All Chapters of A Regret too Late: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

After I was diagnosed with brain cancer, I discovered two things.One, my marriage certificate with Richard was fake. Two, the son I had raised for six years also knew—and he actually wanted someone else to be his mom.Only then did I finally realize that everything I had sacrificed in the seven years of my marriage—casting away my family and my name—had all been a complete joke.Before I decided to disappear from their lives for good, I did three things. Firstly, I canceled the seventh anniversary dinner I had planned a month ago, left my son's kindergarten group chat, and quit all the health groups I had joined for the two of them.Secondly, I spoke to my doctor, took a stress test, got specialty drugs, and made sure my health wouldn't stop me from making it overseas.Thirdly, I finally called my older brother after seven years of no contact. I told him that there was only pain after marrying so far away from home. I had been utterly wrong, and now, I wanted nothing more tha

Maria hailed a cab at the curb. While she waited, she started searching for flights, planning to go straight to the airport.At this time, her doctor called."Mrs. Shaw, when are you going abroad for your conservative treatment?"Maria stood under the dim streetlight, her silhouette long and thin on the pavement. She looked at her shadow and said, "Right now. I'm heading to the airport already."The doctor's voice was urgent. "You can't! You have a brain tumor, so the pressure inside your brain isn't normal. Getting on a plane might cause a lot of problems. You need a pressure test first."Maria froze. How could this be…? She had already decided to disappear tonight, and now, she couldn't leave after all.The doctor sounded relieved that he had reached her in time. "Come to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup. I'll assess whether you're fit to fly."The doctor hung up, and the cab arrived.The driver rolled down his window. "Miss, are you getting in?"Maria hesitated, then sai

Maria stood in the doorway. "You'll know after you give the letter a read. I'm not going back with you. Just go home."Richard ignored her and set her high heels in front of her. "Come on, Jonny's waiting for you. Come home with me.""He only wants someone to do his homework for him. If I don't, he'll find someone else tonight." Maria turned her face away. "Just go. I'm not going back."Without asking, Richard grabbed her ankle and dropped to one knee, his trousers creasing. "We both need you."Maria gave a bitter laugh. "Seems like you need Eleanor more. She fixed everything at school today, and Jonny listened to her."Richard's expression darkened, and he chuckled. "Are you jealous? No matter how good she is, she's not Jonny's mother.""She could be, if you wanted her to." Maria pushed him off.The amusement drained from Richard's face. He looked up at her. "What do you mean by that?""Why don't we get a divorce? You marry Eleanor and let her raise Jonny," she said casually.Richard

Maria's eyes trembled.Eleanor sounded so natural just now, like a wife talking to her husband about their son.Sunny Villa had been Maria and Richard's home for seven years, but the way Eleanor spoke made it feel like she was coming back to her home—not Maria's. And Jonathan, knowing Maria would worry about him so much, still lied about being sick to get her back…Maria's heart froze, turning ice-cold. Richard's face tightened, his tone laced with concern. "Maria, Eleanor only works at the company because…""You've got it all wrong, Maria," Eleanor cut in, stepping forward and warmly taking Maria's hand. "I'm just filling in for the secretary, Ivy Hill. I'll be here for just a few days while she takes care of her family during an emergency."Maria yanked Eleanor's hand back, her voice flat. "Did I say I misunderstood anything?"Eleanor's face stiffened for an instant before she smiled softly. "Jonny called me just now, saying you won't go back to help him with his homework.

The woman standing in front of Maria was Richard's aunt, Catelyn.If Richard's friend Trent was the sort who smiled and called her Mrs. Shaw in the open but didn't think anything of her in private, then Catelyn was blunt and consistent. The woman was openly hostile from day one. Since Maria married Richard, she had never seen a kind look from Catelyn.Catelyn had called Maria a homewrecker in private more than once, saying Maria was someone who slept her way up, got pregnant, and forced Richard to take responsibility. Maria was upset, but no matter how Maria tried to explain, she never won Catelyn's respect. Catelyn was Richard's only living relative, so Maria had to tolerate her.At the time, Maria couldn't understand why Catelyn spoke so harshly to her. Now, she did. All along, Catelyn had been telling the truth. The woman who was actually Richard's legal wife and had a marriage certificate with him was Eleanor. Maria was indeed an outsider occupying someone else's place—e