Coming back to the present, Mrs. Wellfound was now seated quietly on the office couch, a cup of coffee resting between her trembling hands.
The warmth of the drink did little to calm the storm inside her.
Although she looked slightly better than earlier, traces of exhaustion and regret still lingered heavily on her face.
The once proud woman now seemed years older within a single day.
"I'm sorry, Dani…" she whispered again.
Her voice cracked with guilt.
"I'm so sorry for everything."
Dani sat opposite her in silence.
At this point, he didn't even know what to say anymore.
Too many truths had surfaced at once.
Too many mistakes had already been made.
There was no undoing any of it.
No matter how much they regretted the past, time would never move backward for them.
Mrs. Wellfound lowered her eyes into the cup of coffee resting in her hands.
The silence between mother and son felt painfully heavy.
Then softly, she asked,
"How is Abi?"
The question made Dani smiled bitterly.
For years, his mother had always interfered in his marriage with Abi sometimes out of pride, sometimes out of control. Yet now, the woman she once constantly criticized was the same woman she suddenly missed.
Dani leaned back slowly and narrated everything that had happened recently.
How Abi finally walked away.
How she had already signed the divorce papers.
How Michael now stood beside her.
How calm she looked while leaving him behind.
Mrs. Wellfound listened quietly.
Several times, she wanted to stand up immediately and demand they bring Abi back, just like she usually would.
But this time was different.
Abi was no longer her daughter-in-law.
And deep down, she knew they no longer had the right to control her life.
By evening, Dani decided to drive his mother home.
The journey was quiet.
Neither of them had the strength for unnecessary conversation anymore.
When they finally arrived at the house, Mrs. Wellfound paused near the entrance.
Her eyes drifted toward the small garden outside.
It had once been Abi's favorite place.
The flowers were now dry and unattended, weeds growing wildly around them.
The once lively space now looked abandoned.
Just like the marriage they destroyed.
Mrs. Wellfound watched Dani quietly as he stared at the garden.
Tears slowly rolled down her face.
For the first time in years, she truly saw her son not as a powerful businessman… but as a broken man shaped by life and by the mistakes of the people around him.
Including her.
Her guilt deepened.
Back then, she had been desperate to escape debt collectors since the man he ran to could not provide her luxury lifestyle anymore , He picked up Dani trying to run away so Dani's father could still be sending her money and then they had an accident , She was escaped the accident without being injured but Dani didn't .
Fear of shame and what her friends would say had clouded her judgment.
Instead of using all the money Dani's father sent for his treatment, she secretly diverted part of it to clear her debts, convincing herself she could replace it later.
But she never did.
And now the consequences stood painfully before her.
She had ruined her son's future with her own hands.
Dani said nothing.
He simply walked into the house and headed straight toward the bedroom he once shared with Abi.
The room still carried traces of her presence.
Her scent.
Her books.
The soft curtains she personally chose.
Everything suddenly felt painfully familiar.
His eyes drifted toward the wardrobe.
Slowly, he walked over and opened it.
There, neatly tucked inside, were the divorce papers Abi had spoken about.
His hands trembled slightly as he picked them up.
For the first time, he actually read through every page carefully.
Then his eyes stopped on the final page.
The hearing date.
Next week Thursday , by 1:00 pm
Only one week left.
Dani's breathing grew uneven.
All this time, he had been so consumed by Chelsea that he completely neglected the woman who truly loved him.
Abi had known his weaknesses.
His flaws.
His bad temper.
His failures.
And yet she stayed.
Not because of money.
Not because of status.
But because she genuinely cared for him.
Now she was gone.
And it was entirely his fault.
The papers slipped from his fingers onto the floor.
Dani collapsed onto the bed heavily.
Then finally
He cried.
Not the silent frustration of a businessman protecting his pride.
But the painful cry of a man who realized too late what he had lost.
Now he finally understood why his father once told him:
"Abi is the right woman for you."
And he had destroyed it with his own hands.
New Day Publishing Company
The next morning, the atmosphere inside New Day Publishing Company was lively as usual.
Employees moved busily around the office while keyboards clicked endlessly in the background.
Dinah Wellington sat at her desk reviewing documents when a familiar voice interrupted her concentration.
"Hey, this is for you."
Dinah looked up immediately.
Benny Smith stood beside her desk smiling brightly while holding out a cup of coffee.
"The milk is balanced perfectly," Benny said proudly. "And there's no sugar. The best coffee you'll ever taste on planet Earth."
Dinah laughed softly.
"You and your sweet mouth," she replied while collecting the cup.
Benny leaned casually against the desk while sipping from her own coffee cup.
Then, as though asking the most harmless question in the world, she said:
"So… when is Mr. Queen coming back?"
The effect was immediate.
Dinah choked on the coffee she had just sipped.
"Cough! Cough!"
Coffee nearly sprayed across the table.
But Benny, who clearly anticipated the reaction, quickly shifted backward before any of it landed on her clothes.
"It was just a question," Benny laughed loudly. "Why are you so overwhelmed?"
Dinah glared at her while coughing lightly.
"Young lady," she whispered sharply, glancing around the office, "this is an open workspace. The walls have ears."
Benny only grinned wider.
That expression alone made Dinah even more suspicious.
Without saying another word, Dinah lightly pushed Benny on the chest before standing abruptly.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she muttered quickly.
Then she practically rushed away.
Benny watched her retreating figure with amusement dancing across her face.
"Ohhh…" she dragged out playfully under her breath.
"Something is definitely going on between those two."