Chapter 12
727words
Then, she remembered something and added, "If I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd turn you down the moment you sent me that first love letter. I wouldn't have wanted to meet or know you."
She had given everything she had to this relationship, holding nothing back.
As she supported Asher with his startup, people kept telling her not to go overboard with being nice to him. After all, the first thing most guys did when they succeeded was ditch their partner.
But Gwyneth refused to believe it. She trusted him and gave him her whole heart.
She never thought he'd cheated on her nine years ago. This betrayal stung worse than if he'd betrayed her after their business took off.
Asher went pale as a ghost, but Gwyneth stayed unfazed. With a cold look, she continued, "If you're even a little sorry, sign the divorce agreement. We're done."
She turned and headed toward the banquet hall, ignoring the look of rage on Asher's face. She had a lot on her plate. Kieran had put so much effort into preparing the party. She couldn't let him down.
Kieran saw Asher trying to follow her and raised his hand.
Security wasted no time stepping in to remove him.
…
Gwyneth showed up at the office the next morning.
Her assistant, Veronica Tate, nervously approached her with a thermal food jar. "Ms. Payne, a guy who says he's your husband just brought you some soup."
Gwyneth gave it a quick look. It was her favorite butternut squash soup, spiced just right with cinnamon, but she left it untouched. "Keep it. When he comes tomorrow, give it back to him just the way it is."
As Gwyneth thought, Asher showed up the next morning with another soup and a bouquet of pink bellflowers.
Veronica looked worried. "Ms. Payne, what should I do with these?"
"Dump them," Gwyneth replied.
Pink bellflowers were her favorite. After 12 years together, Asher knew her inside and out. But that reminded her that he treated Liana just as well as he was to her.
When Asher showed up for the third time with soup and flowers, Gwyneth had Veronica hand him a divorce agreement instead.
Gwyneth ran into Asher again at a gathering a month later.
With a pleading look, he said, "You won't even take the things I send. What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"
Gwyneth shook her head with an ironic smile. She had no idea how good she had been to him, to the point where he thought she'd come back if he owned up to his mistakes.
"Don't bother with the gifts because I'll never forgive you. You should've seen this coming the day you cheated. Besides, shouldn't you be glad I left so you can be with her?"
Asher stared at Gwyneth, who seemed cold and distant. His heart ached so badly, and he could feel tears welling up.
He choked up and said, "I see my mistakes now, Wyn. I've had plenty of time to reflect on these past two years after you were gone. I stayed in touch with Liana because I was curious about other women and wanted to see what it was like with them.
"But I've only ever loved you. We were in love for 12 years, so why can't you give me a chance?"
In love for 12 years? All those years of effort now felt like daggers stabbing Gwyneth's heart. She couldn't bear to remember the 12 years she'd foolishly sacrificed so much for.
Gwyneth's face hardened, and her demeanor turned icy. "Asher, let's be real. One of the biggest reasons you're holding on to me is because I'm the one who truly loves you more than anyone else, right?
"You've gotten used to me doing everything for you. After I'm gone, you'll never find anyone who loves you as fully as I have. Maybe you did love me at one point, but in the end, you love yourself more."
Asher's face dropped.
Gwyneth knew exactly why he was upset. It was because she was finally done sacrificing for him. She got in her car and drove off.
As she pulled into the gated community, she spotted Asher's parents standing in front of Kieran's villa from a distance.
