My Ex Was My Best Investment

Standing on that familiar street corner for the third time, the fog finally lifted.

The marriage contractthat piece of paper Id treated like a holy relicwas worthless. Ewan was right about that. But what he never understood was that those four words of his, tossed out like spare change, had cost me two separate lifetimes of youth.

The same "chance" encounters. The same blurred lines and late-night invitations. I was foolish enough to say yes twice. He used to praise me for being "sensible," for my "grace," and my "boundless patience." Then hed turn around and use those very virtues as a blade to gut every promise he ever made.

"A title is just a piece of paper," he told metwice. And both times, I walked away with nothing, not even a fake identity to cling to. I realized too late that some forms of tenderness aren't a sanctuary; theyre just the knife you sharpen for your own throat.

By the third time I "accidentally" ran into Ewan, I was nearly thirty.

In the eyes of the world, thats the age where youre supposed to stop being reckless. Youre supposed to have figured out that fire burns. And yet, there I was, thirty years old, standing on the edge of the Pacific, watching the tide come in.

It wasn't raining. The sun was mild, filtered through a haze of gray clouds, but I still held my umbrella up like a shield. Ewan stood beside me, draped in a cashmere overcoat that cost more than most peoples cars.

"So, you actually came," he said.

I didn't answer. I just watched the water. The setting sun hit the waves, turning the ocean into a sheet of hammered gold, shimmering and restless. A breeze kicked up, and I caught his scent.

Spring Embers.

It was the fragrance I had custom-blended for him years ago. I hadn't expected him to still be wearing it.

I felt a ghost of a tremor in my hands as he continued, "Does this mean what I think it means?"

Does it? I didn't know.

I just remembered two years ago, when Id burned our world down in a fit of rage and left him for the second time. Ewan had just caught my wrist, his expression maddeningly calm, and tucked a stray hair behind my ear with a smile.

"When the regret hits you, go back to where we first met," hed whispered. "Ill be there to pick you up."

Back then, I thought that was love. I thought it was his way of saying hed always wait for me.

Now, I saw the truth. He didn't care why I screamed, and he didn't care why I left. He just wanted to witness my eventual surrender. He was addicted to the sight of me regretting my independence because he was certain I couldn't survive without him.

When I didn't offer an answer, he didn't push. He never did. He just said, "Walk with me."

He didn't wait for a reply. He just started walking. I watched his silhouette for a moment, then looked at the sun dipping below the horizon. Then, I followed.

I did regret leaving. But not for the reasons he thought. I regretted leaving because, when I walked away, I hadn't taken a single cent of what he owed me.

I went back to him. Still no ring, no title, no "Mrs."

At first, the novelty of the reunion gave him a high. He took me everywhere. He introduced me to his inner circle as "the one he was going to spend his life with."

Everyone laughed. I laughed, too.

Later that night, I stepped out to use the restroom, and as I walked back toward the private lounge, I heard the muffled voices of his friends through the heavy oak door.

"So, is the king finally retiring his jersey? I dont buy it," someone joked.

Ewan let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. "Give me a break. Ive cycled through enough of them to know that Jo is just... easier. Shes intuitive. Shes smart. She knows what I need before I even have to say it."

There was a pause, the sound of a lighter clicking. "If I actually have to get married one day, shes the logical choice. Even if her little tantrums are getting a bit exhausting."

See? Theres no such thing as a reformed playboy. Theres just a tired runner looking for a place to sit down.

The room went quiet for a beat before another friend spoke up. "Ill put money on it. Ewan won't last a month this time."

Suddenly, the room turned into a sportsbook. One month. One week. Six months. Ewan told them all to go to hell, but he didn't stop them. He even threw a stack of bills on the table himself. "One year," he declared.

I felt a laugh bubbling up in my chest. I couldn't help it.

The door opened, and a server nearly bumped into me. "Oh! Ma'am, are you going in?"

The room went dead silent. I pushed the door open and scanned the faces of the men sitting there. They were looking at me with that pathetic kind of pity, waiting for the explosion, waiting for me to scream at Ewan and make a scene.

Instead, I walked straight to the table. I took the black card Ewan had given me as a "welcome home" gift and tossed it onto the pile of cash.

"Ill bet two weeks," I said.

A playboy might never change his spots, but a dog will always return to his vomit. Its the law of nature.

The shock in the room was palpable. Ewan sat there, his face darkening into a mask of cold confusion. I leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Don't look so serious, darling," I whispered. "Were all just having a bit of fun, aren't we?"

His brow furrowed. I knew exactly why he was unsettled. I was using his own lines on him. Whenever I used to get upset about the rotating cast of women in his life, hed kiss me just like that and tell me not to be so sensitivethat it was all just a joke.

Now, I had learned the script. Its hard work making a living off a man like him, and its even harder to swallow the pride that comes with it. But as long as the lights are off and the checks clear, you can learn to tolerate almost anything.

Ewan wasn't happy, though. That night, he wrapped his arms around me from behind in the dark. "You don't believe a word I say anymore, do you? Jo, this time... its real."

I didn't tell him if I believed him or not. I just turned in his arms and kissed him again. "I know."

There are a lot of ways to "spend a life" with someone. Being a quiet ghost in his bed was just one of them.

I lost the bet.

Ewan lasted two weeks. He actually lasted six months. For half a year, he was a saint. No late nights, no mysterious "business dinners," no perfume on his collar that wasn't mine.

People started whispering that the lion had finally been tamed. They told me I was lucky, that Id hit the jackpot by catching him at the right time.

Lucky? I didn't think so.

Sure enough, in the seventh month, Ewan came back from a business trip with a girl in tow. A recent college grad.

"This is Penny. Shes a new intern. Find a place for her," he said, avoiding my eyes as he spoke.

I looked at her. She was young, vibrant, and had that specific look in her eyesthe look of someone who thinks shes the first person to ever discover fire. I saw my own ghost in her.

"Which department, Ewan?" I asked.

He finally looked at me. We stared at each other for a long, heavy moment. The silence grew so awkward that even Penny started to fidget.

"Wherever you think is best," Ewan snapped, then turned and walked away.

Wherever I think? Right.

I turned to Penny. She was beaming at me with that dangerous kind of innocence. "He told me he wanted me to work directly under him," she said.

I nodded. Her fate was already decided. Why he felt the need to go through the charade of asking me was almost funny.

I gave the King what he wanted. I placed the intern right in his shadow.

That evening, when he got home, he pulled me into a hug. "Are you jealous?"

I looked down at the pot of soup I was stirring, shaking my head slowly. "No."

And I meant it. Id seen this movie before. I knew the ending. But Ewan didn't like my composure. He wanted the fire. He wanted the fight.

"Don't be jealous," he murmured, trying to soothe me. "Theres nothing going on. I just saw potential in her at the branch office and brought her back. You know I have a weakness for talent. Don't make things difficult for her just to spite me, okay?"

I listened to him, and the irony was almost too much to bear. This wasn't a comfort; it was a warning.

But I couldn't blame him for being cautious. I had a history, after all. Id once made life a living hell for an assistant I thought was crossing the line. I understood his fear.

I turned around, draped my arms around his neck, and kissed the tip of his nose. "I won't. I promise."

Ewan didn't say anything. He just stared at me, a flicker of somethinguncertainty, maybecrossing his eyes. I ignored it and smoothed his lapels.

"Dinners almost ready. Go wash up."

He didn't move immediately. He stood in the kitchen doorway for a minute or two, watching me with a look of deep suspicion. It was as if he was searching for the "old" me, the one who would have shattered the soup tureen over his head.

When he finally left, I caught my reflection in the dark kitchen window. I was smiling perfectly.

Ewan didn't realize that the betthe one about when hed get bored of mehad never actually ended. But this time, I wasn't betting on him failing. I was betting on him staying.

When you can't get love, you might as well get equity.

He kept telling me there was nothing with Penny, but soon he was leaving me behind to take her on trips and to gala dinners. He gave her the best team, personally coached her on her first deals. Anything she wanted, Ewan handed to her on a silver platter. Including a major contract I had spent two weeks of overtime securing.

In his office, Ewan stood with his back to me. "The Henderson account is ready for signing, right?"

"Yes," I said.

"Package the files. Give them to Penny to handle the closing."

"Penny is an assistant," I said, glancing at her. She was standing by his desk, giving me that wide-eyed, "innocent" smile. "Since when do assistants close six-figure deals?"

Ewan still wouldn't look at me. "Thats not your concern. Just get the files to her. Now." He paused, finally turning around. "Jo, youre a senior lead. Mentoring new talent is part of your"

I cut him off with a soft nod. "Fine. The files are ready. She can come to my office and pick them up."

Now it was Ewans turn to be stunned. He looked at me, searching for the crack in the armor. "Is that it?"

I smiled. "What else would there be?"

He looked away, muttering, "Nothing."

As I left the office, Penny scurried after me. Once we were out of his earshot, she skipped up to walk beside me.

"Im so sorry, Jo. Truly. Ewan says I need the 'experience,' and he insisted I take this client. I really didn't have a choice." She was practically glowing.

I kept my voice polite. "Its fine."

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a sugary whisper. "Youre actually dying inside, aren't you?"

I stopped walking and looked at her.

The innocence was gone. Her face was twisted into a smirk. "Why do you keep up the act, Jo? Everyone knows how you got to where you are. Were the same, you and I. But you should probably face facts: you can't compete with me. Im young. Youre... well, youre past your expiration date."

If thirty was expired, Ewan belonged in a museum.

I laughed softly. "Youre right. I can't compete with a girl who has to steal her wins because she doesn't have the talent to earn them. Good luck, you useless little brat."

The color drained from her face. When she snatched the files from my hand, the smugness was gone.

I wasn't angry. Stealing a contract is easy. Managing a client like Henderson? That takes actual skill.

Sure enough, forty-eight hours later, the explosion happened. Henderson pulled the account and issued a formal statement: they would never work with Ewans firm again.

Penny was hysterical in Ewans office. "I... I didn't know he was so sensitive about the materials! I was just trying to save the company money! I didn't think hed care about a minor substitution... Jos files didn't say anything about it!"

She had tried to swap out high-grade raw materials for cheap alternatives to pad the margins. In the world of luxury manufacturing, thats the ultimate sin. And she had the nerve to call it "saving money."

I watched her cry and had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

"The notes were in the file, Penny," I said calmly. "Page ten, point six. 'Never substitute grade.' Should I have used a highlighter? Or maybe a larger font?"

Penny wailed harder. Youth is a weapon, and tears are its ammunition. Ewan immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her from me.

"Thats enough!" he barked. "Snide remarks aren't helping anyone right now!"

He looked at me with a coldness that would have frozen my blood a year ago. "I don't care how you do it, Jo. Fix this. Get Henderson back."

In the old days, I would have thrown my badge at him. Now, I just nodded. "Understood."

Ewan didn't get home until 9:00 PM that night.

He handed me a small velvet box. Inside was a pair of diamond studs. It was his version of an olive branchand a warning. It was him telling me to take the bribe and shut up.

I took them, glanced at them, and set the box on the entryway table.

"You don't like them?" he asked, his voice tight.

I gave him a bored smile. "Theyre fine."

Ewan frowned. "Then why aren't you wearing them?"

"Oh, I don't really wear 'bonus' gifts."

"They aren't a bonus"

I pulled out my phone and pulled up a text thread from Penny. I held it out so he could see.

"Penny told me they were a 'gift with purchase,'" I said. "She said I was so 'affordable' that I only deserved the freebies."

The screen showed a photo Penny had sent me of a high-end necklace Ewan had bought her. The caption read: Ewan bought me this, and he got something for you too, Jo! But its just the free gift they give to big spenders. He told me youre so cheap, you wouldn't know the difference anyway.

Ewans face went pale, then a mottled red. He opened his mouth to defend himself, then closed it.

He looked at me, his voice a low rasp. "And youre not angry?"

I looked up at him, tilting my head. "Why would I be? Youre both right. I am cheap. I mean, look at me. I came back to you for absolutely nothing. Id say thats a pretty low price tag."

"Stop smiling!"

Ewan suddenly roared, his composure snapping. "How can you sit there and smile while people call you cheap?"

My smile didn't waver. "Why shouldn't I? Youre the one who started saying it first."

Ewan had no comeback for that. He stared at me for a long beat, then turned around and slammed the door as he walked out.

Really, I don't know what he was so worked up about. I wasn't even mad.

Ewan didn't come home for days.

His phone stayed silent. No texts, no "where are you" calls. In the past, if he vanished for twenty-four hours, I would have blown up his phone. This time, I didn't send a single message.

I went about my life as if he didn't exist.