Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband

(Winona)

Dr. Harris's words hang in the air long after she leaves. Recovery is a process... it's okay to take things slow.

Slow.

It's all anyone keeps saying. But slow isn't in my nature. Slow doesn't keep the thoughts at bay, the quiet moments where I can't escape the emptiness.

I stare at the ceiling, my fingers making light circles on my abdomen again. I pull them back. It's a cruel reflex-reaching for something that isn't there anymore.

The door clicks open, and Lisa steps in, her expression softer than usual. "Hey, warrior queen. The nurse said you were ready for some company."

"Hey," I say, trying to summon a smile. "I sure am. I need some non-medical talk for a while."

Lisa pulls up a chair beside my bed and crosses her legs.

She studies me for a moment before speaking. "You look like shit, but like... badass shit. Like you survived a car crash and are about to storm into a boardroom meeting."

I huff out a small laugh. "Your bedside manner could use some work."

"Honesty is my brand," she says with a shrug. "I'm not paid to be nice to you."

"I feel like shit, to be honest. Like I've been through the meat grinder."

I shift slightly, wincing as the ache in my body and my injured head reminds me why I'm here. "How are the kids? Jayden said you and Cass were with them?"

"They are great. Anne's got them eating like royalty. Bobby's been doing this big brother protector thing, and Sarah is busy playing schoolteacher to Abby. Even Tornado Henry has been on his best behavior-well, for him anyway. Worried about you, of course." A pang of guilt hits me. "I should be with them."

"You will be," Lisa says firmly. "But not today. Today, you rest."

"I don't feel like resting. I feel like I need to be doing something, anything to... I don't know, get past this."

"You don't have to get past it, Winona. You just have to get through it. That's the only way out of pain-straight through the middle."

I shake my head. "I don't think I have it in me to sit in this pain. I need to keep moving forward, focus on something else."

Lisa studies me for a long moment, then nods. "Fair enough. If that's what you need, then do it. But promise me you won't shut us out while you're doing it."

"I won't," I promise, though I'm not sure how true that is.

She leans back in her chair, her tone lightening. "Good. Because I've got a whole mess of chaos to dump on you as soon as you're up for it. Starting with Lance's charity stuff." "What do you need?"

"The secretary has been breathing down my neck to set up a meeting with the CEO, and I have no clue

what I'm doing. I don't know what to

wear and I'm guessing leading to

my favorite cocktail is a no-no..."

swn@w

A spark of interest flickers in me. "You can be anything you want to be. Set up the meeting for two weeks. I'll come with you."

Lisa blinks, taken aback. "Winona, you just had major surgery. You're in a hospital bed."

"I'll be fine by then," I insist. "If Lance believed you were the person for the job, then you are. But I'll help you get started, walk you through it. You're not doing this alone. I'll mentor you until you're ready."

Her eyes narrow. "You mean that?"

"Yes," I say firmly. "For Lance, and for you. You've got this, Lisa. You're more capable than you give yourself credit for I have the app to work on anyway so networking with his charity staff will benefit me."

"Okay. Deal. But don't think this gets you off the hook for resting. You have to have full clearance from the dc, then I'll set up the meeting."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. Deal."

Lisa smirks, standing up and stretching. "Good. Now, I'm gonna head to the cafeteria and get us some food."

I screw my face up at the thought of food. "And I thought you were my friend..."

She pauses at the door, glancing back at me. "I will threaten you with anything to get you back on your feet, even hospital food."

I grin. "Friends like you, who need enemies?"

"Not something you have to worry about now Judy has gone. Thanks Lance."

"Lisa!"

"I know, I'm bad. So, shoot me for telling the truth... Back soon."

For a moment, the room feels impossibly quiet again. But there's something different now-a tiny, almost imperceptible shift.

Lisa's right. Judy's gone and I can be anything I want to be without fear of her interrupting my life. She overshadowed every decision I made. I think more than I even realized.novelbin

I feel bad for Jayden and the way it happened. But like losing the baby, neither Jayden and I had any control over what Lance chose to do and when he chose to do it.

That was his final parting gift to us both. The one thing that ensured, if we chose too, that we could move forward together, with our family. To finally be free.

Tears build in my eyes. I'll miss Lance so much. I'll never stop thanking him for what he's done for me. I hate seeing Lisa struggling through his loss. I know it's the right thing to do to support her. Somehow this charity will be cathartic for her. I know it. She will see herself the way we see her.

The way Lance saw her.