Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband by Anney GW

My CEO 153

153 The Crossroads (Winona)

Jayden arrives at my door early on Sunday morning, the sun just starting to filter through the trees outside. |

wasn't expecting him this soon; he texted earlier to ask if he could cover.

| open the door, and there he is-tall, broad, Impossibly handsome. His face is a mix of determination and regret.

"Hey," he says softly, "Thanks for seeing me."

"Hey," | reply, stepping aside to let him in. "Thanks for wanting to cby. | want to get this cleared up."

We go to the kitchen and | pour us coffee.

He takes the cup from me, his fingers brushing mine for just a second, and | can feel the familiar pull, the one

that's always been there, even when everything else felt like it was falling apart. We sat down at the table.

"I'm sorry," he starts, his voice low. "About everything. | know | messed up, Win. L... | never wanted to hurt you

like that ever."

1 nod, looking down into my coffee, watching the ripples on the surface. "I'm sorry too. For my part in it. Jayden,

I think we're at a crossroads here,"

| lift my gaze to meet his, and | see the srealization. "This... what we've been doing... it's not working. We

can't keep going like this."

He nods slowly, and | can see the struggle in his eyes, the way he's trying to find the right words. "I know," he

says, his voice rough. "I don't want to lose you, Winona. But | also don't want to keep hurting you. Or Abby."

My heart aches at the mention of our daughter. "I don't want to lose you either, Jayden. But we have to be

honest with ourselves. If we keep going down this path without fixing what's broken... we'll just end up hurting

each other more. And | can't... | won't let that happen to Abby."

He frowns at that, and | see the guilt flash across his face. "I know you're right," he admits. "But where do we go

from here? How do we fix this?"

"This isn't about blor guilt. We both have a part to play. We're both right and we're both wrong.

"I agree. We need to find sneutral ground. But how?"

| take a deep breath. "Therapy. For both of us. Together. Maybe solos as well."

see the surprise in his eyes, but he doesn't interrupt.

"We need to talk to someone who can help us... really help us. Because this... all of this... it's bigger than just us.

We need to understand why we keep hurting each other, and we need to find a way to stop."

He's quiet for a long moment, and | can see the wheels turning in his mind. Finally, he nods. "I'll do it. I'll do

whatever it takes, Winona. But... | don't want to end up in another screaming match. | don't want to hurt you

again."

| reach across the table, taking his hand in mine. "We'll promise each other something. If we do this... if

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153 The Crossroad

we go to therapy... we're all in. We get into everything, no matter how much it hurts or how long it takes. It's the

only way to move forward."

He squeezes my hand, his grip firm. 1 promise. I'll be all in. But what if... what if we find out we can't fix

it?"

My throat tightens at the thought, but I push through. "Then we walk away. Gracefully. For Abby's sake. We make

a good life for her, no matter what. She deserves that."

He looks at me, his eyes full of pain and determination, "She does. And | promise, Winona, I'll do whatever it

takes to give her that."

| nod. too. But Jayden... I'm not going to bring up things that trigger us... unless we're with the therapist. We

need to do this right."

He closes his eyes for a moment, and | see the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit. "I understand. And |

think... | think that's a very, very good idea."

"Okay. Then we'll do this. We'll go to therapy, and we'll give it everything we've got. But be prepared for the

possibility that... that it might not work out. And if it doesn't... we'll find a way to make a good life for Abby, no

matter what."

He nods, and | see the resolution in his eyes. "Agreed. | don't want to lose you. But | also don't want to keep

hurting you. Or Abby. So, let's do this. Let's see if we can find what's broken.

There's a sense of finality in his words, a determination that | haven't seen in him in a long time. It gives me

hope, but it also scares me. Because | know that this is our last chance. If this doesn't work... I'll have to walk

away. And that thought terrifiesmore than anything.

We sit there in silence for a moment, holding hands across the table, both of us lost in our own thoughts. But for

the first tin a long time, | feel like we're on the spage. Like maybe, just maybe, we can find our way

back to each other.

"We'll set up the appointments tomorrow," | say, breaking the silence. "One bite at a time."

"One bite at a time," he echoes, and | see a small, tentative smile on his lips. It's not much, but it's a start.

I walk him to the door, feeling a strange mix of hope and fear swirling in my chest. He pauses at the threshold,

turning to look at me.

"Winona... thank you. For giving us a chance."

| manage a small smile. "Thank you for giving us a chance."

He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "I'll see you soon. | was thinking I'd take Abby to the beach."

"I'd love that. We haven't been for too long."

"You'd calong too?"

"No matter what, we're a family, Jayden. Nothing will change that."

"I'll pick you both up after lunch."

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153 The Crossroads

watch as he walks away. | close the door, leaning against it as | let out a shaky breath. This is it. Probably our last

chance. Everything inwants to find a way to make this work. But I'm not compromising my own principles. |

will remain true to myself and encourage Jayden to do the same. He may need things | just can't give him, and

that's okay.

But no matter what happens, | know one thing for sure-we'll make a good life for Abby.

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