TOO LATE

Chapter Six

Too Late

Abe

Regret was a funny thing.

People always talked about it like it arrived all at once.

Like a lightning strike.

Like some dramatic realization that changed everything overnight.

In reality?

Regret came in pieces.

Tiny little reminders scattered throughout your day.

A song.

A scent.

A restaurant.

A laugh that sounded almost like hers.

And every single one felt like a knife.

I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office.

The city stretched endlessly below.

Millions of people.

Thousands of opportunities.

Hundreds of women.

Yet somehow the only person occupying my mind was Diane Cooper.

Again.

My assistant knocked lightly before entering.

"Mr. McCarthy?"

I didn't look away from the window.

"What?"

"Your ten o'clock is here."

"Send them in."

The meeting lasted an hour.

Then another.

Then another.

By noon, I'd signed three contracts and negotiated two separate acquisitions.

Normally, that would've been enough to keep my attention occupied.

Today it wasn't.

Because every spare second my mind wandered back to her.

To the meeting.

To the way she'd looked at me.

Or rather...

The way she refused to.

My office door opened again.

Marcus walked inside carrying coffee.

"You look obsessed."

I groaned.

"Why are you here?"

"Friendly concern."

"You don't have friendly concern."

"Fair point."

He sat across from me.

I immediately knew where this was going.

"Diane?"

"Diane."

I hated that he was smiling.

"Stop."

"No."

I leaned back.

Marcus took one sip of his coffee before speaking.

"You're in trouble."

"I'm aware."

"No, I mean actual trouble."

I rubbed my face.

"Why?"

"Because you finally met the woman who got away."

I laughed humorlessly.

"She didn't get away."

His eyebrows rose.

I immediately regretted speaking.

Marcus noticed.

Of course he noticed.

"What does that mean?"

I sighed.

"It means she didn't leave because she stopped loving me."

Silence.

"She left because I gave her no choice."

Marcus didn't say anything.

Which somehow felt worse.

Because for years I'd convinced myself Diane simply fell out of love.

It was easier.

Less painful.

Less shameful.

The truth was much harder to live with.

The truth was that she'd loved me right up until the very end.

And I'd still managed to lose her.

"That's rough."

I laughed bitterly.

"Yeah."

Marcus studied me.

"You know what bothers you the most?"

I looked up.

"What?"

"She's happy."

I opened my mouth.

Then closed it.

Because damn it.

He was right.

That was exactly what bothered me.

Not because I wanted her unhappy.

Never that.

But because for years I'd secretly believed she couldn't move on.

Couldn't forget me.

Couldn't replace me.

Then she walked into that conference room looking stronger than ever.

More successful than ever.

And apparently dating some perfect boyfriend.

Meanwhile I'd spent years trying to recreate what I had with her.

And failing.

Every.

Single.

Time.

My phone buzzed.

An email notification.

I glanced down.

The sender made my heart immediately jump.

Diane Cooper.

Professional.

Simple.

Nothing personal.

Just project updates.

Yet somehow seeing her name still affected me.

Pathetic.

I opened the message.

Read it once.

Then twice.

Then a third time.

Marcus watched the entire thing.

"Dude."

"What?"

"You smiled."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

I threw a pen at him.

He dodged it easily.

Laughing.

Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.

There was something ridiculous about the effect she still had on me.

A simple email shouldn't improve my mood.

Yet somehow it did.

The realization annoyed me.

Thirty-five years old.

CEO.

Millionaire.

And still acting like a lovesick college kid.

Speaking of college...

Another memory surfaced.

One I hadn't thought about in years.

I smiled despite myself.

"What?"

Marcus asked.

I shook my head.

"Nothing."

"That's a lie."

I leaned back in my chair.

"Diane used to send me reminders."

His expression softened.

"Yeah?"

"Every day."

The memory became crystal clear.

Twenty-year-old Diane sitting in the library.

Frowning at my planner.

"You forgot your presentation."

"I didn't forget."

"You literally left it in your dorm."

"I was testing you."

She'd thrown a pencil at me.

I laughed quietly.

God.

She'd taken care of everything.

Not because I asked.

Because she wanted to.

And somehow I never appreciated it enough.

Not until she was gone.

"You're doing it again."

I blinked.

"What?"

"Looking at her through rose-colored glasses."

Marcus wasn't wrong.

There had been problems.

A lot of them.

Mostly caused by me.

Still...

The good memories refused to disappear.

I remembered dancing with her in our apartment kitchen.

I remembered helping her study.

I remembered her falling asleep on my shoulder.

I remembered talking about our future until sunrise.

Marriage.

Kids.

Growing old together.

At one point I genuinely believed those things were guaranteed.

Maybe that was my biggest mistake.

Assuming she'd always be there.

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

My assistant entered.

"Sir?"

"What?"

"The joint project team is arriving in fifteen minutes."

My pulse immediately sped up.

Pathetic.

Again.

Marcus stood.

"Oh this should be fun."

"Get out."

He laughed.

"Try not to stare."

I flipped him off.

He laughed even harder.

Then left.

Leaving me alone.

Alone with anticipation.

Fifteen minutes.

That's all.

In fifteen minutes I'd see Diane again.

Hear her voice again.

Watch her walk into the room again.

And despite everything...

Despite the mistakes.

Despite the hatred.

Despite the boyfriend.

A dangerous thought settled inside me.

I wasn't ready to let her go.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

And for the first time since our reunion...

I decided something.

I wasn't going to spend this project simply regretting the past.

I was going to fight for her.

The only question was whether I was already too late.