MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE
Of a fight and bitter truth.

(ARIELLE'S POV)

Jared seemed like a wild beast that had lost its sanity. His kisses were without any pattern, seemingly driven only by animal instinct.

"Ja... Jared..." I gasped, barely able to catch my breath.

I pushed against him with every ounce of strength, but it was useless. Instead, I tore his suit jacket in the process. The fire in his eyes only grew more intense, and in one swift motion, he shoved me down onto the sofa, pinning me beneath him. We had kissed before, shared a bed, but I had never seen him like this. Mad. Wild. Like a beast baring its teeth. I had always thought of him as powerful but harmless, but now, fear crept up my spine.

His kisses moved lower, his mouth hot against my skin. A sharp, searing pain shot through my collarbone.

Instantly, clarity returned to my mind, and I found my voice again. My hands shot to his chest, and I shoved with all my might, finally creating enough space to push him away.

"Jared, sober up!" I cried, my voice trembling with a mix of fury and panic.

"It's because I'm too sober that I've been holding back from going to you!"

My face burned with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Jared didn't move. Half of his body weight was still crushing me, and there was no way I could escape unless he let go. The difference in our strength was overwhelming. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

"What do you want, Jared? To rape me? What's the difference between you and the man in my office?"

The word "rape" hit the air like a knife, and the moment it left my lips, Jared froze. His entire body went rigid, his eyes wide with disbelief. His face drained of color as the weight of my words settled over him, and for a brief moment, he looked like I had just slapped him. "I'm sorry, Ari... I—" he stammered, but I wasn't having it.

I pushed him off and sat up, trying to regain my composure as I fumbled with my shirt buttons. My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't even get them to cooperate.

Jared's face twisted in annoyance, and he reached for me. "Let me help you..."

"No!" I jerked away from him.

Jared's hand stiffened in mid-air. "Did I really scare you? I'm sorry. I... I was a little out of control today."

I quickly finished buttoning my shirt, then wrapped myself tightly in my coat. "I'm leaving."

"No, don't-" He moved toward me, voice low with desperation. "It's... it's cold outside. Let me go get some air. You should rest. I still have things I need to ask you."

"Ask me what?" I turned on him, seething with rage. "You want to know about Dwayne? I met him in Italy. We've been friends ever since. That's it. I didn't know anything about his past or his connection to you until last night."

The truth. Simple, honest, and clear. But it didn't seem to satisfy him. His eyes narrowed, suspicion written all over his face.

"Yeah, right. You expect me to

believe there's nothing more to it!" His voice was accusing, and it sent shivers down spine. "He's a 'friend'? A pure friend, or more of a 'friend with benefits'? I had a fight with him last night, and that man is

no

dangerous, Arielle. Don't you get it? He's after you for some reason and-"

"Enough!" I barked, my patience snapping. "I don't want to hear it. You're no better, Jared. We're already divorced. I've rejected you, time and time again. But now you think you have the right to doubt me? Who the hell do you think you are?" The words were coming out too fast, my anger mixing with hurt, betrayal, exhaustion. I stepped closer to him, closing the space I had kept between us. My eyes burned with fury.

"Not everyone's friendships are as filthy as the one you had with your 'best friend," I hissed, ensuring I stressed the last word. "And by the way, I'm divorced, in case that has skipped your memory. That means I'm single, Jared. It's my business who I'm involved with now. Not yours!"

As I spoke, I could feel my body literally trembling with rage. The nerve of him-after everything, after everything he did, now he had the audacity to judge me?

His face turned pale white, but he didn't back down. Instead, he took a step closer to me, his eyes flashing with anger as well.

"It's no fun for you to keep holding on to the past, you know that right? You said you had let go of the past, but that was actually a lie, isn't it? You just couldn't forgive me, so I deserve to remain a sinner for the rest of my life, right?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was he seriously trying to make me the bad guy here?

Is it that easy to just forget and sweep all the pains he caused me under the carpet and forge ahead like nothing happened?

This confrontation made me sick as it felt like I was reliving the worst moments of our marriage all over again.

"How dare you!" I shouted. "You have no right to talk to me like that. You're the one who cheated on me, you broke my trust! And now you're accusing me of holding on to the past?"

"I'm saying you're still stuck up in the

past, Arielle, and trust me, it's not healthy! You keep blaming me for everything that went wrong in our marriage, despite how hard I have tried to show how sorry I am in both words and actions. You just don't see, do you? I'm tired of being the scapegoat. I'm tired of being the

villain!"

"Are you serious? Forgiveness doesn't work like that. You think it's just supposed to happen overnight? If we switched places and you had to relive everything I went through, maybe you'd finally understand how deep the wounds you caused run!"

"I've said I'm sorry for hurting you in

the past, and I'll keep saying it. But I'm more sorry that you're still

holding on to that bitterness. I'm et

sorry you can't-no, won't-move on from the past. Don't you feel

weighed down by the grudge you've

carried all these years?"

I paused, blinking repeatedly as his words hit me hard. His words hurt more than I wanted to admit, and it suddenly felt like the room was congested, his words were taking up all the space and filling in my lungs. "That's it, Jared." My voice trembled with a cold fury I could barely control. "I'm done with you. I'm done with this whole conversation. Go to hell."

I turned on my heel, barely registering the sting of my own words, and rushed out.