Semua Bab A Regret too Late: Bab 191 - Bab 200

"I'm sorry. It's my fault, Mari. I didn't handle my marriage with Eleanor properly. I didn't confess to you in time. I ignored you and made you suffer. It's all my fault... Can you give me a chance to make it up and to take care of you?" Richard begged desperately, his breathing growing heavier as the corner of his eyes remained wet.Maria smiled. She leaned forward and asked, "Does it hurt?"Richard closed his eyes and nodded in silence."I've been in this much pain every day for the past month. I won't forgive you, Richard. You no longer have the right to take care of me. Leave," Maria rejected him icily.She turned away, her back to Richard. "You should throw your delayed remorse and declarations into the bin. Don't use it to disgust me. Whatever happened to me after this has nothing to do with you.""I won't leave!" Richard yelled.He suddenly lost control and hugged Maria, not caring about anything. "Please give me a chance, Mari! I don't want to leave! Please..."He

Maria immediately thought of Robin.She and Robin told each other everything. If Richard forced Robin to reveal her whereabouts, Robin would have warned her ahead of time.Maria gave it another thought, then a name appeared in her mind.She held Willow's arm. "Will, do you remember your business partner from last time, Calvin Freeman? Has he returned to Sidonia already?"Willow nodded. "You suspect he told Richard? We'll know by asking."Maria's eyes darkened. She called Calvin and questioned him directly.On the phone, Calvin chuckled. "Even if you didn't call, I was going to tell you eventually. Richard did come to look for me and asked about a jewelry dealer from Norland. I told him that one of the owners of a company I work with happened to be named Willow Brooks.""So you were the one who told him." Maria clenched her fist, her eyes full of annoyance. "You do know that people who break their promises and betray others' trust will end well?""I didn't mean to, honestly. A

Maria paused after listening to Richard's call, thinking she had misheard him.Her tone was cold. "Stop playing tricks, Richard. You'll only disgust me even more by pestering me like this…""It's Jonny," Richard cut her off, closing his eyes. "Jonny's wound is infected. He needs emergency treatment, but my account is frozen and I can't pay the hospital bill. Can you lend me some money? I'll pay you back when I can transfer funds again."Maria fell silent for two seconds, slowly tightening her grip on the phone.She asked reflexively, "How did this happen?""I don't know. Jonny insisted on seeing you and wouldn't stop, no matter what. I had no choice but to bring him along. No one expected that things would go so badly, even before seeing you." Richard finished his explanation and waited, hoping for a response from Maria.Asking for money was just one of his objectives. He thought that Maria would soften toward him and Jonny. As long as she still had any sympathy, there was hope

Richard gave Trent a cold look. "This isn't the doctor's fault. It's probably genetic. My grandfather died of heart failure triggered by a minor operation. I wonder if it skips a generation."Trent's face grew darker. He let out a heavy sigh and slumped on the bench. "Maria's very sick, and so's Jonathan. You've been beaten up too, and you still have to handle the company and take care of Jonathan... How will you manage?"Richard clenched his fist. "I'll leave the company in the hands of the executive vice president and the managers. Three months should be fine. I'm going to stay to look after Jonny. Even if he wasn't sick, I would've stayed to take care of Maria."Trent felt upset when he heard all that. He patted Richard's shoulder, eyes filled with worry. "Do you want to tell Maria about this? Maybe if she hears how sick Jonathan is, she'll soften up."Richard recalled Maria's cold response on the phone. He closed his eyes, knowing it was almost impossible for her to com

Maria gave Willow a weak look. "Of course not, Will. I'm already dying. I don't have the time or energy to think about others.""Don't talk like that. You haven't decided about the surgery yet. If you go through with it, there's a high chance you'll survive and live a normal life. You'll live as long as us."Willow could no longer bear her pessimistic words anymore. He held her hand tightly. "Think about it again, Mari. I really want you to spend more time with me. I don't want to watch you waste away."There was a light in Maria's eyes as she looked away. "I... I'll think more about it. Speaking of which, aren't we going out to eat? Let's go."Willow sighed quietly and opened the car door for her.On the way there, Maria stared out the window, lost in thought. Even when she was having her meal, she seemed distracted as she continuously played with her phone.Only when a message came in did her tense expression finally ease. "Trent lied to me.""What?" Willow blinked as he p