Dear Ex Wife Please take me back

ATHENA

We're standing by the SUV, the chill of the parking lot wrapping around us as I try to steady my breathing. My heart is still racing from the awkwardness with Alex and Rayen, and honestly, I'm more than ready to put some distance between myself and the whole embarrassing scene. But Isabelle isn't letting me off the hook.

"You'll be forgiven as soon as you tell me what the hell is going on between you two."

I glance over at her, my hands fidgeting with the strap of my purse. How do I even begin?

"What do you mean?" I try to play it off, but I know she can see right through me.

She doesn't say anything at first. She just raises an eyebrow, like I'm the most obvious person in the world. Isabelle isn't dumb, and she's no stranger to uncomfortable situations.

"I mean," she leans against the SUV, crossing her arms, "you two obviously have some history. And you don't go from being... whatever that was just now, to not having some serious unresolved stuff going on."

I sigh, glancing around the lot like the cars will suddenly offer me an escape. The truth is, I've been running from it for so long, but with Isabelle here, suddenly, it feels like talking about it is not such a bad idea.

Isabelle sighs, "He's not really insane is he?"

I laugh.

"Oh he is insane alright."

She gives me an Hmmm sound.

"You guys broke up?" She grabs a bottle of water while waiting for me to respond.

"Divorced." Is all I say making her choke

Finally, I gather the strength to speak.

"I'm sure you've heard about the contract marriage stuff, right?" I start, my voice soft. Isabelle's eyes widen in surprise, and she nods.

"Yeah, though only in Kdramas, to be honest. What? Were you guys married for some business reason?" she asks, still trying to piece it together.

I nod slowly, my chest tightening as I remember the beginning of all of this.

"That's how it started, yeah. Alex and I... we weren't exactly in love. I mean, I loved him, and he loves someone else. But his family didn't accept her, so he ended up marrying me."

I explain everything to her, and honestly, the more I speak, the lighter my chest feels. Like I've been carrying a burden for years.

Isabelle's face softens with understanding, and I can see the gears turning in her head as she processes everything. "I didn't know. I had no idea."

I nod, swallowing hard. "Yeah, only the family knows. And after everything that happened... I'm so glad it was a secret."

Isabelle's expression softens further. "That's... that's a lot to go through, Athena. I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that."

I give her a small smile, grateful for her empathy. Isabelle steps closer to me, placing a hand on my arm. "I'm not saying you need to figure it aft out right now. But you do need to take care of yourself. Whatever happens with him, whether it's fixing things or walking away, you deserve to be okay. You deserve to feel... whole again."

I nod, feeling the weight of her words settle on my shoulders. "I don't know if I'll ever be okay with everything. But I'm trying to figure it out. One step at a time."

Isabelle gives me a knowing smile. "You'll get there, Athena. And in the meantime, I'm here. For whatever you need. You know that, right?"

I smile back, this time more genuinely. "I know. Thank you, Isabelle. I'm really lucky to have you around."

She pats my arm before grabbing

the car door handle. "Alright, let's get out of here before you and Mr. Hot & and cold over there start getting all weird again." She winks at me, and for the first time today, I laugh.

"Sounds like a good plan," I agree, my heart a little lighter as we get in the car.

"I have nothing to wear!" I protest."

Sloane was furious that I left her behind to deal with her infuriating cousin and is forcing me to escort her to one of those dinners.

The rich kind.

The ones I hate.

"You girls won't make me go alone. We are going together! And besides, I hear there will be a team of new doctors that have been transferred to your hospital."

"What?" Isabelle and I say at the same time, shocked that we know nothing about this, yet Sloane somehow knows.

"Yep. I hear there is some drugnoveldrama

they've been searching for but haven't been able to find, so they'll need

d to restart the process while they continue to look, so they need extra doctors."

My heart stops beating.

Are they looking for the drug my parents left for me?