All Chapters of A Regret too Late: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Maria slowly walked up to Jonathan."These past few years, it must have been hard for you to be my son."Hearing her speak softly, Jonathan almost wanted to laugh, but he forced himself to maintain a stern face."I haven't been a good mother. I forced you to do your homework, stopped you from playing video games, and didn't let you eat too much ice cream or junk food. I took away your freedom. Don't worry. From now on, I won't micromanage you anymore. If you like Eleanor so much, go ask her to be your mom. I don't mind at all," Maria said seriously, as if this was her final farewell.Her days were indeed numbered.A liar for a husband, a son who resented her. Her life was a complete and utter failure. Jonathan's face fell, and his brows knitted tightly. "Mom, you're just saying this on purpose because you're angry, right?"Maria averted her gaze, her voice cold. "No, I mean it. If you go call Eleanor 'Mom' right now, I won't mind at all. Just pretend I never gave birth to you."

Maria clutched the blanket, remembering when Trent had brought her that marriage certificate. She had been so happy as she took many photos of it, even hugging it to sleep. She had treasured it for seven years, only to find out it was fake.Her jaw tightened, eyes reddening from the sting.Before anyone could react, she picked up the marriage certificate and opened it."Wait!" Richard suddenly reached out; his usually calm voice was tinged with panic, his eyes flickering with unease.Maria gripped the certificate tighter, feeling nothing but irony. So brave to fake a marriage, but too cowardly to face it?"What's wrong?" she asked coldly.Richard took the certificate from her and handed it back to Eleanor, saying slowly and firmly, "Put your things away. Don't leave them lying around."Eleanor's face froze. She lowered her head, her voice low. "I… I didn't mean to…"Richard's gaze stayed locked on her guilty expression, brows slightly raised. "Come out, we need to talk."He tu

The hand that pushed Maria was small but surprisingly strong. Caught off guard, Maria stumbled forward, crashing right into the waiter."Oh no!"The waiter yelped, his arm swinging, and both glasses of wine spilled all over an ink painting.Eleanor and Richard hurried over, faces pale. "My Dance of Two Fishes painting is ruined! What happened?" Eleanor cried.The waiter, trembling, immediately pointed at Maria. "It was her! She bumped into me and the drinks spilled!"Eleanor clutched her chest in distress, clearly upset. "Maria, how can you be so careless?"Richard frowned at the ruined painting, but tried not to be too harsh. "She didn't do it on purpose."Maria said nothing, turning slowly to search the crowd for the small figure who had pushed her. The one who pushed her was Jonathan, and it looked like he didn't feel guilty at all. He lifted his chin and called out, "Mom, where are your manners? You ruined Eleanor's painting! Aren't you going to apologize?"Maria's gaze d

As Maria walked home, her mind replayed the scene of Richard defending Eleanor without a second thought.Even if the whole world doubted her, Richard would still choose to believe that woman.Right then, she got a text from Richard. "Go home and sleep early, we have things to do tomorrow. By the way, I probably can't make it back tonight."Maria looked down.Couldn't? Too busy in Eleanor's bed to come home, probably.Forget it. Someone like him wasn't worth her feelings. Anyway, there were only eight days left before she could finally leave.Maria took a shower and forced herself to lie down and rest. As soon as she closed her eyes, she thought of her carefree life overseas.Her brother ran the family business, giving her a world of her own. She focused on her music, became famous, and had a bright future ahead. She could have had a brilliant life. If only she hadn't met Richard!Her brother still didn't know how coldly her husband and son had betrayed her. She hated that

Richard was left speechless by Maria's response, but he quietly made a note of that name.After he left, Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad he hadn't found out about her and the doctor, or kept pushing her to come home.Suddenly, her phone rang.Maria steadied herself and saw that Jonathan's school was calling. Worried that something had happened like last time, she picked up. The teacher's voice came through. "Hello, is this Jonathan's mom? All the parents are here… Why didn't you come to join the parent-child event?"Maria paused, suddenly remembering she had promised Jonathan a month ago that she would join the school's parent-child event. Jonathan was lively and loved adventure, so he signed up for the indoor rock-climbing competition.But…Maria remembered that her doctor, Zack, had warned her that strenuous exercise could raise pressure inside her head. She immediately called Zack for advice.He immediately advised against it. "Don't! That would affect