Chapter Eleven: The Beginning of the End
Chapter Eleven: The Beginning of the End
ABEL DONOVAN
FIVE YEARS LATER
Exhaustion gnawed at me every single day, a constant ache that refused to let go. The divorce papers had been signed, yes, signed and sealed, a closed chapter. But that day, when she walked into my home, signed the papers with fierce determination, and left without looking back, that was the last time I ever saw her.
Her disappearance carved an open wound that refused to heal.
No, I did not miss her. Damn it, I still hated her. Hated her guts, hated the misery and torment she left behind. The ache in my chest was unbearable, and yet all I wanted was to find her, to see her suffering just as much as I was. That would have been my only satisfaction, to watch her crawl back, broken, begging.
To see her realized that who she left me for is nothing like me and won't take care of her like I did.
But instead?
Silence. Nothing but fucking silence.
The issue wasn’t her leaving, that I could have lived with. Hell, that should have been a blessing. I wanted her gone.
The issue was her vanishing completely, as though she’d been erased from the earth. As though she had never been my wife. Never a Whitmore. Never carried my name. Never being Abel Donovan’s wife.
She disappeared like a ghost. And still, even in absence, she haunted me.
I hated the grip she still had over my thoughts, hated that I’d once found myself searching for her, spying, desperate for even a trace. My mother caught me once, and her fury was unforgettable. Since then, she’s pushed harder for me to marry Flora.
Flora.
Five years engaged, and I feel nothing for her. Our relationship is nothing more than polite companionship, if that. I can’t stand her arrogance, her constant need to flaunt herself. Yet, my mother adores her. She dotes on her, praises her, parades her as though she were the perfect daughter-in-law.
What I can’t understand is why my mother preferred Flora over Anna from the very beginning. Their characters are nothing alike, Flora is unbearable, while Anna… no.
No.
Anna was a mistake. She strung me along, deceived me, ruined everything. She had the last word before vanishing, and I hated her for it.
And yet, five years later, her shadow still lingered.
I rubbed my temples, the dull ache behind my eyes growing sharper with every passing second. The contract and documents spread across my desk blurred together in a mess of numbers and obligations. Donovan Enterprises was crumbling, a crisis no one outside these walls knew about. To the world, I was still the man in control, the powerful Abel Donovan, showing up every day with Flora by my side, pretending we were living the perfect life.
But behind closed doors, it was all smoke and mirrors.
Questions had been asked, why Flora and I weren’t married yet. I laughed them off, saying I was waiting for that click. The truth? That click would never come. Not with Flora. Not with anyone who wasn’t… her.
I shook the thought away. I didn’t have the luxury of thinking about Anna. Not now.
Right now, all I needed was one deal. One contract that could stabilize our stocks and drag this company back from the edge of ruin.
And there was only one name powerful enough to do that.
The Serrano Corporation.
They were the giants of T City, the kind of empire that made kings out of men who partnered with them. For years, I’d tried to break into their inner circle, to gain their favor. But every time I thought I was close, something always went wrong, canceled meetings, vague excuses, doors closed in my face.
Confusion had turned to frustration. Now it was turning into desperation.
Just as I was about to drown back into the documents, raised voices drifted from the living room. Flora’s shrill tone cut through the silence, clashing with my mother’s stern one.
I pushed away from the desk and stood, jaw tightening. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
As I drew closer to the living room, voices grew sharper, rising in heated disagreement.
“No, I can’t wait anymore, Elena!” Flora snapped, her voice cutting through the air.
Flora always called my mother by her name, something Anna never did. Anna had always called her Mom, and my mother cherished that. She hated Flora’s brazenness but swallowed it, blinded by her fondness for her “doting” daughter-in-law.
Flora’s eyes flicked to mine the moment I entered. She abandoned her argument with my mother and turned on me instead.
“I’m tired of this, Abel. You’ve strung me along for five years. Five years! What am I to you? Nothing more than a piece of furniture? Something you parade around for the public eye?” Her voice cracked with frustration.
“Flora, Abel will do so in time,” my mother tried to soothe her.
“No! Don’t speak for him!” Flora barked, her tone disrespectful.
“You won’t talk to my mother like that,” I snapped.
Flora smirked, her arms crossing. “Then marry me, Abel.”
“It’s okay, Abel. She’s just upset,” my mother muttered, still defending her.
Flora pressed on. “Or is it that you’re still not over Anna? My God, Abel, she’s gone. She’s never coming back. Have you forgotten what she did to you?”
“Enough!” My voice roared across the room. “You will not speak her name again.” I despised how easily her name rolled off everyone’s lips, cutting me open, reminding me of wounds that were supposed to have healed. I was over her. I hated her.
“Then prove it,” Flora hissed. “Marry me. Show everyone you’re over her. I’m tired of waiting, five years, Abel. Five years!”
Before I could reply, my phone buzzed. My PA’s name flashed on the screen. With a low growl, I stepped aside and answered.
“Sir,” he rushed out, excitement in his tone, “the business gala tonight, Serrano Corporation will be in attendance. Their most important representative, the direct mouthpiece of the CEO, will be there.”
A slow smile tugged at my lips. Finally. The door I’d been waiting for.
“Really? Then we must prepare,” I said sharply.
“Yes, sir. Rumor has it the Serrano’s most trusted woman personally requested your company’s attendance. This could be our chance to pitch the project.”
My chest tightened with anticipation. A dream opportunity. If I secured Serrano Corporation, Donovan Enterprises would not only survive, it would thrive. Doors would open that I’d been pounding on for years.
I ended the call and turned back to the two women, still glaring at each other.
Reputation. That was what Serrano Corporation valued most. And reputation was the only reason I’d held off marrying Flora this long. But tonight was different. I needed to show strength. Show that I had moved on from that slut.
“Flora,” I said coldly, “begin the wedding preparations. We’ll be married before the next two months.”
Her eyes widened, stunned, before lighting up with joy. She squealed and threw her arms around my mother. “Oh my God! Finally! I’m so happy.”
“Son, this is good news,” my mother said, her face softening. “What changed your mind?”
“We have a business gala tonight,” I cut her off. “Get ready. Both of you. This will be the
beginning of something new.”
Without another glance, I turned and walked out, heading back to my office.