All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S BIGGEST REGRET: Losing His Plus-size Ex: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

57 Chapters

SHE HAD TO PROTECT HER HEART

Chapter 21The moment Riley stepped out of the studio building and onto the busy city sidewalk, the cool afternoon air hit her face. It felt good against her skin, cutting through the heavy rush of adrenaline. Her chest was still tight, and her hands were shaking slightly from the performance she had just poured her entire soul into.Without even thinking, she found herself walking faster, her feet moving quickly toward the subway station. She couldn't wait to get back to the hospital. She wanted to walk straight into the building, head up to the top floor, and tell Ashton everything. She wanted to tell him how the judges had looked down at her, how she had remembered his words, and how she had completely changed the energy in that room.But as she reached the entrance of the station, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.What the hell is wrong with her? she scolded herself, her cheeks burning with a sudden wave of heat and embarrassment.She tightened her grip on her handbag, f

AND WHAT IS INSIDE?

Chapter 22The train ride back to the hospital gave Riley plenty of time to steel her heart. By the time she stepped out of the elevator onto the pediatric wing, her face was a mask of calm professionalism. She tightly held the two separate bags...the larger one with Iris’s toys, and the small, wrapped box containing the one-hundred-and-fifty-dollar silver tie clip.She walked down the quiet corridor toward Room 402, ready to put her plan into action. She was going to be cold, deliver the gift as a formal thank-you, and draw a sharp, permanent line between them.But when she pushed the door open, the sight inside made her stop dead in her tracks.The words she had prepared died instantly in her throat.Ashton was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. Iris was fast asleep, her small head resting heavily against his broad shoulder, her breathing slow and peaceful. Their fingers were loosely intertwined, her tiny hand completely engulfed by his large, warm palm. Ashton's head was le

SHE HAD SPENT IT ON HIM

Chapter 23"Ummmm... ummm... it's just..." Riley tried to say, but she couldn't help but stutter. Her face burned with an instant, bright flush of red as she felt his heavy gray eyes locking onto her hands.The cold, confident speech she had prepared on the train completely dissolved. Under his intense gaze, she felt like a child caught doing something she shouldn't have. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs as she looked from his face down to the small, dark-wrapped package in her fingers.Before her brain could stop her, she simply thrust her arm forward, holding the small box out toward his chest."I brought it up to you," she said, her voice a little too fast, a little too defensive.Ashton looked down at her outstretched hand, then back up at her, his dark eyebrows rising. He looked completely surprised. He didn't say a word as he slowly reached out and took the small box from her grip. His fingers brushed against hers for a fraction of a second, sending a jolt straight

SPECIALLY PICKED OUT JUST FOR ME

Chapter 24The next morning, Riley woke up early to help Iris wash her face and brush her tangled hair. Then go to the cafeteria to get their food. The premium package Aston had paid for didn't just cover the top-tier room and surgeries...it also included free daily meals for both she and her daughter from the grand ground-floor cafeteria.After getting their meals and feeding her daughter, both mother and daughter decided to watch a movie and do other things as they await her audition call.By noon, the nervousness about her audition results was starting to make her incredibly restless. The casting directors had promised to send the news, but every tick of the wall clock felt like an eternity. To break the agonizing tension, she decided it was time to fetch their lunch.She kissed Iris on the forehead, leaving her happily coloring a picture book, and rode the private elevator down to the cafeteria. She picked up a tray, sliding it along the metal rails as she selected a bowl of wa

STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE IT

Chapter 25Riley stood frozen in the corridor for what felt like ages, the heavy tray still steady in her hands even as her insides turned to jelly. The loud, piercing alarm finally stopped blaring over the speakers, leaving behind a heavy, anxious quiet that stretched down the long hospital hallway.She took a long, shaky breath, trying to push down the wild fluttering in her chest. Every time Ashton got close to her, he managed to throw her completely off balance. The way his eyes had darkened, the deep rumble of his voice when he said the clip was specially picked for him...it was too much. It was dangerous."Get a grip, Riley," she whispered fiercely to herself.She turned away from the heavy double doors where he had disappeared and walked quickly back to Room 402. When she pushed the door open, she forced a bright, cheerful smile onto her face. She couldn't let Iris see how rattled she was."Lunch is served, sweetie," she said, setting the tray down on the overbed table.Iris

WHY IS HE DOING THIS

Chapter 26The next morning arrived with a bright splash of sunlight pouring through the large glass windows of the private suite. Riley was up before the nurses even began their early shift, her heart beating with a frantic, jittery sort of excitement. Today was the day her new life officially began.She washed her face, carefully brushed out her dark hair, and changed into a smart, professional dress she had kept in her small travel bag. She arranged with Nurse Abigail at the front desk to keep a close eye on Iris for a few hours, promising to be back as quickly as possible.The trip downtown to the Media Studios was a complete blur. Walking in, Riley felt incredibly small, but the moment she was ushered into the executive boardroom, her confidence took over. She sat across from the legal team, reading through every line of the massive contract. The terms were real. The advance was real. She signed her maiden name, Riley Reed, in bold, clear ink, feeling a profound wave of relie

THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME

Chapter 27Two full days passed, and Ashton completely vanished from the pediatric wing.It was the longest stretch of time Riley had gone without seeing his face since she had first brought Iris to the clinic. Before the emergency in the hallway, he hadn’t let a single day go by without checking in on them. No matter how buried he was under paperwork, executive meetings, or back-to-back surgeries, he would always find a way to slip into Room 402. Even if it was just for five minutes, he would sit on the edge of the bed, hold Iris’s tiny hand, or draw clumsy, laughing cartoon characters with her until she smiled.But for forty-eight agonizing hours, his side of the hospital wing remained completely dark.Riley kept telling herself she didn't care. Every hour, she repeated her train-ride vow like a silent chant, reminding her heart that his total absence was exactly what she had asked for. It made things simpler. It kept her boundaries completely intact and her emotions safe from g

I NEED YOU TO BE IN YOUR ABSOLUTE BEST STATE, DR. CLOVE

Chapter 28Riley waited outside the door, her heart beating hard against her ribs. The silence from inside the office was deafening. When no answer came, she swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly turned the brass handle. The door creaked open, and she stepped into the room.The office was dark. The heavy blinds were drawn tightly against the afternoon sun, leaving the vast space in deep, gray shadows. The air smelled faintly of stale, cold coffee and old paper.Ashton was sitting on the edge of his large leather sofa in the far corner. His tailored suit jacket was discarded on the floor, his silk tie untied and draped loosely on his desk, and the first few buttons of his crisp white shirt were pulled open. His elbows rested on his knees, and his fingers were buried deep in his messy hair. He looked completely unraveled...a far cry from the untouchable billionaire surgeon he usually was.As the door clicked shut, he slowly lifted his head. His sharp jawline was covered in a ro

JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU

Chapter 29Just as the warmth of his breath brushed against her skin, the spell snapped.The panic of how much she actually cared hit Riley like a wave of ice-cold water. Her eyes widened, and before his lips could make contact with hers, she placed both of her palms flat against his broad, firm chest. With every ounce of strength she had left in her trembling arms, she pushed herself backward, tearing away from him.Her chest heaved as she stumbled back a couple of steps, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. She used her anger like a shield, her voice coming out in a sharp, breathless panic. "Don't. I came up here to talk about Iris. Not to do... whatever this is."Ashton was left standing in the center of the dark office, his arms slightly extended where she had just been. He looked breathless, completely stunned, with the distinct red mark of her fingers still vivid against the rough stubble on his cheek. The raw, consuming heat in his eyes didn't vanish, but he slowly

YOU CAN LEAVE

Chapter 30The words on the screen didn't make sense at first. Riley stared at her phone, her fingers tightening around the edges as her breath hitched in her throat.Right there on the main entertainment page, a massive headline stared back at her:*BILLIONAIRE DECEIVED TO FATHER SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER BY EX-WIFE*Directly beneath it, another site had already picked up the story with a different caption:*BILLIONAIRE DECEITFUL WIFE CAUGHT: THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND FREDRICK WELLSPRING MARRIAGE*Riley’s hands began to shake violently. She couldn't breathe. Her thumb trembled so much she could barely click on the link to read the full article. There was a video attached—an exclusive interview with Fredrick sitting in a studio looking like a wronged, heartbroken victim—but she couldn't bring herself to press play. Instead, she forced herself to read the text first.The article called her all sorts of horrible names. It painted her as a calculated gold-digger who had trapped a wealthy heir

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