Chapter 37: His Regret

Alicia exhaled in relief when it seemed Alexander had finally picked up on the clues she’d planted. Done speaking, he turned to his daughter and said, “Sleep well,” then rose to his feet and left the room.

After he was gone, Alicia pulled out a photo of the real Catherine. She traced a thumb over Catherine’s face and murmured, “I’m going to fulfill your dreams. It won’t be long. Those who turned your life into a living hell will regret everything they did to you.”

She paused, sighed, and whispered, “Now I understand why you were so strong. Facing what you faced… it would take unimaginable strength not to give up or lose yourself.”

The next morning, Alicia had breakfast with her family as usual, then headed to the company in Andy’s car. Just like the day before, Ethan pulled up and got out.

He ran after Alicia, who kept walking steadily without looking back. He reached out as if to grab her, but when he noticed the bandage around his own wrist, he pulled his hand away and said, “You claim you’re not Alicia. Then why are you telling your fiancé to pull his investors and end all cooperation with my company? You might fool others, but you can’t fool me. I know you’re Alicia, not Catherine.”

Alicia kept moving, silent, not even bothering to respond. Irritated by being ignored, Ethan pushed on, “Your dad is dying, Alicia—and your brother and sister are gone. Are you really going to watch them suffer without helping? What kind of—”

Alicia turned then and leveled him with a cold, cutting look that silenced him on the spot. The fierceness in her eyes terrified him; he hardly dared to breathe.

She withdrew her gaze and walked away. Only after she disappeared from sight did Ethan come back to himself. The chill along his spine faded, and the shock ebbed.

A bead of sweat slid down his back. His face flushed with embarrassment as he scowled and muttered, “What happened to you in the past few years, Alicia? Why have you changed so much… and become even more dangerous?”

Ethan turned back, slid into his car, and drove straight to the company. When he stepped into his office, Emily was already there, seated and waiting. Her gaze lifted as he entered.

“Where have you been?” she asked, voice cold. “I’ve been in your office for forty minutes.”

“I went to take a breather,” Ethan replied evenly. “The pressure here is… a lot. I needed to let off some steam.”

Emily’s face said she didn’t believe him. She stood with deliberate grace, trailing a finger along the edge of his desk as she crossed the room. When she reached him, she stopped close—close enough to play with his tie, to smooth a button on his shirt.

“I believe you,” she murmured. “That you went out to take a breather. But…”

She didn’t finish. Instead, she leaned in, inhaled—just once—then stepped back and turned toward the door.

She had her hand on the handle when Ethan said, “I think it’s time you let Alicia and her family go. Those old couple… they’re suffering too much.”

Emily’s laugh was a sharp, disbelieving scoff. A deep frown tightened her features, then smoothed away as quickly as it came. “Really?”

Ethan said nothing.

She returned to him, cupped his face in her hands, and stared into his eyes. “Why do you suddenly care about those old couple? It’s been more than three years, and now you grow a conscience?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “What’s magically happening to you, dear husband?”

Her eyes were bloodshot and icy, her voice flat enough to raise goosebumps.

Ethan held her gaze. “We’ve done enough. I think they regret trying to shame us, and—”

Emily pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. He looked unhappy, but he didn’t move to stop her.

Emily brushed a kiss against his cheek, her voice dropping to a cold whisper. “It isn’t enough, Ethan. Anyone who crosses me pays for it with their whole life. I don’t let people off.”

She took three steps toward the door, paused, and added without turning, “Don’t bring this up again. If you do, I will be very angry.”

Her fingers closed around the doorknob.

“What if Alicia comes back?” Ethan asked suddenly.

Emily turned, eyes like knives. “Don’t say that name in my presence. If you do, I’ll throw you back onto the street.”

She opened the door and left.

Ethan stood there, fists clenched, shame and fury mixing in his chest. The more he thought about his choices, the more foolish they seemed. He slammed his fist against the desk.

“I fucked up,” he muttered. “I regret choosing Emily over Alicia. Alicia would never speak to me like that. After everything she did for me, she still treated me as her husband—with respect and honor. But Emily…”

His mind trudged through the years of his marriage, and he felt like a fool. “Emily never treated me like a husband or a partner—just a toy. I want children, but I can’t even think about it. She refuses. And when I tried keeping a mistress… they died. One after another, like it was a curse.”

He glanced at the walls. Photo after photo of Emily, or the two of them together, stared back. It made his skin crawl.

With heavy lids and a voice thick with regret, he whispered, “Alicia, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Save me from this marriage—this bondage. Since the day I betrayed you, I’ve suffered a fate worse than death. It’s been a living nightmare, and I want to wake up. How can I convince you to take me back?”