One Last Regret

Elara and I were college schoolmates. While she was the belle of the Literature department, I was just one of the countless ordinary faces in the crowd.No. I was the one everyone avoided.We met at a campus party. I was being surrounded and bullied when Elara stepped in and pulled me out of it.While the other students tried to persuade her not to get involved, they told her I was a jinx. They said my father had fallen from a construction site when I was little and died.Two years later, my mother, who had depended on me, passed away from exhaustion and illness. I was sent to live with my elderly grandmother. There, I spent what little carefree childhood I had.When I was ten, my grandmother also died. From that day on, I was sent to an orphanage.Everyone there called me Jinx. They said all my relatives had died because I brought them misfortune. Everyone hated me and picked on me together.The only person who treated me kindly, the director, passed away from illness not long

When Elara found out about it, she charged straight to my apartment in a fury.The moment she stepped through the door, she started screaming at me, "Cassian! Have you lost your mind? You actually dared to cancel the wedding?"You’ve really grown bold. Have you forgotten how you used to grovel just to pursue me? It was something this small, and you’re calling off the wedding? Haven’t you made mistakes all these years?"As she spoke, she began smashing things wildly."I told you, I just didn’t want to leave regrets in my life. Can you stop being so old-fashioned? And you even told my parents about it. Aren’t you something?"I stood in the living room and watched her unravel in silence. The woman in front of me was nothing like the girl who once saved me from humiliation. For a fleeting second, I even wondered if she was truly that gentle girl at all. Or had someone else taken over her body?The thought made me laugh at myself. I must be losing it.I crossed the room in a few stri

After hearing that Elara and I had broken up, my business partner, Julian Hart, laughed and said we should celebrate.We sat at a roadside taco stand, eating tacos and drinking beer.After several rounds, he slung an arm around my shoulders. "Congratulations. You got out of an unhealthy relationship."I gave a bitter smile and clinked my bottle against his. "Even you could tell?"He clicked his tongue. "Anyone with eyes could tell. You were the only one too close to see it."I looked up at the setting sun in the sky. The only face that came to mind was hers. "She… she used to be really good."Julian glanced up at the sky as well. "People change. No one is indispensable."That night, we drank ourselves senseless.Through the haze, I saw Elara again. She was wearing a red dress, radiant as the sun, beautiful beyond compare. She smiled and reached her hand toward me."Cassian, don’t take their words to heart. None of it was your fault. You deserve all the beauty in this world."

I thought everything would end there. I underestimated Elara's shamelessness.To protect the baby, she publicly claimed the child was mine. She posted a tearful statement on social media. People who didn’t know the truth flooded my account. They cursed me freely and even dug up my past. They called me a walking disaster, saying anyone who got close to me would meet a terrible end. Some even urged her to escape me as soon as possible.Meanwhile, she played the role of the heartbroken woman. She said no matter what I became, as long as I was willing to come back, she would wait for me.I had to admire her acting.Overnight, she became the brave and kind single mother, whereas I became the scumbag who abandoned his wife and child.People found my home address and gathered outside, demanding I give her an explanation.However, I had already moved. When they couldn’t find me, they went to my studio instead.I looked at the furious crowd downstairs and calmly called the police, who

At the same time, Ivy, Julian, and I moved to Fairmont and began a new life.I held a grand wedding for Ivy there. As I watched her walk toward me, my heart filled with a satisfaction I had never known before. I thought that for the rest of my life, she and I would be happy.Two years later, our daughter, Tori Rowe, was born. She was practically a miniature version of Ivy, except for her temper, which she inherited from me.Julian came over every day just to hold my precious girl and dote on her. Sometimes it felt like he was the child’s real father.When Tori turned three, work brought Julian and me back to Ashton Bay. Ivy and Tori came with us.Five years had passed. The city felt both familiar and unfamiliar.I was shopping with Ivy and Tori at a mall when I saw Elara's parents. They greeted me politely.Just as they were about to exchange pleasantries, they noticed Ivy walking toward us, holding Tori’s hand. Their expressions stiffened. They looked at Ivy and Tori with unmis