Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

Briony bent down and zipped up the little yellow duck backpack. "From the kids' perspective, of course I want them to have both their parents. If Stewart truly cherishes them, he'll take care of himself."

She looked up at James, her voice soft, her tone calm. "I've never thought I mattered much to Stewart. Maybe we shared five years as husband and wife, but it was never love. Stewart never loved me, and I'll never love him again."

James watched her, his hand tightening at his side.

He pressed his lips together, wrestling with himself.

He wanted to say, Bryn, you're wrong. Stewart might love you more than you know. He's probably still hopelessly in love with you.

But how could he say that? To confess the feelings of his rival in love? Even if James couldn't fight and claw for her, he certainly couldn't step aside and play matchmaker for Stewart.

So he let it go. If he could be her knight, standing quietly at her side for the rest of his life—even if only as family—that would be enough.

...

Briony and James came downstairs together.

"Is there enough room for the car seats?" Briony asked, glancing at Stewart.

"I installed an extra one before I came," Stewart replied, meeting her eyes. "I'll take good care of them. Both of them."

It was a promise, spoken as a father to the mother of his children.

Briony simply nodded, then stepped over to say goodbye to the kids.

James loaded Little Nina's suitcase into the trunk.

children into their car seats, making

inside the car, their

heart caught in

Briony one last look, his lips pressed tight.

look at

gaze, climbed into the car, and shut the

turned around, and pulled

watching the taillights disappear into the darkness before she finally closed her eyes, took a

watched her, worry etched on his face.

gently. "I'll have to get used to it." Just two days ago, she'd quietly made an appointment with a therapist. She'd talked about so

"If you're here just for yourself, then let me say this: Girl, in this world no

then I have to tell you-learn to find peace within yourself. No one else can do that for you. It's a journey every mother has to take

will get hurt. These days, I keep dreaming something bad happens to them at my ex-husband's house. Is there something wrong with

ball into her

then did Briony notice the deep crescent marks her nails had left in her skin. Just thinking about those dreams had pushed her right to the edge

squeezed the stress ball, the therapist's gentle voice echoing in her

the moment your children were born, it was always inevitable they'd leave your world someday. Every day they grow is just one step closer to that. A mother's only feal job

if you peel all that away, maybe it's just our own need for connection and

You're a mother,

but don't make

Don't treat them as your entire world. You need to learn to