The CEO's Regret: Chasing My Runaway Doctor

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ed to a gleam. The good china, the one with the hand-painted gold rim that she had registered for two years ago and never once used. Taper candles burned down to stubs, their wax pooling on the linen tablecloth like f

ingapore had landed at six. By seven, the duck would

efore he even knew her name. Two years of marriage, of signing Mrs. Sterling Carlisle IV on documents no one would e

nymous text message. No name, just a nu

a silver dress that looked like liquid moonlight. They were standing under a banner that read "WELCOME HOME, KA

ad: "He's been here all night. G

er until nothing liquid remained. Her hand drifted to her stomach. Eight weeks. She had been carrying his child for eight we

been suc

ned. She had told herself it was enough. He was a busy man. He had built an empire. He didn't have time for romance, for pu

For Kara. For a welcome

for tears, a vast, silent ocean of it. She simply stood there

ad cleaned the table, thrown away the ruined food, and sat in the dark until the sun came up. The ultr

eps in the hall. Sterling. He rarely came h

rumpled. The faint smear of lipstick on his collar. The cold, distant expression in his eyes as h

the Carlisle family's chief counsel. He carr

e was. He simply nodded at Lawrence, who stepped forward

ION OF M

apes. Then, slowly, the meaning sank in. He was divorcing her. The morning after their anniversary

cold. He adjusted a cufflink, not even looking

trasound picture crinkled softly in her pocket. Eight weeks. A flut

hen it came, was barely a whisper.

awa

r you all night. I had some

ened. "I didn

r once asked her for anything. Not her time. Not her devotion. Not her love. She had gi

r something now. He was

tial agreement, you will be vacating the premises with no claim to Mr. Carlisle's assets. Additionally, Mr

ust divorcing her.

heart. It was the cage she had built around herself, the cage of hope and longing and pathet

t need to. She scrawled her name across the signature lin

st time in six years, she met his eyes without

aited in this house like a ghost, hoping you'd notice me. I learned your schedules. I memorized how you take your coffee. I told myself that someday, you'd wake up and see me." She stood up,

ething crossed his face-surprise? ir

m. He was taller than her by nearly a head, but she didn't fli

ame. I don't want anything from you, Sterling. I'm going

and then her

ough the silent kit

ted. For a long, frozen moment, he didn't move. He didn't breathe. He simply stared

ng, but she didn't rub it. She

you," she said, her voice low and

h she had worn the day she first walked into t

ye, St

clicked shut behind her, the sound

ed document lay on the marble island between them, her signature a violent slash across

an who had just slapped him and walked out of his house was none of those thing

ling Carlisle realized he knew absolutely nothing

orning wind. Her hand still stung. Good. She pulled out her phone and book

ld were going to become ghosts. And S