Mr billionaire's regret chasing his irresistible wife by Gabby Emmanuel

Unyielding

(ARIELLE'S POV.)

His words hung in the air. He leaned in a little closer, his expression intense. I could feel my cheeks flush, and I hated myself for it. His words were like an emotional punch to the gut, stirring up feelings I wasn't ready to face. I watched him carefully as he waited for my reaction, searching my eyes like he was looking for some sign of hope.

Finally, I exhaled, a deep sigh escaping me. "If that's all, Jared... You can leave now."

I was stunned by the calmness of my own voice. But my reaction pales in comparison to Jared's look of confusion. He was in utter shock. He narrowed his eyes at me as if focusing on me would wake him up from an ugly trance.

His face was the literal picture of shock, his eyes wide as saucers, his lips hanging apart from each other as he stared at me.

His eyebrows knitted in frustration. "Why? What do you mean, Arielle? Did you hear a word of all I just said? I explained everything clearly!"

I nodded as impassively as possible, my hands clasped together as I reclined in my seat. "Yeah. I heard you, Jared," I nodded.

He looked more in disbelief as if he had somehow been expecting that I hadn't heard a word he'd said by some stroke of chance. Maybe he'd imagined the entire scene. But my confirmation only stunned him further.

"Then why are you acting this way, Arielle?" he cried in frustration, his voice cracking from the weight of a dozen emotions. His face was a mask of pain and he didn't try to hide it being his usual façade of manliness. "I love you, Arielle. Can't you see? Please.. all I ask is for a second chance," he said passionately. His chest rose and fell heavily and his eyes were glazed over with what I could imagine to be tears. But my mind was made up already and my mouth remained shut.

(JARED'S POV.)

draw small breaths. I adjusted the knot of my tie for the umpteenth time again. I was faced with everything I had feared coming back into Arielle's office. The atmosphere was the polar opposite of what I'd imagined coming-devoid

even happy. But the impassivity of her facial expression was heart wrenching. I couldn't tell what she felt. If any of my words had touched her. If she even believed anything I'd just said. I was a mess of confusion and frustration. And boiling anger. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to continue speaking. I wasn't about to let

that when she'd sat up, her expression shifted to reveal the softness

fingers together and looked at me intently. Her voice was firm and

realized she didn't expect me to explain right away. I couldn't anyway. Maybe it was the intensity of her gaze. But I watched keenly, waiting

I go on dates with you? Probably share a roof with you as well... Marry you again to make

everything I do, right down to the way I breathe around you, is wrong. I just want that to stop. As for my friends.. Don't you have any friends, Arielle? Come on.. Not everyone in my life is damned

Arielle. I know you don't think I can handle any of this. But I promise... I'll never make the same mistakes again. Never," I said with such passion a cleric

kept silent for a while, her face still drawn in straight lines of indifference. "It's not about the past, Jared,"

You claim to love me wit all the conviction in the world, but how come it's so easy for you to make decisions about my own life without even first finding

yours... pretending to get married.. Can you just stop it, already, Jared? You claim you don't want to break any more hearts but you're just so blind to the number of hearts you'd crash with this silly move. Have you thought about her family? How they'd react to learning that the marriage of their only daughter is all a sham.. And have you considered your mother? Aren't you tired of disappointing her with these

least not a in the way that I'd meant for her to listen and understand. All she could do was find the faults and it ate up my sense of reason. I could feel

on the desk. "But that's not your problem! That's

come back to me. That's all that matters. Everything else is secondary. I can fix

you over and over. I let you and Sofia clinch every bit of my patience like it belonged to

speak too," she said and paused. I looked away

my patience on countless occasions, all for a sliver of hope. Now, I have Maverick. I'm responsible for my son's life. I can't risk doing

is my son too! I would never let him get hurt," I implored

exactly why we're