Too Late For Regret, Mr. Sterling

About this story

Synopsis

For three years, Arden endured a cold, loveless marriage with Julian Sterling, punished daily for a paparazzi trap she never planned. On the night of their third anniversary, she saw the trending news. Julian was photographed tenderly shielding his mistress, Sloane, from the rain. He had bought Sloane a breathtaking diamond necklace, while sending his assistant to hand Arden a cheap, tacky replica as an afterthought. The humiliation got worse the next morning when Julian hijacked Arden's work project, making Sloane the guest of honor at an exhibition Arden had spent six months planning. When Arden confronted him, he shielded his weeping mistress and delivered the ultimate insult. "Sloane will be the highlight of the evening. She'll be wearing The Midnight Gala." That legendary sapphire heirloom was strictly reserved for the wife of the Sterling family. When a heartbroken Arden calmly handed him a signed divorce agreement, giving up her rights to every single penny, Julian completely lost his mind. He dragged her up the stairs by her wrist, threw her onto the bed, and violently pinned her down, snarling that his family only had widows, not ex-wives. Arden couldn't understand it. He despised her, treated her like a scheming gold-digger, and gave all his love to another woman. So why did he go completely insane and refuse to let go when she finally stepped aside? After slapping him hard across the face to snap him out of his violent frenzy, Arden watched him flee the room in horror. She calmly pulled out her old suitcase and packed her encrypted laptop—the secret vault of her true identity as the famous anonymous designer, 'Elinor'. Leaving the grand estate behind in the pouring rain, Arden chose to finally reclaim her life.