Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hate To Love: The CEO's Regret: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

LAURA’S POVMy mind kept drifting to the text I had received earlier. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t Elijah. I had seen his body. I couldn’t watch as they lowered it—I left without looking back. I was too shattered.Nine p.m. was closing in. I wore a peach hoodie, a pair of black ripped jeans, and some sneakers. The cold bit into my skin, but I didn’t flinch. I was getting used to the approaching winter.I grabbed my keys. The cold metal clicking on my fingers barely made me shiver and drove out. My mind buzzing with thoughts. Deep down, I hoped it was Elijah. I felt my tummy twist unconformably. I was nervous and scared The coffee shop was still open. The seats were empty—except for one. A man in a black hoodie, his head bowed, eyes glued to his screen.I walked closer… then I saw the ring. The same ring Elijah wore. Our wedding ring.Chills crawled over my skin. My hands trembled as I took each step forward.If this is a ghost or a dangerous person, I’m tossed, I tho

LAURA’S POV “Richard, what is he talking about?” Elijah snapped, his cold gaze hardening by the second.A paramedic rushed to Richard. “Sir, permission to proceed to the hospital—we’re running out of time.”Richard nodded, and the vehicles sped off with Elane.I remained on the roadside with Elijah. Liam’s car was parked nearby. Astrid, now standing, was immediately restrained by officers. A devilish smirk twisted her lips.“Tell them what you did,” Liam spat. “Didn’t you force her to abort my child? Astrid and I were dating! We had a slight misunderstanding—and you, Elijah, welcomed her with open arms. You even sent your own wife to jail for her. She was already pregnant by the time you let her into your home!”My mind flashed to the moment I saw the pregnancy test in her purse—Liam Styles written on it.“You’re the Liam Styles on that test?” I asked, confused.Elijah’s glare landed on me.“You knew and hid it from me?” His voice cracked. “I thought she was carrying my child, but sh

LAURA’S POV The flight to Lanesville was a long one, but we eventually arrived. I looked out at the side of the plane and my heart sank. I had forgotten how it felt to be home.We made our way out and into the car that was waiting for us. I had made all the necessary arrangements.The driver was fixated on the road. My father kept staring at Mom's wallet picture. A sad look on his face.The warm air, the breezy moment…..everything reminded me of how this small little town once traumatized me.I checked the time. It was noon.The road to our home had changed slightly. Most houses were renovated, while some looked abandoned…like no one had lived in them for years. It felt like a ghost town.“So much has changed,” I commented.“Yes, it’s been a while,” my father replied, his face going pale. He looked into my eyes, and all I saw was regret. His wrinkled face bore into mine. I felt empathy for him.“I never thought I would come back here. And yet, here I am…with hope that Mom may still b

LAURA’S POVI sat on the cold hospital bench, arms wrapped tightly around myself.Sleep was out of the question. My thoughts were too loud, my heart too heavy.Elijah Reed.My husband.My enemy.And yet, I craved him tonight.We’d crossed a line before I left for Lanesville—when he kissed me like he owned me, when we made love like we hated and loved each other at the same time.It wasn’t just sex.At least… not for me.But this wasn’t about Elijah tonight.This was about my mother.The memory of her frail body being pulled from that underground hideout clawed at my mind. Her wrists were bruised. Her lips cracked. The woman who raised me was half-alive, thanks to Elane Hooper—the same woman who’d married my father after my mother was thrown into jail.Now Elane was in custody, along with Astrid.Ethan, Elijah’s brother, was locked up too for trying to kill him.Yet somehow… I didn’t feel safer.Because monsters don’t disappear that easily.They hide in plain sight.My phone buzzed in

LAURA’S POV The night air slapped me in the face as I left the bar, heels clicking against the pavement, my heart shattering with every step. So this was it. I thought Elijah and I had turned a corner. But I was wrong. The taste of his lips was still on mine, yet the word “divorce” echoed louder in my mind than anything else. I wrapped my arms around myself as the truth unraveled again. Those divorce papers weren’t new. They’d been prepared months ago—when I was rotting in a jail cell, accused of trying to harm Astrid. Even now, knowing Astrid framed me, the sting of betrayal still lingered. And Aunt Ivy? She wanted the divorce finalized. Tonight’s kiss meant nothing to her. Because Richard—Elijah’s trusted bodyguard—was still behind bars. And Ivy blamed me for that, too. ***** ELIJAH’S POV I slammed my fist on the bar counter the second Laura walked out. “Another,” I barked at the bartender. But no drink could numb this mess. I never meant for her