His Heart for Hers,A Billionaire's Final Redemption

It was the fifth spring since I'd left Sean Mason, and I'd become a bridal shop attendant for his fiance.

Rebecca Henson twirled in a cathedral-length wedding gown, beaming as she spun into Sean's arms and tilted her face up at him with a coy pout.

Is the waist too tight? What if the baby keeps growing and I can't fit into it?

Sean wrapped his arm around her waist, his expression soft with adoration.

"The Managern we'll buy it now, and after the baby's born, you can wear it again just for me."

Rebecca laughed and pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"Sean, do you want the baby to be a boy or a girl?"

"As long as it's yours, I'll love it either way."

I knelt at their feet, head bowed, smoothing the folds of the gown. My fingers gripping the lace had gone white at the knuckles.

My gaze drifted to the gentle swell of her belly, and a sharp pain lanced through my chest.

Sean and I had once had a child too.

But I was the one who'd chased wealth over love. I'd terminated the pregnancy and abandoned him.

Terrified he might recognize me, I tugged my mask higher and forced myself to stay calm.

Even so, their conversation crawled into my ears like insects with legs of their own, gnawing through my veins until my fingers trembled beyond my control.

Rebecca gathered her skirt and twirled before the full-length mirror.

"Sean, do you think this shows too much skin? What if the older relatives start gossiping at the wedding?"

Sean's hands settled naturally around her waist. The mirror reflected two faces that looked like they belonged together.

"Nobody would dare say a word about you. There are over a dozen more gowns to try. If you like them, buy them all. I'll propose to you every single day at the estate."

"And I'll marry you every single day in a new gown?" Rebecca tilted her head, her eyes sparkling.

"Mm."

Just one syllable, dripping with indulgence.

Sean had always loved like that. Endlessly patient, endlessly giving. No one knew this better than I did.

Because five years ago, he'd been my husband. He used to hold me the same way.

Back then we were dirt poor, crammed into a tiny rental in the worst part of town.

The room was barely big enough to turn around in, but he'd still wrap his arms around me from behind and whisper against my ear:

"When I make it big, I'll buy you a huge house. Floor-to-ceiling windows draped in white tulle, and you'll wear a wedding dress for me every day."

I told him a wedding dress was only meant to be worn once.

He said then we'd have a wedding at home. One a day.

I called him ridiculous, and he tickled me until we both tumbled onto that creaky twin bed, laughing so hard we couldn't breathe.

"Hey, you."

Rebecca's imperious voice yanked me out of the memory. I looked up to find her lifting her chin at me, eyes brimming with contempt.

"Lady, help me out of this one. The waist really is too tight."

I dropped my gaze, scrambling to obey. My knees had gone numb from kneeling, and when I braced myself against the floor to stand, my heart stuttered. Black spots swarmed my vision.

Rebecca had her back to me. I steadied my breathing as best I could, terrified of damaging a gown worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Pinching the zipper tab with painstaking care, I eased it down.

"Ow! Watch it, you clumsy hag! You pinched my skin, are you blind?"

Rebecca shrieked, clutching her waist as she whipped around, her eyes wide with fury.

I froze, instinctively stepping back.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

Rebecca let out a cold laugh, raking her gaze over me like I was something scraped off the bottom of her shoe.

"I'm a celebrity, you know. My waist is insured. Could a broke nobody like you even afford to pay for the damage? Get on your knees and check it. Now."

The manager rushed over at the commotion, bowing and scraping with apologies.

"Miss Henson, please, calm down. Elaine Cox, do as she says!"

I bit down on my lip and slowly crouched, pressing my hands to the floor. My eyes landed on her back.

Smooth. Unmarked. Not a scratch on it.

Not a single trace of recognition.

Then a sharp, searing pain shot through the back of my hand. Rebecca's stiletto came down right on top of it.

The thin heel ground into my knuckles, crushing bone against the floor.

I cried out before I could stop myself and tried to pull my hand back, but she only pressed down harder.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Cox." Rebecca glanced at Sean's face. When his expression didn't change, she made no move to lift her foot. "Clumsy me. You don't mind, do you?"

The pain was blinding.

I was terrified of being recognized. I clenched my jaw and swallowed the scream building in my throat.

The manager, seeing that Sean said nothing, sidled up with a simpering smile. "Miss Henson is far too gracious. And with Mr. Mason right here, this girl wouldn't dare mind..."

Only then did Rebecca lift her heel, slow and deliberate. Her gaze swept over my face, lingering. "Your name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?"

My heart skipped a beat.

She turned to Sean. "Honey, doesn't that name ring a bell?"

"Elaine... Cox... Do you remember who that is?"

The air turned to stone.

I felt a searing gaze land on my back, hot enough to burn straight through me.

But I didn't dare turn around.

I stayed on my knees. The pain in my hand had gone numb. Only my heart remained, slamming against my ribs like a caged thing.

One second.

Two seconds.

It felt like a century before the man's voice came, flat and indifferent.

"That name sounds trashy."

"I don't remember."

My heart seized, as if a fist had closed around it and squeezed. I could barely breathe.

Of course Sean didn't remember me. Of course he didn't want to. I had abandoned him at the lowest point of his life.

Five years ago, on a rainy night, he knelt on the bare concrete floor of our tiny apartment, eyes bloodshot, his voice stripped down to something close to begging.

"Elaine, please don't leave me. Please don't get rid of the baby. I'm begging you."

"Just give me a little more time. I'll make money. I'll give you and the baby a good life. Just a little more time..."

We had come from the same mountain village. We met when we were six. We married at twenty-two. It was the first time I had ever seen him look so small.

But I held back my tears and said the most hurtful words I could find.

"Sean, I've had enough. I don't have time to keep walking this road with you."

"I don't want to spend my life with a broke nobody, and I sure as hell don't want to bring more broke nobodies into the world. Love doesn't pay the bills. Without money, it's all worthless."

His eyes were red. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled wad of cash, pressing it into my hands.

It was his paycheck. A wad of cash, every last dollar.

He hadn't even bought himself a pack of cigarettes. He'd been saving it all, saying he wanted to buy me that dress I'd been eyeing for months.

"Take it. It's yours. I'll earn more. Just please don't go..."

I threw the money in his face. The bills scattered across the floor, soaking in the rainwater that had crept under the door, red as pools of blood.

"Sean, an abortion costs more than this."

He froze. And I turned and walked into the rain.

He kept his word. In just five years, he built a company from nothing, landed on the billionaire list, drove luxury cars, lived in a mansion.

"Your name is Elaine Cox."

Sean's voice dragged me back from the memory. I looked up and saw him toss a stack of bills at me.

The red notes fluttered down and settled at my feet.

"Wait out here by yourself," he said. "Don't let anyone in."

Then he wrapped his arm around Rebecca's waist and walked into the fitting room.

The door closed slowly in front of me. I crouched down and counted the bills.

Not a penny more, not a penny less. Exactly twenty-three hundred dollars.

Enough for half a bottle of my medication.

The fitting room door did nothing to block sound. I heard Rebecca's laughter, soft and breathy, laced with suggestive little moans.

"Sean... you're going to wrinkle the dress..."

Then came his low laugh.

"Let everyone know how much I love you. What's wrong with that?"

Intimate. Sticky-sweet. Each word sliced into me like a blade, carving deeper with every syllable.

I clutched the bills in my fist, listening to Rebecca's coy whimpers, listening to Sean's husky voice.

He said, "Don't bite down so hard."

He said, "Relax."

My face went numb. The pain in my chest swelled until it felt like my heart was bleeding from the inside out.

But I'd left the house without my pills. So I repeated it to myself, over and over: Didn't I abort that baby so I could survive?

And if I'm going to survive, I have to earn money. That's just how it is.

Money doesn't care how you earn it. On your knees or on your feet, it spends the same.

I don't know how long it was before Rebecca finally emerged, her face flushed, a vivid red mark blooming on her neck.

"Sean, this salesgirl gave excellent service. Very obedient."

Sean pulled out another wad of cash and tossed it at me.

"Pick it up on your knees. Consider it a tip."

I knelt. One bill at a time, I gathered them from the floor and pressed them together in my palm.

"Thank you, sir. Very generous of you."

I forced a smile. But he reached down and tilted my chin up with his hand, forcing my eyes to meet his.

Then his thumb brushed across my cheek. The touch was ice-cold as it swept past the corner of my eye.

I'd been crying. Tears had already streaked down my entire face.

He said my name. "Elaine. After all these years, this is what you've become."

I looked up at him from my knees. At that face that had once wept for me. At those eyes that had once held nothing but me.

"You earned your money standing tall. I earned mine on my knees. We're both just trying to put food on the table. What makes you better than me?"

Sean stared at me for a long time. Then, suddenly, he smiled.

"I hope you're still this tough later."

He turned, slid his arm around Rebecca's waist, and walked out the door.

I stayed on my knees, bills crumpled in my fist, tears still wet on my face.

The manager walked over and nudged my shin with her foot.

"Alright, alright, they're gone. Clean yourself up. Weren't you taking the afternoon off for the hospital? Get going."

I managed a smile at her, took the money, and limped out on bruised knees, hobbling all the way to the hospital.

In the cardiology office, the senior physician took off his glasses and studied my test results. He let out a long sigh.

"Elaine, when we advised you to terminate the pregnancy, it was because your heart couldn't have carried to full term. If you'd had that baby, it would have killed you."

"But the way things are going now, you might not even last another month. You're only twenty-nine. Are you really going to give up?"

I lifted my head and gave him a smile.

"I just came to pick up my prescription, Dr. Chavez. I'll go home and take it."

"Pills aren't going to cut it. You need surgery!"

"I can't afford it."

Three words. They stopped him cold.

He was quiet for a while. Then he said, "I heard your ex-husband has done very well for himself."

"He's my ex-husband, not my enemy. What's so hard about asking? Nothing's more important than staying alive."

My throat tightened. I held back the tears and looked at Dr. Chavez.

After a long silence, I shook my head.

"I owe him too much."

The heart condition had been discovered in the second year of my marriage. That same year, I found out I was pregnant.

It started with shortness of breath and a tightness in my chest. I went to the hospital behind Sean's back and had myself examined. Dr. Chavez looked at my results and told me:

"Miss, you're pregnant."

The joy had barely touched my heart before his next words crushed it:

"But your heart is in very poor condition. If you insist on carrying to term, we could lose both you and the baby. Our medical team's recommendation is to terminate the pregnancy."

It was snowing lightly that evening, so Sean came home late. He walked through the door with a grin and handed me a roasted sweet potato.

"Worked overtime today. Boss gave me an extra fifty bucks, so I figured I'd get you something nice. Eat it while it's hot."

I cradled it in both hands, the heat turning my palms red, but I couldn't bring myself to set it down.

He crouched in front of me, eyes bright.

"Elaine, once I land a big payday, we'll move somewhere with proper heating. You'll never have to freeze again."

I looked at him. At his reddened nose. At the light in his eyes. My throat closed up.

I laughed through my tears, broke the sweet potato in half, and held one piece out to him.

He took it, bit off a huge chunk, and winced at the heat, grinning at me like a fool.

The next day, I hid the test results.

The day after that, I came home from the hospital and found Sean holding a piece of paper, his face flushed with excitement.

"Elaine, you're pregnant! How could you keep this from me? We're finally going to have a baby!"

"And today's a double celebration. I finally landed an investor. Our whole future just opened up!"

He swept me into his arms and spun me around until I was dizzy, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I didn't know how to tell him. I couldn't keep this baby, because it would kill me.

I knew him. The moment he found out, he would abandon everything and pour every last dollar into saving me.

But how could I let him? He'd clawed his way out of nowhere, fought tooth and nail to build something, all so he could give me a home.

His dream. His future. Everything he had was riding on that plan.

I didn't want to die. But I couldn't watch everything he'd worked for collapse, either. So I ended the pregnancy, and then I drove him away.

I scraped together every penny I could and bought the cheapest medication available, and through news headlines and magazine covers, I pieced together the story of a man who'd made it.

Then came the day we met again at the bridal shop.

I stumbled out of the hospital in a daze, the report crumpled in my fist, barely able to walk a straight line.

I hadn't gotten far when I ran into Rebecca, fresh from a prenatal checkup. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw me. She snatched the report from my hand. "Well, well. Heart disease?"

She let out a cold laugh.

"Elaine Cox. Five years ago you thought he was too poor, so you got rid of the baby and dumped him. Now that he's rich, what, you're hoping he'll pay for your treatment?"

"Let me make one thing clear. Sean is mine now. Don't even think about it."

I drew a slow breath and finally spoke.

"Miss Henson, Sean and I were never headed in the same direction. We were just too young back then."

"I'll figure out the medical bills on my own. Take good care of him. I wish you both a happy marriage."

I stepped around her. I'd barely taken two steps before a shriek split the air behind me.

I turned. Rebecca was on the ground, clutching her stomach, her face twisted in horror.

"You pushed me! My baby! My baby!"

I froze. My mind went blank.

I moved toward her to help her up, but Sean came rushing in and shoved me aside. I hit the ground, and my vision flickered black.

Rebecca collapsed into his arms, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Sean, she saw that I'm pregnant and she pushed me..."

Sean lifted his head. His gaze found me, cold as steel.

"Elaine Cox. Five years ago you killed my child. Now you want to kill a second one?"

Agony ripped through my chest. I shook my head, desperate to deny it, but his palm had already connected with my face.

The force snapped my head sideways. My cheek burned white-hot, and a high-pitched ringing flooded my ears.

Sean held Rebecca in his arms, his eyes filled with nothing but disgust as he looked at me.

"Elaine, honestly? I don't think someone like you deserves to be alive."

I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat closed up like something was lodged inside it.

"As a wife, you were a gold-digger. Disloyal. Faithless. As a mother, you were heartless enough to kill your own child. As a human being, you're selfish, cold-blooded, fickle, and paranoid."

"The worst thing I ever did in my life was meet you."

His voice was a blade, each word carving into my heart.

"Sean, what happened back then..." I started, trying to explain.

But he had already picked up the medical report from the floor. A smile twisted across his face, uglier than tears.

"What, you're going to tell me it was because of your heart condition? Trying to play the victim so you can squeeze out some money?"

"You want to know what I think? This disease is karma. Karma for abandoning your husband and murdering your child."

"God sees everything."

Karma.

The word left his mouth, and suddenly I laughed. I laughed and laughed until tears streamed down my face.

Countless times coughing up blood. Countless nightmares. Countless cardiac arrests, hovering at death's door. All karma.

Every mouthful of blood. Every tear. Every searing, crushing pain in my chest. All the punishment I deserved.

Drowning in blood and tears, I finally understood. I nodded, smiling.

"Yes. This is my karma."

"Sean, you'll get your wish. I'll go die."