Chapter 17
Everything was finally starting to make sense
again.
The company was steady. The board
accepted my leadership. The business was
climbing back on its feet after everything that
had tried to tear it down–after everyone who
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tried to tear me down.
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I should have been proud. I should have been
relieved.
And in some ways, I was.
But in others…, my heart still carried bruises,
reminders of betrayals and abandonment.
Still, I held my head high and focused on
what mattered–my work, my father, and
Mateo.
had just stepped into the elevator, on my
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
way to visit Dad at the hospital, when I heard
shouting echoing from the lobby.
It was frantic. Angry. Desperate.
And then I heard my name.
“TRINA!”
My chest tightened. I knew that voice.
The elevator doors slid open and I stepped
into a storm of chaos.
་་
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
There he was.
Jackson.
The man I had banned from this building. The
same man who let another woman steal my
daughter, my dignity, and the years I
sacrificed for him.
He was wild–eyed, shoving past guards who
were trying to hold him back.
“I said get out!” one of the security staff
yelled, but Jackson didn’t care.
Let’s Divorce, My Husband
All he saw was me.
“Trina–please!” he cried out, running toward
me like a man possessed.
Before I could react, his arms were around
- me.
And for a second–just one split second–l
froze.
Then rage flooded in.
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I shoved him off me with every ounce of
strength I had and slapped him so hard the
entire lobby went silent.
He stumbled back, stunned.
“What the hell are you doing here?!” I
screamed, my voice shaking with fury and
disbelief.
He stared at me, lips trembling. “I needed to
see you. I needed to tell you–I was wrong, Trina. About everything.”
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“I don’t care,” I spat. “You don’t get to need
me now. You don’t get to scream my name in
my company like some deranged man. You
don’t get to touch me–ever again.”
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“I didn’t know,” he said, dropping to his knees
right there on the marble floor. “I didn’t know
what Donna was doing. I believed her lies. I
hurt you, I know that now. But Trina, please—l
regret it. I regret everything.”
I glanced around. Staff and employees were
frozen, watching. Phones were recording. A
DeVere scandal waiting to go viral.
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“You regret it now?” I whispered. “Now that
I’ve moved on? Now that I’ve rebuilt
everything you shattered?”
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He reached for my hand, but I yanked it away.
“I thought you were gone forever,” he choked. “And then I saw you again, and I realized–l
never stopped loving you.”
“Don’t,” I snapped. “Don’t say that word. You
don’t get to use it.”
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
Just then, a familiar scent reached me before
a familiar voice did.
“What the hell is going on?”
I turned, and there he was–Mateo.
His eyes zeroed in on Jackson. “Get your
hands off her.”
Jackson stood up slowly, wiping his face as
his expression turned cold. “And who the hell
are you supposed to be? Mateo Smith?
You’re just―”
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
Mateo stepped forward. “I’m the man who’s
going to marry her. The man who stayed
when you threw her away.”
Jackson scoffed. “You? You think she
actually loves you?”
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“More than she ever could love a coward like
you.”
Before I could speak, Jackson lunged.
And suddenly fists were flying. Screams filled
the lobby. The guards tried to intervene but
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
were too slow.
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Jackson landed a punch across Mateo’s jaw.
Mateo retaliated with a brutal jab to Jackson’s
ribs.
“Stop it! Stop–please!” I yelled, trying to
wedge myself between them.
But I wasn’t fast enough.
Someone’s elbow–Jackson’s, maybe—
slammed against my shoulder, and I lost my
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
footing. The pain shot through me like
lightning.
I stumbled back.
The room tilted.
Then everything went black.
I stirred, groaning as a deep ache throbbed at
the side of my head. My eyelids fluttered
open, greeted by pale white walls and the
beeping of machines. For a brief second, I
didn’t know where I was.
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Then the pain reminded me.
The company lobby. Jackson. The fight. The
fall.
“You’re awake.” Mateo’s voice pulled me out
of the fog.
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I turned my head slowly and saw him sitting
beside my bed, a cut on his lip, bruises on his
knuckles. My father was on the other side, his
weathered face heavy with worry and
concern.
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“Dad… Mateo…” My voice was hoarse, dry like
sandpaper.
“You’re in the hospital,” my father said gently,
brushing a hand over my hair. “You passed
out. Hit your head during that fight.”
I winced. “How bad?”
Mateo hesitated before answering. “You
needed stitches. Eight of them. Doctor said
you were lucky it wasn’t worse.”
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
My chest tightened. “Jackson…”
“You don’t have to worry about him,” Mateo
said firmly, reaching for my hand. “I had him
escorted out. He’s banned from the building,
and I’m tightening security.”
I exhaled, but a lump of fear was still stuck in
my throat. “He’s going to ruin everything. I
know him–he won’t stop.”
“I will,” Mateo said softly but fiercely. “I won’t
let anyone touch you again. Not him. Not
Donna. No one.”
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My father gave my hand a squeeze. “He’s
right. You’re not alone anymore.”
The warmth of their presence soothed me. I
let myself close my eyes for a moment,
exhaustion dragging me under again.
“You need to rest,” Mateo whispered,
brushing his lips against my forehead. “I’ll be
right here.”
And with that promise, I let go and drifted into
sleep.
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Let’s Divorce, My Husband
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep.
All I knew was I couldn’t breathe.
Something was wrapped around my neck.
Tight.
Choking.
I gasped, eyes flying open–and there she
was.
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“Donna?” I wheezed, horror ripping through
- me.
