Ex-husband's Regrets Worth Nothing

“Today, all of the work has to be completed by five o'clock. Understood?”

I glared icily at my personal assistant, who was trembling under my watch, and gave her an order. After that, I gave all of the necessary files to her in a very dangerous manner.

“There was a delay till five o'one. Get moving and get started right away.” I proceeded while giving her a menacing look in her direction. I was aware that she would submit her resignation any moment now, but I couldn't care less about that fact.

When she exited the room, she responded with a trembling voice, “Y-yes, Ma'am,” and she came dangerously close to falling due to her anxiety and the pile of paperwork she was carrying.

I let out a sigh, sat back in my chair, and began massaging my temples as soon as I realized that she had already left my office. I really cannot stand it when my head begins to hurt. After that, the phone in my workplace rang, which jolted me out of my trance. I responded with exhaustion to your question.

“M-Madam, so someone is coming to see you…” That was my assistant calling me once again. I just despise the fact that she stuttered.

“Are you unable to communicate clearly? Jesus! Talk properly!” I stated, to let her know that I am irritated with her talking like that.

She repeated, “Madam, someone is coming to see you,” as she approached the door. I rolled my eyes in response to her voice, and then I hung up the phone without giving her another chance to speak.

As I was just ready to leave the office, its door abruptly opened, allowing me to exit the building. “Mommy! Mommy!” he yelled. I answered when I heard a soft voice. As I glanced down at my legs, I saw a little child holding onto my skirt. He was only three years old. “I miss you!” He went on as he was holding onto one of my legs.

“Get off me, kid!” I yelled as I violently wrenched my body away from him and shouted the words.

For fuck sake! How on earth was this kid ever able to make it here?

As I heard footsteps approaching into my office, the first thing that went through my thoughts was, ‘Damn it!’ When some time had passed, I was able to see his face. "Damn it," I muttered once again, really wanting to utter the phrase out loud.

“My apologies to you, Faith. As I parked the car in front of the building, he bolted out of the car. He couldn't express how much he was missing you.” A well-known low and gruff voice spoke out next. As I glanced at him, I saw that he was wearing a grin on his face.

I stared at him in confusion before turning my anger at the child. “Mr. Williams, what are you doing in this building?” I inquired in a manner that was very formal—cold and rigid. The grin that had been on his face vanished all of a sudden. It seemed as if he was suffering from... agony and pain.

The idea made me laugh out loud. ‘Agony? Pain? Fucking ridiculous!’ Pain and him are not a very good match for one another. Putting them together in one sentence doesn’t make sense.

“Come on, Faith. Do you still not remember that I own fifty percent of this company?” Atlas said, and in response to that, I rolled my eyes and settled back into my seat in the room.

Again, the little kid yelled out, “Mommy...”

After giving him some attention, I saw that the tears were welling up in his beautiful eyes. In addition to that, both of his arms are raised over his head. He requested that I carry him, but it is something I will never do. I diverted my gaze and pretended not to see him.

“Daddy,” he began sobbing, “I need you.” I watched as the tears slid down his rounder face and landed on his blue eyes.

“Honey, please come over here. It's alright, your mommy was just so busy at the time,” Atlas said in a low voice. I can't stand the way his voice makes the word ‘mommy’ sound.

I snapped at him in exasperation, “I am not his mom.” After hearing these comments, Atlas's expression towards me became harsh.

“Faith—” he started, but I stopped him off.

“Would you just be quiet? Therefore, see to it that your child does not return to this place under any circumstances.” I told him right in front of his face. “This is not a damned nursery or a playground where you can bring your child whenever you want to,” I continued.

“He is your son.”

It made me laugh. That was freaking hilarious and I gave him that.

“My son? What makes this child my son? To be very honest with you, Mr. Williams, I had no idea that I was even his mother.” I spit it out.

“But he—”

Once again, I severed communication with him.

“I said shut up. He isn't my son so stop brainwashing the kid's mind!” I loudly said. He did nothing except stand there and stare at my face, which caused me to tighten my fists in complete and utter rage.

‘Why the heck he’s insisting that this kid is my son?’

I made a solemn vow that the rage, hate, and contempt that I felt against this man would never go away. It had been three fucking years, and although I believed that I could finally move on after such a lengthy period of time, the reality is that I would never be able to do so.

I can’t fucking move on. The wounds were still here and were left unhealed.

Never in a million years, especially considering the fact that I am the Chief Executive Officer of this firm and he just showed up out of the blue and identified himself as the other owner. Never, especially considering that I was aware that we were working in the same place and we would be sharing the same air.

I repeated it with a little more composure this time as I returned to reviewing my files: “Go out, you're wasting my time.” I could hear the child choking back his tears and sniffling in an attempt to calm himself down.

“I will never walk away from you, regardless of how much animosity you feel against both me and our kid Leo. Absolutely not, Faith. I will stop at nothing to win your forgiveness, so that you may return to loving me the way you once did and making me once again the center of your life. It was a vow I took to heart and kept with myself.” He spoke it with a firm resolve and an air of assurance. To tell you the truth, it made me want to throw up. As it came from him, those remarks immediately gave off an impression of being a falsehood.

I sat up straight and began to intertwine my fingers with those of the person sitting next to me. “Mr. Williams, you may do anything you want, but I will never forgive you and Melissa for what you both did to me. I don't care what you do to me. My respect for myself is much more essential than your so-called love emotion or any other feeling you claim to have. I will never contact you again, and I will never allow you to reenter my life. You and I just owned this business together, and it will continue to serve as the foundation of our partnership moving forward. Nothing more than that. Now, get out.” I asserted in a loud and clear voice.

He turned his head away, his face conveying regret, hurt, and guilt to no one in particular but himself.

He carried his son with him as he made his way toward the entrance. As he quietly exited the room, he said, “I love you,” and then he was gone, leaving me with sad thoughts.

‘What the fuck? What the hell that I love you mean to me now? Nothing!’

**

FIVE YEARS AGO…

“Faith, you have no idea how much I adore you.” He cried out in pain as he gnawed on my neck. “Oh God! I just can't get enough of you. I just can't. You are mine, all mine.”

He spoke softly in my ear while biting the lobe of my other ear. I used to like the way it made me feel whenever I moaned his name.

I responded in a hushed tone, “I love you too, Atlas—so much.”

The door swung open with a thud all of a sudden. What a great timing! And here it is, it was our wonderful buddy Melissa who was a master at sabotaging our precious times.

Atlas whimpered “Melissa,” which made me grin to myself.

She expressed her regret while rolling her eyes and added, “I'm sorry, it was not my aim to disrupt your make-out session all the time.” She then approached the sofa while carrying a bag of Doritos in her hand.

Melissa switched her position just as Atlas was about to kiss me, interrupting the kiss. She had moved seats and was now seated between Atlas and I.

Atlas groaned and asked, “Mel, what the hell?”

She flashed a wry grin as she switched on the television while saying, “Sorry.” That caused me to giggle once again.

Atlas took a few moments to watch some television before grabbing the remote control and turning the television off. Melissa looked at Atlas and said, “What the heck are you doing? I was just watching that! You just spoiled the suspense!”

I was concerned because of the tone with which he delivered the next statement: "I know, but listen. I forgot to tell you both something.”

I asked Atlas what had occurred as I moved over to his side of the sofa and sat down next to him. “What happened?” After that, I put my hand on top of his, and I can feel him squeezing my hand even more tightly.

He began by saying, “I have some news. One of them is good, and the other is bad.”

After giving one other a glance that conveyed both anxiety and confusion, Melissa and I turned our attention back to Atlas and waited for him to continue.

“I-I have been offered a position in New York's one of the top companies—in fact, top over the globe. It was controlled by Mr. Richard Bailey,” he continued, causing our eyes to widen in shock.

Richard Bailey had a net worth of one billion dollars. Getting a job at one of the numerous businesses he controlled all across the globe was so desirable that people were willing to sacrifice their lives for it. It made Melissa and I shout with joy, and we both gave Atlas a bear hug as we were overcome with delight.

“Oh my God! Congratulations, Atlas! I knew you could do it and I am beyond proud and happy for you,” I said with joy as I kissed his cheek firmly, causing him to expose his charming dimples. “I knew you could do it and I am so pleased and happy for you,” I added with delight.

“Congrats!” Melissa extended her congratulations to Atlas and said that this was very wonderful news.

“But,” Atlas remarked with anguish.

I inquired with a “But what?”

Then he stated that, “Getting that position means I have to remain in New York,” which he made, caused me to grimace. “With that, I will have to leave London... in three days,” he said. My body was instantly overcome by a feeling of sadness.

I shook my head in disbelief and questioned in a trembling voice, “What? Three days?”

As tears began to form in my eyes. Atlas swiftly grabbed my cheeks as soon as he saw that I was crying. He wiped my tears away with a kiss while saying, “No, no. Please, baby, don't cry.” He stated it with such love and sincerity, “I don't want to see tears in your beautiful eyes. If you don't want me to go, then I will happily remain for you. I'm sure I can find another fantastic job here in London. You, nonetheless, were my highest priority.”

I felt guilty.

He wanted it and waited for it.

He really put forth a lot of effort to acquire this position. I can't let myself be the reason he gives up on his goals and ambitions. I wished for him to have the most success that was possible in this life.

“No, you need to go there, and achieve what it is in life that you want, and I... I will gladly watch it. But you gotta promise me to keep in contact, okay? Please don't find any gi—” he interrupts me by passionately kissing my lips.

“I promise to keep in contact. I promise to stay faithful to you as you are my badass angel. Remember? I am the only one who will take your virginity and you will be the only girl who will take mine,” he said, somewhat playfully. After that, he gave me a bear hug and proceeded by saying, “You are my first and last.”

I considered myself quite fortunate to have this guy as my boyfriend... my Atlas.

Our intimate moment was rudely interrupted by a cough. Melissa remarked this with an upset expression on her face, “I suppose you guys are forgetting that I am here.” That gave us reason to chuckle.

I chuckled to myself as I looked at her and said, “Of course not. How could we forget you?” After that, I switched my attention to Atlas as though we were conspiring on something.

In an attempt to defend herself, Melissa said, “Why does that look give me a negative feeling?” as both Atlas and I smiled devilishly at her. After that, we went on top of her and began to tickle Melissa on her collar bones and foot.

She just managed to utter the words “Oh God, please stop!” in between her uncontrolled laughter. Instead of continuing, we decided to stop and give each other a group embrace.

“Nothing's going to change, okay?” Melissa said.

“Nothing,” both Atlas and I said together in unison.

I couldn't have asked for anything better. These two people were everything to me.

**

PRESENT…

Just look at how fast the night changes…

I felt my chest tighten with those memories. Atlas’ presence suddenly triggered these unnecessary memories.

‘I should have forgotten this bullshit!’ That's what I thought.

But, I didn't.

I can't.

So I couldn't do anything whenever the memories of the three of us crossed my mind. It just hurts so bad. the kind of pain as if someone is cutting your skin with a sharp knife. That's how painful it was for me.

As I wiped away the tears that were falling from my eyes, I murmured to myself, “Little did I realize that as the years go by, the same persons who were once my universe, once my lifeline, would become the cause for the broken heart.”