had sat beside him smiling like a perfect wife while he whispered promises in my ear. I thought of how I had defended him when the rumors started, how I had told myself he was too busy to be unfaithful.

‎And here he was, proving me wrong in front of the entire city.

‎Somewhere, a woman laughed. A loud, cruel laugh that cracked against the silence of my breaking.

‎I tried again to stand. My knees buckled. My palms slipped against the polished floor. The crowd gasped, not in sympathy but in hunger, as though my misery fed them.

‎“Poor Ava. She’s nothing without him.”

‎“Maybe she should crawl out. That would suit her.”

‎“Someone should drag her away, she’s ruining the party.”

‎Daniel didn’t flinch. He stood tall with Elizabeth on his arm, basking in the spectacle he had created. My shame was his entertainment.

‎My breath came in shallow bursts. The edges of my vision darkened. My body swayed. I could feel the cold marble against my palms, slick with the sweat of my shame. My knees gave out completely. The room spun, faces blurring into grotesque masks of amusement.

‎I thought I heard someone gasp my name, but maybe it was just my mind reaching for hope that no longer existed.

‎Daniel’s voice was the last thing I heard before the darkness swallowed me.

‎“Take her out of here. She doesn’t belong.”

‎The crowd erupted again. Some cheered his boldness, others whispered in horror. But none of it mattered. My world went black.

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