My Coldhearted Husband'S Regret novel Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Resolve Forged Anew
Elara sat frozen across from Julian, his offer hanging between them. Once, she would have jumped at this opportunity without hesitation. Now, doubt clouded her mind like a thick fog.
“Elara?” Julian leaned forward. “Talk to me.”
She took a deep breath. “It’s been so long, Julian. I gave up everything for my marriage. What if I can’t get it back?”
“The Elara I knew wouldn’t ask that question.” His eyes held hers steadily. “She’d roll up her sleeves and prove everyone wrong.”
A flicker of the old fire stirred in her chest. “That Elara disappeared years ago.”
“I don’t believe that.” Julian tapped the table between them. “The work you did on neural network applications was revolutionary. That brilliance doesn’t just vanish.”
Elara stared into her coffee cup. For years, she’d suppressed her ambitions to be the perfect wife and mother. A wife Damien barely noticed. A mother Cora increasingly pushed away.
“What would I even bring to the table now?” she asked quietly.
Julian pulled out his tablet and showed her the company’s latest projects. “We’ve expanded, but we’re struggling with the intuitive interface algorithms you were developing before you left.”
As he explained their challenges, Elara found herself instinctively analyzing the problems. Her mind raced with potential solutions, connections forming like they used to years ago.
“You could approach it from a different angle,” she said without thinking. “If you restructured the decision trees to incorporate emotional intelligence patterns…”
Julian grinned. “See? Still brilliant.”
Warmth spread through her chest—not from embarrassment, but recognition. This was who she used to be. Who she could be again.
“When would you need me to start?” The words surprised even her.
Julian’s eyes widened. “Is that a yes?”
She straightened her shoulders. “It’s a maybe. I need to think about logistics.”
“Take the weekend,” Julian said quickly. “But I want you in the lab on Monday. Just to look around, meet everyone. No pressure.”
Elara nodded slowly. “I can do that.”
As they said goodbye outside the café, Julian hugged her. “It’s good to see you again, Elara. The real you.”
His words echoed in her mind as she walked across campus. The real her. Had she been living as someone else these past years?
Her phone buzzed. A text from Eleanor Thorne: “Family dinner this Sunday. Mandatory attendance.”
Elara sighed. Eleanor’s “mandatory” family dinners were becoming more frequent since Elara moved out. An obvious attempt to force her and Damien together.
Before she could respond, another message appeared—this one from Sabrina Thorne, Damien’s sister.
“Are you at Crestwood? Leo’s friend thought he saw you.”
Elara frowned. Leo was Sabrina’s son who attended Crestwood. How typical of Sabrina to keep tabs on her.
“Yes, visiting my alma mater,” she replied simply.
Three dots appeared immediately. “Meet me at the alumni center. I’m here for a committee meeting.”
It wasn’t a request. Elara considered ignoring it, but decided against creating unnecessary tension. With renewed confidence from her conversation with Julian, she headed toward the alumni center.
Sabrina stood outside, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, tapping her designer heel impatiently. When she spotted Elara, her eyebrows rose.
“What are you doing here?” she asked without preamble.
Elara kept her voice even. “Hello to you too, Sabrina.”
“Don’t you have work? Or are you still taking that ‘break’ from Thorne Industries?” Sabrina made air quotes around the word “break.”
“I’m exploring other opportunities,” Elara replied.
Sabrina snorted. “Like what? You’ve been Damien’s secretary for years.”
“I was head of the secretarial department,” Elara corrected. “And before that, I was in artificial intelligence research.”
“Right.” Sabrina clearly didn’t believe her. “Well, since you’re here, you can do me a favor. Leo’s been complaining about cafeteria food. Could you make him those dumplings he likes? I’ll have him stop by the house tomorrow.”
The old Elara would have agreed immediately. But Julian’s words rang in her ears: “The real you.”
“I’m afraid I can’t,” she said firmly. “I have plans tomorrow.”
Sabrina blinked, clearly surprised by the refusal. “What plans?”
“Personal ones.” Elara shifted her purse strap. “Besides, I’ve moved out temporarily, as you know.”
“Temporarily,” Sabrina echoed with a raised eyebrow. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
Before Elara could respond, two elegantly dressed women approached Sabrina.
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