Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

"Bryn, please—don't cry, I..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Briony looked at him, her voice trembling. "Stewart, this is my life. I don't need you to save me like this."

A sharp pain twisted in Stewart's chest.

"Bryn, the only thing that matters is that you're alive."

He reached out, wanting to wipe away her tears, but Briony stepped back and stood up, just out of reach.

She brushed the tears from her face, her voice icy. "You traded ten years of marriage to save my life, Stewart. Do you really think that makes you some kind of hero?"

Stewart's breath caught. "I didn't think about any of that. In that moment, all I wanted was for you to survive. Bryn, everything else pales in comparison to you being alive..."

Briony stared at him, eyes shining with tears.

out a brittle laugh and nodded. "You're

overthink this. You have to live. Our kids

what Xenia Cooper says. The deal was between me and her—it has nothing to do with you. I didn't tell you beforehand, because this was my choice. Even now, if

she gazed at him, silent tears streaming

used the children as an excuse, never once

After everything they'd been through, if she still doubted Stewart's feelings for

couldn't bear the

had spiraled far beyond that... Love tangled up with a debt

if you say it,

for the kids, then that's what I'll believe. If you say I don't owe you anything, then I'll accept

as though an invisible hand was squeezing

won't be a room for you at Pearbrook Mansion. If you want to see the kids, let me know ahead of time and I'll arrange it—or you can send someone to pick

spoke, the colder her words became, but her

couldn't hold himself back any longer. He stepped forward and pulled her

buried her face in his