Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband
My CEO 140

140 The Dark Jayden

(Winona)

Gordon Brown arrives at the house the next day with Jayden. "I asked Jayden to meet me here. It's information about Ashlyn that concerns you both."

I offer him coffee, and we sit in the living I

His expression is serious, and I brace myself for the news he's about to deliver.

"Winona, the update on Ashlyn," Gordon begins, taking a sip of his coffee. "She won't be tried for attempted murder."

My heart sinks, "What do you mean? After everything she did?"

Gordon nods, his face is grave. "She's been deemed mentally incompetent. She'll be going into a facility for offenders who need psychiatric help."

I take a deep breath, trying to process this information. I kind of get it. I mean, Ashlyn does need serious help. "So, she's just... getting away with it really. But I know she really isn't mentally competent. I wonder if she ever has been really."

"Not exactly getting away with it," Gordon says, leaning forward. "She'll be in a secure facility, getting the help she needs for the rest of her life. But she won't face a traditional trial or prison time."

Before I can respond, Jayden does and he's angry. "What do you mean she's not going to prison?" he demands, his voice rising. "She tried to kill Winona! She killed our unborn baby!"

"It's come out now that Ashlyn has already suffered a miscarriage before she confronted Winona in Palisades Park."

"It's fucking unbelievable! That a person can shoot someone in broad daylight and not even get punished. I hate her. She deserves to be dead."

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Gordon looks at Jayden calmly. "Jayden, I understand your frustration. But the decision has been made based on her mental state."

Jayden's fists clench at his sides. "That's bullshit! She needs to pay for what she did!"

"Jayden, calm down," I say, trying to soothe him. "Gordon is just telling us what's happening. Surely you can see that Ashlyn's mental state is a product of how she was raised to be your wife and never felt good enough when she couldn't achieve that." Jayden turns to me, his eyes blazing with anger. "So that's my fault, is it, Winona? No. She deserves to rot in prison for what she did to us! You can't expect me to have any sympathy for her."

Jayden stops pacing and looks at me. "She's a lying bitch who tried to frame you for killing an unborn baby and then tried to kill you. I saved you. Now you're trying to blame me for her mental state!"

Hearing him, memories of our past flood back-the way he treated me when he wanted a divorce, the cruel things he said. My chest tightens, and I feel the old wounds reopening.

"I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying I can see how she got to the state she is in. I'm glad she's getting help. She's off the street and that's the main thing."

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140 The Dark Jayden

Gordon clears his throat, trying to defuse the tension. "Jayden, the facility she's going to is secure. She won't be able to hurt anyone else."

But Jayden isn't listening. "She's getting off easy! She wanted Winona dead and now she's just... what? Getting therapy?"

"Jayden, please," I say, my voice trembling. "We need to focus on moving forward."

He shakes his head, storming the room. "I can't believe this. I can't believe she's not going to prison. She

deserves to suffer for what she did!"

Gordon stands up, his expression sympathetic. "I'll keep you updated on any further developments. But for now, this is the situation."

I nod, barely able to focus on his words. Gordon leaves, and the silence in the room is heavy.

Jayden turns to me, his eyes filled with anger and pain. "I can't believe this, Winona. I just... I can't. She wanted you dead and now you feel sorry for her? Who does that?"

I reach out to him, trying to offer comfort, but he pulls away. "Jayden, we need to stay strong."

He lets out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, stay strong. While the woman who tried to destroy our lives gets a free pass."

I bite my lip, fighting back tears. "It's not a free pass. She's going to be in a facility."

"But it's not prison!" he shouts, his voice echoing through the room. "It's not justice!"

Jayden finally sinks into a chair, his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Winona. I just... I can't deal with this."

"You need to rest. Don't get yourself so worked up. I wish things were different as well, but it is what it is."

"It just seems to be one gut-punch after another lately. You and I, we can barely get along. Everything I try to do, everything I say turns into a shit fight."

"I think you are pushing yourself too hard. Let's take a step back and stop trying to fit us into a box. Remember how we were in Santa Monica? We can be so good together. Stop trying to control everything." "I just want to make things right for us."

"So do I, but becoming a person who has no empathy or understanding is not the person I want to be. I don't want to be with someone like that either."

He stares at me.

"When you react like that, and say those things, it reminds me of the person you were when you demanded our divorce. You believed you loved Ashlyn then. You believed I was the person with mental health issues." "I'd lost my memory. Now I can remember. I was wrong back then."

"I know but the hurt you caused me doesn't just disappear. Ashlyn is on the same rollercoaster ride, even more because of your mother. I can see how this happened is all I'm saying."

He nods. "Mother tried to kill you, what's to say she hasn't manipulated Ashlyn into doing the same..."

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140 The Dark Jayden

"Exactly. But that doesn't absolve Ashlyn of the blame, she made the final decisions to take it to that level, knowing what would happen if she got caught."

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"Why did I ever listen to that woman?"

"Because you didn't know any better, and now you do. So don't become vindictive and punishing like her. You can choose to be better than that."

After all of this, has he actually learned anything?