The Billionaire's Regret: Trading the CEO for a Cowboy

The divorce papers slap against my chest.

Sign them. Now. She's waiting.

...

I don't scream.

I snatch the pen.

The ink stains the paper as I sign my name without a single hesitation.

Silas freezes.

The burning ash from his cigarette falls onto his hand.

He doesn't even flinch.

His smirk twitches into confusion.

He leans over the table.

"Why so obedient this time?"

"Did you finally realize the crazy wife act is a total failure?"

"Is this a new routine to get my attention?"

I claw the diamond ring off my left hand.

It leaves a red mark on my skin.

I slam the metal onto the glass table.

It spins.

It wobbles.

It falls dead between us.

I look him dead in the eye.

"No routine."

"I just don't want your trash in my life anymore."

Chapter 1

Silence stretched between us. Thick. Suffocating.

Silas crushed his cigarette into the ashtray. He leaned back against the wall, his posture languid but dominating. "Actually, there isn't that much of a rush. It's just that Eden's career is taking off right now. You constantly harassing her it's really annoying."

I didn't answer.

I focused on the paper in front of me. Stroke by stroke. I signed my name on the divorce agreement. Only then did I look up. "Don't worry. It won't happen again."

Silas stiffened. A shadow crossed his face, as if he couldn't process the lack of drama. After a moment, he straightened up. A trace of barely detectable irritation surfaced in his voice. "Good. It better not. Otherwise you know the consequences."

My body betrayed me.

A sharp tremor seized my limbs. My throat constricted, blocking the air, a physical reflex to the psychological blow.

The last time he forced me into this corner, I had shattered.

I had lost my mind and leaked the explicit photos Eden sent to provoke me. Silas didn't hesitate. He sued me for defamation. Then came the fans. They doxxed me. Ripped my privacy to shreds. Forced me to apologize publicly like a puppet on a string.

I remembered the courtroom. The verdict in his favor.

Silas had stood there, watching me unravel with total detachment. He had raised a brow, his voice smooth and cruel. "Wife, are you satisfied with this result?"

It was strange. Back then, the pain had been visceral. A tearing in my chest. A crushing weight on my lungs.

But now?

Nothing.

My pulse didn't race. My heart felt hollowed out, left with nothing but a cold, biting irony.

I picked up my suitcase and walked out the door. Outside, I looked down at the plane ticket in my hand.

The realization washed over me, slow and final.

I had finally let go of the love that had destroyed me.

Chapter 2

The giant LED screen lit up the plaza.

Eden was endorsing a luxury lipstick, smiling with blinding confidence. That face merged perfectly with the memory of the girl who used to claw at me with wild provocation.

Silas was right about one thing. Eden's career was skyrocketing.

The explicit photos hadn't destroyed her. Instead, her "own it" attitude had fans worshipping her as some kind of "Independent Queen" or "Girl Boss."

But I hadn't found out about the affair by accident. I found out because Eden wanted me to.

Back then, I had turned the entire Jiang mansion upside down. I made sure everyone knew the ugly truth about Silas. During that time, all the wealthy wives tried to talk me down.

"Be generous."

"Compromise."

But I hated him. I hated Silas for betraying me. I hated that he turned me into a hysterical lunatic while he lived his best life with his mistress.

I wouldn't accept it. I wouldn't compromise.

Then came the paparazzi photos. The hotel room. It blew up. To save Eden's future and reputation, Silas made a decision. He went public.

The headlines were full of it: The Billionaire Heir and the Actress. A true love story.

It broke me.

Provoked to the brink of madness, I stormed into Silas's office, screaming, losing every ounce of dignity I had left. Suppressing his temper, he shielded Eden, ushering her out first.

That protection was the final straw.

My hand closed around the heavy crystal ashtray. I swung it.

A dull thud echoed in the room. Blood instantly gushed down his forehead, dark and warm. I screamed that he was trash. That he belonged in the gutter.

Silas didn't flinch. He wiped the blood from his eye, his expression terrifyingly cold. "Yes! I am trash. I cheated. If you can't handle it, then divorce me!"

The air left the room. We both froze. But I broke the silence first.

My voice was unrecognizable. Shredded. Hysterical. "Why should I divorce you?! Why should I give you and that bitch a happy ending?! Silas, you deserve to carry the brand of a cheater and a homewrecker for the rest of your miserable life!"

We parted on bad terms. After that, he didn't even come home.

The only way I knew where he was? Eden's Instagram posts. Detailed updates of their love life.

I snapped. I decided to burn it all down. Scorched earth. Total destruction.

I posted our marriage certificate online. I captioned it with the truth about their affair.

But before it could trend, Silas struck back. He moved faster than I could have imagined.

He paid a high price to buy off Dr. Radcliffe, my mother's specialist abroad. He held her treatment hostage. Then he gave me an ultimatum: Clarify that the certificate was fake.

The moment I heard the news, my world stopped. The blood drained from my face, leaving me lightheaded and cold. My vision blurred.

I stood there, frozen in absolute shock.

I was so numb, I didn't even notice the provocative look of triumph on Eden's face.

Chapter 3

My voice tore from my throat, raw and shredded. "Silas, you know she can't wait! You know her condition is critical! You know this will kill her! How can you be so heartless?"

Silas didn't flinch. He sat there, utterly detached, smoke curling from his lips in a lazy gray ribbon.

I collapsed onto the sofa. My legs gave out. My energy evaporated.

Only then did he crush the cigarette into the ashtray. He looked at me, his gaze heavy and cold. "Wife, don't expect any mercy from me. Go fix it. Clarify the rumors. Don't ruin her."

The air vanished from the room.

My chest caved in.

A physical weight crushed my lungs, grinding my ribs together. I gasped, mouth open, struggling for oxygen like a fish thrown onto the dry, burning sand.

Suffocating.

Dying.

I looked at him, but the man I once loved was gone.

That was the moment. The snap. The end.

I decided to kill the love I had for him.

But the humiliation had only just begun. Mom couldn't wait. The treatment was her lifeline. I had no leverage. I had to kneel.

I went online. I typed the words.

The marriage certificate is fake. I forged it. Im just a jealous, delusional ex-girlfriend.

To this day, the comment section is still a cesspool.

"Grandma, you desperate for dick or what?!"

"Psycho. You dare spread rumors about my goddess? You have absolutely no shame."

"Someone needs to slap her awake. Seriously."

"Crowdfund a slap? I'll chip in five bucks."

"I've got ten."

I moved through the next few days like a ghost. Hollow. Numb.

My only refuge was the sterile quiet of the hospital room. I sat by my mother's bed, hiding from the world. I didn't check my phone, but my face betrayed me.

Susan saw it. She sighed, her voice weak, and started talking about the past. About me and Silas.

Young love is supposed to be pure.

In high school, Silas was obsessed with me, but too insecure to speak. He just shadowed me, walking me home every single day. Until the day the thugs cornered me. Silas jumped in.

They brutally broke three of his ribs. But he didn't let go. He curled around me, taking every kick, every blow, shielding me with his own broken body.

After that, falling in love was inevitable.

Back then, he wasn't the Heir to the Jiang empire. He was just a "stray" living with his grandmother, Agnes, starving and cold.

It was Susan who fed him. It was Susan who paid his tuition.

And now?

Her kindness had sharpened into the knife he was holding against her throat. She had no idea what her daughter was facing.

I looked at her wasting away. I surrendered.

Fine, I thought.

At least I still have her. At least I'm not completely empty.

But fate loves to play cruel jokes on the broken.

Chapter 4

The critical condition notice hit my phone like a physical blow.

Adrenaline flooded my veins. I ran. But I didn't make it past the driveway.

A wall of bodies blocked the gate.

Eden's fans.

They had doxxed me. Found my address. They stood there, a self-righteous army ready for a crusade.

I tried to push through. Panic clawed at my throat. "Let me through!" I screamed, eyes burning. "Please!"

I tried to explain. To tell them the truth. But no one was listening.

"LMAO, look at her. Still dreaming? Pathetic."

"You were so cocky when you called my Goddess a mistress. Who are you crying for now?"

The noise was deafening. Hands grabbed at my clothes. Then, a hard shove against my chest.

"Shameless bitch! Apologize!"

I stumbled back. Gravity took over. My knees cracked against the concrete. Pain shot up my legs, sharp and blinding.

Somewhere above me, someone giggled. "Look at her."

The pain throbbed, but I didn't try to stand. Something inside me snapped. The string connecting my soul to my body was cut.

I became a puppet. Wooden. Hollow.

I faced the cameras, my eyes unfocused. "I'm pathetic. I'm delusional. I'm sorry, Eden. It's all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

The words tumbled out, mechanical and empty.

The mob smiled. They had won their war. Hands released me. The wall of bodies parted.

"See? Was that so hard?"

I scrambled up. I ran.

But time doesn't wait for puppets.

When I burst into the hospital room, the silence was loud.

For a split second, my brain refused to process it. A hallucination. I was a child again, curled up in Susan's arms. Safe. Before Silas. Before the dirt. Before I was trampled by the world.

Then reality swung the bat. It hit me in the chest.

I chose the wrong man. And because of him, I missed her last breath.

My legs gave out. I hit the floor. I knelt by the bed and howled.

Shelby, the nurse who had been with us for months, touched my shoulder. Her voice was soft, breaking. "She called your name, Sloane. Until the very end. She said she doesn't blame you. Whatever kept you away, she doesn't blame you. She just wanted you to be happy with your husband."

The words felt like glass in my throat.

I reached out. I took Susan's hand. Cold. Stiff.

I sat on the linoleum floor, holding that cold hand. My mind went blank. The sensory input simply shut off.

I don't remember the next few days. The trip back to my hometown. The cremation. The funeral. I sat in the mourning hall, surrounded by white flowers.

I pulled out my phone. I dialed Silas. One last time.

He needed to know. He owed it to her. She had loved him like a son.

The line connected.

My voice was sandpaper. Shredded. "Mom is dead."

Silence.

Then, a laugh. Bright. Cheerful. Cruel.

"Congratulations."

Eden.

"But Silas can't come out to play right now. We're at my prenatal checkup."

My blood froze.

"Who is it?" Silas's voice floated from the background.

I didn't speak. I lowered the phone. I pressed the red button.

I sat in the dark hall all night. Sleepless. Numb.

When the sun rose, I stood up. I went back to the city. calm. Dead calm.

I bought a plane ticket. I liquidated my assets.

And I sent the message.

I agreed to the divorce.

Chapter 5

The past was just noise now.

I sat in the departure lounge, watching the planes taxi on the tarmac. Time for the final nail in the coffin.

Ive never been the type to just lie down and take a beating.

I tapped my screen. Sent.

A packet of sensitive internal data from the Jiang Corporation went straight to Silas's biggest competitor. A moment later, a notification pinged. Funds received.

I exhaled. Finally, a little peace of mind.

I opened social media one last time. The hate train was still chugging along full steam. My feed was a graveyard of insults. My photos were photoshopped into grotesque caricatures, memes meant to strip me of my humanity.

And there, pinned to the top of her profile, was Edens latest "woe is me" manifesto. It was from the day I was forced to clarify the marriage certificate.

Eden: God is watching. Throw all the mud you want. Ive never been afraid of anyone in my life!

The comments underneath were overflowing with blind sympathy.

"Goddess, you don't deserve this filth. Ignore the jealous haters."

"This is what a real Queen looks like! Those girls who ruin reputations with dirty tricks aren't even women."

"She's too kind. She should have sued!"

I curled my lips and let out a short, cold laugh. Too kind? Right.

I didn't bother arguing. Logic doesn't work on cult members. Instead, I selected every screenshot, every voice note, every piece of filth Eden had sent me over the months.

And I forwarded the entire folder to her biggest rival in the industry.

Why get my hands dirty when I can outsource the revenge?

I was about to power off my phone when it buzzed.

Silas.

I stared at the name for a second before answering.

"Forgot to tell you," his voice drawled, dripping with that familiar, lazy arrogance. "The mandatory waiting period for the divorce is thirty days. If you want to back out, I might let you."

He paused, letting the 'generosity' sink in. "But you'd better do something to make me happy first."

He sounded so sure. So relaxed. Like he was holding the leash and I was just waiting for a command.

I glanced at the boarding screen. "Understood,"

My voice was flat. Dead.

I hung up. I powered off the phone.

And I walked onto the plane without looking back.

(Silas)

That was the first time Sloane had ever hung up on him.

Five days later, Silas was still annoyed. He sat up, pushing Edens arm off his chest. He reached for his coat. He needed to go home. He needed to check the territory.

Eden clung to his waist from behind, her body draped over him like a boneless cat. "Silas stay a little longer."

Silas glanced back. His voice was cool, detached. "Don't tell Sloane about the pregnancy yet."

Eden pouted, her lower lip jutting out. "Why? You guys are divorced. What are you afraid of?"

Silas froze. A sudden flare of irritation spiked in his chest. "There are twenty-five days left," he snapped. "It's not a divorce yet."

He peeled her arms off him. He pulled on his trousers and walked out.

When he unlocked the door to the villa, the silence hit him.

It was too quiet.

He walked into the kitchen. Immaculate. Cold. No smell of dinner. No warmth.

A strange panic started to tap against his ribs. It peaked when he saw the pristine counters. No signs of life.

He strode to the bedroom. Empty. He ripped open the wardrobe. He rummaged through the drawers.

Nothing.

Finally, his eyes caught a glint in the wastebasket. He reached in. His fingers closed around cold metal.

The wedding ring.

Chapter 6

That day, when Sloane placed the divorce papers on the desk, he hadnt taken them. He didn't touch them.

Because deep down, he never believed Sloane would actually go through with it. Even if she signed, shed regret it. She always came back.

After all, Sloane loved him. She was obsessed with him.

Silas picked up the wedding ring from the trash. He pulled a tissue and carefully wiped away the dust.

He bought this ring when he was nineteen. He had tutored. He had worked construction. He had delivered food. Three months of grueling labor for this small circle of metal.

For him, for Sloane, it meant everything. So, it must have been an accident. She must have dropped it in the bin by mistake.

Silas stood up. He looked at the wedding photo hanging on the wall.

Sloane was twenty-two in the picture. Her smile was radiant, blinding.

Funny enough, the reason he got involved with Eden in the first place was because of Sloane. He couldn't forget the eighteen-year-old Sloane. The girl who had captivated his youth.

Back then, he was poor. Wild. He had nothing. Sloane gave him warmth when the world gave him ice.

Later, the Jiang family reclaimed him. He shed the "bastard" label. He climbed the ladder. He became untouchable.

He got everything he wanted, including Sloane.

But Sloane changed.

She shed that carefree, spirited nature from their student days. She became rigid. Boring. She became just like those fake, plastic socialite wives.

Silas knew why. Sloane came from a working-class background. To survive in his world, to not embarrass him, she had to conform. She had to blend in.

So, he was disappointed. But he still loved her. In his own way.

Then Eden showed up.

Eden was just like the young Sloane. Wild. Unfiltered.

Silas felt it was only natural to fall for her. It was like reclaiming a piece of his lost youth.

The first time he threatened divorce, it just slipped out. A knee-jerk reaction. He regretted it the moment he said it.

The times after that? He just wanted her to stop making scenes. He wanted to scare her into submission. To make her obedient again.

Compared to the other men in his circle, he was practically a saint. He didn't have a harem. He only had Eden. Just one mistress for all these years.

Sloane making such a fuss was ungrateful. She didn't know how good she had it.

Besides, he never actually planned to divorce her. As long as she behaved. As long as she tolerated it. Eventually, hed get bored of Eden. Hed come back home. He always did.

Silas tapped his phone screen. He decided to be the bigger man. Hed call her. Hed coax her a little. Give her an out.

He pressed dial.

The call failed instantly.

Blocked.

His brows knitted together. His brain rejected the information. Impossible.

Even when she was at her most hysterical, even when she was screaming about Eden, she never blocked him.

He stared at the screen, trying to process the glitch in his reality. Before he could figure it out, his phone rang