[BL] Dear Hushand, I want divorce-Chapter 95: This regret is deep

Elijah sat in his office, his gaze piercing through Thomas as the investigator delivered the latest report on Ash’s whereabouts.

"He’s keeping it low," Thomas said, shifting uncomfortably under Elijah’s cold, intense stare. "We’ve scoured the many countries, but Ash isn’t there. Our best guess is that he’s somewhere in the countryside. A small town, perhaps. He’s doing a good job staying off the radar."

Elijah’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t surprised. Ash had always been good at slipping away when he needed to. Still, the confirmation that Ash was hiding in some quiet corner of the country only fueled the growing ache inside him.

"I don’t care where he is, I want him found. There’s nowhere too remote, no place too hidden. You understand?"

Thomas nodded quickly, sensing the edge in Elijah’s voice. "Of course. We’ll continue the search. It’s just a matter of time."

Elijah waved him off, his mind already elsewhere. Thomas quietly left, leaving Elijah alone in the room. The moment the door closed, Daniel walked in, holding a thick stack of papers. There was a hesitancy in his step, a look of concern etched onto his face as he approached the desk.

"Sir, the papers you asked for...they’re ready." Daniel placed the documents in front of him. "But...are you sure about this?"

Without hesitation, Elijah picked up the pen and began flipping through the pages. His expression didn’t falter. "Yes. I’m sure."

Daniel swallowed nervously, watching as Elijah signed his name with quick, decisive strokes. "You’re giving away everything. Your wealth, your property, your businesses...You’ve worked your whole life for this, and now you’re just..."

Elijah didn’t look up as he signed the final page. "I’ve made more money than I could ever spend in ten lifetimes," he said calmly. "All those years...chasing success, building an empire. What good has it done me? I have power, influence, more wealth than anyone could imagine. But none of it means anything anymore without Ash."

Daniel’s brows furrowed in concern but he could understand Elijah. Daniel also wants Ash to come back quickly, he can’t see his boss like this.

"But Sir, you’re...You’re one of the richest men in the world. You’ve built something incredible."

Elijah leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting toward the window. "I’ve made billions. I’ve owned companies, properties, and investments. But all of it...it’s empty. I’ve spent my entire life chasing after more. More money, more power, more success. And in the end, it left me with nothing but a void."

Daniel remained silent, listening as Elijah continued. "I don’t care about wealth anymore. I don’t care about the empire I built. The only thing that matters to me now is Ash. I’m tired of living for money, for business. I want to dedicate the rest of my life to him. Everything I have...it’s meaningless if he’s not in my life."

Elijah paused, looking at the papers he had just signed. "Most of it is going to charity, to the NGOs and funds that can actually make a difference. But I’ll keep enough to give Ash the life he deserves. But the rest? I’m done with it."

There was a deep, quiet resolve in Elijah’s voice as he spoke. He had become someone entirely different than the ruthless businessman who once dominated boardrooms and acquisitions. Love had changed him, had softened him in ways he hadn’t thought possible. fгeewebnovёl.com

The old Elijah would have scoffed at the idea of giving away his fortune, but the man sitting here now understood that wealth without love was nothing more than a burden. Love had changed him, reshaped his entire world. Elijah wasn’t the man he used to be. He was someone new now—someone willing to sacrifice everything he had built for the chance to find Ash, to rebuild the life they could have had together.

"I used to think that money was everything," Elijah said quietly, his gaze far away. "But now I realise the only thing that ever truly mattered was love. And I’ve lost it. I’ve lost him."

Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat. "Sir...are you really ready to give it all up?"

Elijah smiled faintly, but it was a smile filled with sorrow and longing. "I already have," he said softly. "I’m just making it official."

***********

Elijah was in the middle of an important meeting when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced down, seeing Ryder’s name on the screen, and casually answered it.

But when Ryder’s voice came through, low and slurred, saying, "I’ve found Ash’s address."

Elijah abruptly stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "What?" he yelled, causing the heads of his team to snap up in shock. The room fell into an eerie silence as Elijah’s heart began to pound fiercely in his chest.

Without another word, he stormed out of the conference room, ignoring the voices calling after him. "Where is Ash?" he demanded over the phone, his pulse racing.

Ryder’s response was maddeningly calm in comparison. "I’ll tell you when we meet," Ryder said, his words slurring slightly again. "Come to the bar. I booked a private room."

Elijah’s desperation made him want to argue, to force the information out of Ryder right there on the spot, but he swallowed it down, his need to thank Ryder in person overriding his impatience.

"Fine. I’ll be there," Elijah said before hanging up and heading straight to the bar.

When he arrived at the private room, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Ryder sat alone at the sofa, nursing a drink with a slouched posture. Usually, Ryder would have beautiful hosts at either side of him, giggling and flirting, but tonight he sat in lone silence, his eyes red-rimmed and glossy. A half-empty bottle of whiskey stood on the table next to him, and several empty glasses scattered around as evidence of his heavy drinking.

Elijah’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he sat down across from Ryder. "Why are you drinking so much?" Elijah asked, eyeing the untouched glass across the table from him.

He was used to seeing Ryder as the lively one, always full of charm and wit, always in control, but tonight something was different—eerily so.

Ryder didn’t respond immediately, his gaze unfocused as he stared down at his drink. His normally immaculate suit was wrinkled, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. Elijah noticed the way his friend’s hand trembled as he lifted the glass to his lips and took another long, slow drink. Before Elijah could press him further, Ryder reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

"This," Ryder muttered, sliding the paper across the table toward Elijah, "this is Ash’s address."

Elijah didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the paper, his hands shaking slightly as he unfolded it. His eyes scanned the address, relief flooding him, but just as he was about to ask Ryder how he managed to get Noah to reveal it, something stopped him. Ryder’s face was pale, his eyes dark with something Elijah couldn’t quite place.

"How did you get Noah to tell you?" Elijah asked, the question heavy with suspicion.

Ryder lifted his gaze, his expression guarded. "Don’t ask me that, Elijah," he said flatly, his voice suddenly cold.

Elijah frowned, studying Ryder closely. That’s when he noticed the faint red marks along Ryder’s neck. At first, he thought it was a trick of the dim lighting, but upon closer inspection, he could see them clearly—small, red bruises in the shape of hickeys, just visible above Ryder’s collar.

Elijah’s eyes widened in shock. "Did you..." he started to say, his voice trailing off. "Did you sleep with Noah?"

Ryder’s eyes flickered with something—guilt, regret, maybe even shame—but he quickly looked away, his jaw clenched tightly. "Don’t ask me anything," Ryder said firmly, his voice cutting through the tension in the room.

He reached for his drink again, downing it in one long gulp as if he could erase whatever had happened with the alcohol.

Elijah stared at him for a moment longer. He wanted to press Ryder for more, wanted to understand what exactly had happened between him and Noah, but the desperation to find Ash overpowered everything else. Elijah stood up, tucking the address into his pocket, his mind already racing ahead.

He would go to Ash.

Finally.

So, he doesn’t mind being selfish and a bad friend right now.

"Thank you, Ryder," Elijah said quietly, but his mind was already elsewhere. He paused for a moment, looking at his friend who seemed to be drowning in something Elijah couldn’t understand. "Come, stop drinking. I’ll take you home," he added, but Ryder didn’t respond.

He just sat there, staring into the empty glass, as Elijah tried to get him up but Ryder stopped him.

"No need, I want to drink more. You go and find Ash," Ryder said.

Elijah sighed and nodded. "Okay, but you take care of yourself. I’ll send Daniel to pick you up."

Once Elijah left the room, Ryder closed his eyes, his mind spinning with regret and the weight of his decisions. The bruises on his neck were a reminder of the price he had paid, and no amount of alcohol could drown out the feelings he was trying to bury.

He couldn’t shake the image of Noah from his mind. For the first time in years, he had found someone who stirred something real inside him—someone who wasn’t just another fleeting distraction.

Noah was different. He felt different.

He was someone Ryder actually found worthy of adoring, someone who made him feel vulnerable, exposed in a way that both terrified and excited him.

But Ryder had hurt him.

His chest tightened as he thought about the desperation that had led him to Noah’s door, the way he had manipulated the situation just to get Ash’s location. He’d told himself it was for Elijah’s sake—that helping his friend was more important than anything else. But deep down, Ryder knew that wasn’t the whole truth. He had used his feelings for Noah, twisted them into something ugly, something selfish.

Now, Ryder didn’t know how to make it right. He didn’t even know if it could be made right. The connection he had felt with Noah was fragile, something new and unfamiliar, and now it was tainted by the guilt of what he had done.

He wanted to fix it, wanted to be the person Noah deserved, but every time he thought about it, he was overwhelmed by the weight of his actions. Ryder didn’t know how to go back, didn’t know if Noah would even want to see him again after everything. How could he ask for forgiveness when he wasn’t sure he deserved it?

As he sat there, staring blankly into his glass, he realised that for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure what to do. He had always been the one who could scheme and manipulate his way through any situation. But this...this was something completely different. And it hurt more than he had ever imagined.

All he knew was that the pain he had caused Noah was now reflected in the pain he felt inside.