Chapter 3 Shallow Regret

Damian's POV

I still couldn't shake the image of Nina falling to her knees on the cold marble floor, with tears streaming down her pale face as she begged me for a single week.

To be honest, the sight had disgusted me, but more than that, it had pissed me off because it was exactly what Vivian had warned me would happen.

Before she even boarded her flight back to the country, Vivian had given me a clear heads-up over the phone. “Nina is a master of emotional manipulation, Damian,” she had told me. “The second she feels cornered, she’ll turn on the waterworks. She’s a lazy, fat gold digger who uses her pitiful appearance to trick kind-hearted people into feeling sorry for her.”

And I had believed every single word because My grandfather had been the ultimate victim of her little innocent act, ultimately forcing me into a marriage with a woman who didn't even fit the elite social standards of my world.

Every time I took Nina to high-profile corporate galas, her heavier figure and plain style made me deeply uncomfortable under the burning judgment of my peers. I had let that superficial shame poison me, ignoring the fact that she spent every night waiting up for me with a warm meal.

"Save the tears, Nina," I had sneered at her earlier, forcing my voice to stay dead and cold. "You’re nothing more than a greedy gold digger who only cares about money."

But then, something happened that still bothered me. Nina’s face hadn't just gone pale… it had turned completely translucent, and her body had swayed violently before she hit the floor with a terrifyingly dull thud.

A sudden, sharp jolt of genuine panic had shot straight through my chest. "Nina!"

Before I could even think, I was on the floor beside her, pulling her into my arms. Her head had lolled back against my arm, her breathing shallow and weak and the sight had terrified me because In all the twelve years she had been in my life, she had always been a dependable, enduring force.

So Seeing her completely broken like this sent a chill down my spine.

Without wasting another second, I scooped her up into my arms and marched toward the front door, fully intending to drive her to the emergency room myself.

But just as I reached the door, the door swung open and Vivianhad suddenly walked in.

I froze in my tracks, completely shocked.. Because She wasn't supposed to be here until later in the evening.

Vivian smiled brightly at me, with her eyes sparkling. “Damian! I wanted to surprise you by taking an earlier flight—“

Her voice dropped off the second she noticed Nina cradled tightly against my chest. Her smile vanished, replaced by a sharp frown. “What are you doing?! Why are you holding her?!"

"She fainted," I explained quickly. "Right after I handed her the divorce papers. I need to get her to a hospital."

Vivian let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. "Oh, please, Damian. Put her down. She’s totally faking it."

"Vivian, she's completely unconscious," I said, my brows furrowing.

"Because she probably starved herself on purpose for the last three days because she knew this day was coming!" Vivian countered. "Trust me, I grew up with her after my parents adopted her. Nina has always used tricks like this. She loves making herself look weak and innocent so adults will pity her, while making me look like the bad guy. Don't fall for it."

I hesitated, looking down at Nina's closed eyes. A part of me still felt like something was genuinely wrong, and I wanted to be the one to ensure she was safe.

Sensing my hesitation, Vivian placed a gentle hand on my arm, her voice softening into a persuasive purr. "Sweetie, don't waste your own time on her. You have a company to run now. Just have one of the family drivers take her to the hospital. Throw her luggage in the back. Once she wakes up from her little 'performance' and realizes the cameras aren't rolling, she'll just leave."

I swallowed hard, and forced myself to harden my heart once again. Vivian was right. I couldn't let Nina manipulate me anymore.

"Fine," I muttered. I called for Thomas, one of our primary drivers, handed Nina over to him, and coldly instructed him to take her to the hospital.

Once the car pulled away, I went back inside with Vivian and She immediately started making herself at home, kissing my cheek affectionately before walking through the grand rooms.

But then, she started doing something that made me deeply uncomfortable. She began taking down every single wedding photograph of Nina and me, stacking them carelessly on the floor.

I silently watched frame after frame disappear from the walls and a strange, hollow emptiness began settling in my chest, almost like I was watching a chapter of my life being forcefully erased.

I quickly shook it off. Don't be an idiot, I told myself. This is what you wanted. Vivian, your real love… the girl who literally saved your life is finally home.

Vivian carried some of her things upstairs to the master bedroom, leaving me alone in the living room.

For an hour after that, I kept fighting with myself on whether to call the hospital and check up on Nina or not. After fighting myself for a long time, I decided to finally call them. It was just a quick check up, it didn’t mean I cared about her or anything.

But just when I began to dial the number… That was when the front door opened again and Nina walked back in.

I gasped slightly, genuinely shocked. I figured she would have checked herself into a hotel straight from the hospital. Instead, she stood in the doorway, looking incredibly pale but somehow entirely different.

There was a weird light in her eyes I had never seen before.

She opened her mouth to speak to me, but the sudden wave of irritation, and fear that my own resolve might weaken if she begged again, made me cut her off immediately.

I had snapped at her, speaking with double the cruelty just to force her away.

But before Nina could reply, Vivian floated down the stairs and stepped up right next to me.

And my jaw almost hit the floor.

Vivian was wearing a tight dress, but under the fabric, her stomach was prominently, heavily rounded. She looked like she was at least six months pregnant Which was a lie!

Because Vivian and I had never had sex before.

I stared at her belly in absolute disbelief. What the hell? She wasn't pregnant when I saw her a few minutes ago. So It was obviously, completely fake.

I opened my mouth to demand an explanation, but I caught myself. The last thing I was going to do was undermine Vivian and embarrass her in front of Nina. So, I forced my face into a mask of indifference and played along.

Vivian wrapped her arm around mine, proudly flaunting her fake bump.

I watched Nina's face drain of what little color it had left. And the sheer, unadulterated heartbreak in her eyes hit me way harder than I ever expected.

A sudden massive wave of guilt flickered in my chest, but I fought it down.

"Take the settlement money and leave," I told her, desperate to end this torture.

Nina didn't even argue after that, She just turned around, walked upstairs, and came back down a few minutes later.

She wasn't carrying a purse. She wasn't carrying a single bag. The only thing clutched tightly in her hand was a cheap, tarnished old silver necklace.

She walked over to the coffee table, quietly set down the signed divorce papers, and looked directly into my eyes.

"Goodbye, Damian," she whispered softly. "You won't have to worry about seeing me ever again."

"Good, because nobody's going to come looking for you anyway," Vivian smirked from beside me.

I didn't say anything; I just nodded, pretending to agree, even though the quiet dignity in Nina's broken expression was making it incredibly hard to breathe.

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the mansion, the front door clicking shut behind her.

"Yes!" Vivian squealed, lunging for the papers. "She signed it! It's officially over, Damian!"

As Vivian celebrated, my eyes drifted back to the coffee table. There was another piece of paper sitting there.

I walked over and picked it up, my heart doing a sudden, violent flip. It was the 10-million-dollar settlement check. It was entirely untouched.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated rapidly in my pocket.

Transaction Reversed: $15,000,000.00 has been returned to your account.

"Vivian," I breathed, my voice shaking as I showed her the screen. "She didn't take a single cent. She returned all of it."

Vivian barely glanced at it, before waving her hand dismissively. "Ugh, it's just another one of her sick mind games, Damian. She'll come crawling back begging for that money by tomorrow morning, wait and see."

I nodded slowly, trying to force myself to believe her, but the sinking feeling in my gut was rapidly turning into absolute dread.

Suddenly, my phone rang again. It was Marcus, my Vice President of Operations. I swiped answer immediately. "What is it, Marcus?"

"Damian, we have a massive problem," Marcus's voice came through the speaker, sounding completely frantic. "Someone just went on a massive hostile buying spree. They bought out an enormous block of Knight Group shares from several of our top independent investors in the last hour. "

I shot to my feet, my blood running cold. "What? Who authorized that? Who bought them? And why?!"

"That’s what we are investigating sir… But The buyer now holds enough shares to be one of the largest shareholders in the company, nearly matching your own equity," Marcus stammered. "And sir, the buyer is... it’s Carrington Enterprises. The CEO himself just personally signed off on the acquisition."

The phone felt heavy in my hand. Carrington Enterprises? The multi-billion-dollar dynasty that practically ran the country’s economy? Why would a predator of that scale suddenly target a mid-sized empire like the Knight Group?

And out of no where, a bizarre, chilling feeling suddenly settled deep in my chest. A feeling I couldn't explain or justify, but it gripped me tightly anyway.

This had something to do with Nina.

I looked toward the empty hallway, then back at Vivian, who was still smiling, completely oblivious to the storm brewing in my heart and mind.

And For the first time since this nightmare began, a terrifying thought echoed in the silence of my mind.

Had I just made the biggest mistake of my entire life?