𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

I had been sitting in this conference room for at least four hours. The meeting dragged on longer than I expected, the air in the conference room growing thick with tension as the clock ticked past noon. My head felt heavy as I sat at the head of the long mahogany table, surrounded by both my team and Chris's from Brown Entertainment Enterprises. I could sense that everyone was exhausted, the excitement of the ten-million-dollar deal slowly giving way to impatience as the final logistics were hashed out. Chris sat directly across from me, his sharp eyes scanning the room with the same intensity I had come to know so well during our years of marriage.

"Let's wrap this up," Chris finally said, breaking the silence that had settled over the room. His voice was calm, composed, a stark contrast to the palpable fatigue in the room. The two legal teams exchanged glances, nodding as they prepared to finalize the contracts. A sigh of relief swept through me.

"Agreed," I said, forcing a smile as I straightened in my chair. "We've gone over everything thoroughly. Let's get the signatures, and we can call it a day."

The next fifteen minutes felt like a slow crawl to the finish line, papers shuffling, pens scratching across documents, and murmured exchanges about final details. When the last signature was placed, I felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me. This deal had been months in the making, and while I was relieved, I was also exhausted.

"Well," I said, standing up as I addressed the room, "thank you all for your hard work. We'll reconvene next week to discuss the rollout plan."

I offered polite nods to the team from Brown Entertainment and exchanged brief pleasantries as people began to file out of the room. Chris lingered, as he often did, his eyes following me as I moved towards the door. I didn't meet his gaze as I made my way back to my office, mentally going over my schedule for the rest of the day. I had back-to-back meetings, reports to review, and God knows what else, but at that moment, I just wanted to sit down and breathe.

Finally alone in my office, I collapsed into my chair, closing my eyes for a brief second. The weight of the day pressed down on my shoulders. I reached for my tablet, scrolling through the endless list of tasks, wondering how in the world I was going to make it through the rest of the day.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I pressed the small silver button on my desk, and the door slid open with a soft click. I glanced up, half-expecting to see London, my assistant, but instead, it was Chris. He stood in the doorway, tall and familiar, with that ever-present calmness that I had come to know both intimately and distantly.

"Chris," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He shook his head slightly, stepping into the room. "No," he said, his voice softer than it had been in the meeting. "I just wanted to check in."

I looked at him, studying his face for a moment. There was something about the way he looked at me now, like there was some invisible wall that had been broken down since our divorce. It had been four years, but in many ways, it felt like a lifetime ago. I didn't like the fact that it was easier for him to talk to me now that we are divorced. I just gave him a look of disbelief.

"How are the boys?" he asked after a beat, changing the subject.

"They're with my father today," I said, smiling a little at the thought of them. "They've been begging me to let them stay with him all week."

He nodded. "I was thinking of taking them to the pumpkin patch."

"They'd love that," I said, meeting his gaze. "I'll let them know."

Before the conversation could drift any further, there was another knock on the door. I pressed the button again, and this time, London entered the room, carrying a massive floral arrangement that nearly obscured her face. She moved gracefully, placing the various arrangements around the room before setting a particularly stunning bouquet on my desk. A delicate card was tucked into the blooms, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw it.