Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband

(Winona)

The sound of soft-soled shoes against the hospital floor makes me glance up from my laptop. I know those footfalls anywhere.novelbin

Gus's towering frame fills the doorway, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of a sleek black coat.

He looks sharp considering his months in confinement, but the time has carved deeper lines into his face. His presence still carries that unmistakable air of control, like he's never stopped being the man who built Nexus Global from the ground up. Or the man who is capable of almost anything if he sets his mind to it

"Gus," I say, closing the laptop and setting it aside. "It's so good to see you." We've always shared a close friendship. I trust Gus where I couldn't trust many others. I know he has my back.

He steps inside, glancing around the sterile room. "You're looking well, Winona. Jayden told me you'd be going home soon."

"I am," I reply. "A few more days here, then I'm free. Physically, I'm fine. Just have to finish healing from the fall and the... surgery." I leave it at that. No point dwelling on it, not now.

Gus nods. "Good. You'll get through this and thrive. Winona, you're one of the strongest people I've ever known. That includes Judy."

I raise an eyebrow. "Flattery from Gus Brennan? Should I be concerned?"

"Indulge my weakness of expressing feelings just for a moment longer. I never wanted any of this for you, or for Jayden. Back then I thought I was being the smart one. That I knew it all. It was about winning. Winning with Global, winning over Judy, winning against the bad guys of the world."

I take in his words. I believe him but it's hard to forgive something so awful as the things Jayden went through with his parents and Greg Brennan.

"I'm not looking for forgiveness, Winona, not from anyone. Because no amount of forgiveness from you all matters when I know I can never forgive myself for the decisions that not only affected my only son but his family and friends. But what I want to do is just be there for the kids and do the right thing now, as a grandfather, and as a person."

He pulls a chair closer to the bed and sits down. "I hope you can allow me that and if you can't, I do understand."

"It's hard to allow that," I admit. "But I have no problem with you being a grandfather to our kids. But being present is the key factor here. Don't start what you can't finish. It's been hard enough on Abby losing Grandma Judy. But it will be even harder when she's older and begins to see the person Judy chose to be."

"I understand. I'd like to be there to help navigate those waters."

"Will you have time? I know you better than to think you're taking a nine to five job now."

He leans back in the chair, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll make time for family. I've learned that lesson."

Family. The word lingers in the air between us, heavy with everything unsaid. "What about you? Your life is very different now... Are you and Jayden solid?"

I decide to let the last part go. I'm not discussing with Gus what I've barely discussed with my husband, "I've been thinking about the future,"

say. "I'm keen to get started on this new business with the financial app Lance left me. It's already clocking a billion in revenue and there's a lot of improvements to be made from a marketing point of view."

Gus nods. "Smart move. If you need any networking referrals, let me know."

"Thanks, but I want to handle this on my own," I reply firmly. "This is something I need to prove to myself I can do."

He studies me for a moment, then inclines his head. "Fair enough. But the offer stands. Don't use work to ignore what's inside you though. Take it from me, it always comes back to haunt you."

There's a pause, a rare moment of calm. I glance at him, hesitant but curious. "Gus... how are you doing? With everything that's happened with Judy being shot like that? It can't be easy for you."

His expression shifts slightly, a flicker of something-regret? Nostalgia?-crossing his face. He exhales.

"It rocked me," he admits, his voice

quieter than I've ever heard it. "It was unexpected, how it all went down. Judy and... we had a complicated relationship, as you know. There were things about her I loved, things I admired. And there were things I couldn't stand. Things that killed us in the end."

I nod, letting him speak.

"We were tied together for a long time, in ways most people wouldn't understand. She was a constant in my life, even when we weren't... together." He pauses, glancing at me.

"But I'd already started moving on

before she died. Maria was visiting

me in prison. We connected. She

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shone a light on what life could be like without Judy's shadow looming over everything. Fate has taken the shadow of Judy and her

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manipulations away. For me, and for

you."

"And now?" I ask gently.

He sits up straight, his gaze steady. "Now, on a personal note, I'm okay. Not having Judy around is... freeing."

Freeing. That's a good word for it. I've struggled to understand exactly how I feel mixed in with the empathy I feel for Jayden and every other emotion on earth tangled around my decisions on hall pass week and everything since.

It's been tough. It's been destroying. It's been traumatic. For all of us.

Gus continues, "but it's also changed my life in ways I'm still figuring out. There are things about Judy I'll miss her brilliance, her fire, her passion. But there's a lot I won't miss."

I reach out and squeeze his hand. "I understand. I truly do. For what it's worth, you are the one who's helped me most with understanding Judy. When you came into Brennan Industries like a wildfire, I think we all knew life was about to change." "Not all for the better."

"No, we've had some terrible losses and some wonderful gains. I'd like to start with a clean slate. Start over." I really mean that. I can't let the past override the future.

Otherwise, Judy is controlling us from the grave.

"I'd like that too. But life without Judy will certainly be different."