บททั้งหมดของ A Regret too Late: บทที่ 561 - บทที่ 570

The moment Richard's deep eyes met Maria's, the haze lifted and panic flashed through her."Mari..." Richard began. "Aaaah!"In that instant, the last thread of Maria's sanity snapped."Why are you here?!" Maria's voice was sharp. She grabbed the pillow and hurled it at Richard's face as hard as she could. "Get out! Get out now!"Richard tumbled off the bed, stunned by the blow. He ignored the arm that had been hit and scrambled to explain, stuttering, "Mari! Listen to me! It's not what you think!""Not what I think?!" Maria trembled in rage. "Then what is it? Did I beg you to come? How shameless can you get?! You took advantage of me while I was unconscious! How are you any different from scum like Melvin?""I didn't!" Richard snatched his shirt up from the floor and yanked it on. He was flustered, not bold enough to look at the marks on her body. "You were in danger last night! Cameron is the one who called me!""Cameron?" Maria froze, staring at him in disbelief. "You're ly

Once Maria was home, she buried herself in a mountain of design drafts.She poured all her energy into work to keep her mind from going insane, using constant work to numb herself and deliberately shutting out Richard and everything that had happened at the hospital.The sky was clear on the day Richard was discharged. He had just finished getting dressed when the door was carefully pushed open.Jonathan peeked in. "Dad?"Seeing Jonathan, Richard was a little surprised. To think the boy had actually snuck into the hospital behind Eleanor's back. Jonathan ran to the side of the bed, his face tight with worry. He pointed at the bandage on Richard's hand and asked, "Dad, is your hand better yet? Does... Does Mom know you got hurt?"Trent, standing nearby, couldn't hold back anymore. He had come to pick Richard up from the hospital. He spoke up for Richard, furious."Your mom? She doesn't care about your dad. He got hurt because of her, and she hasn't even come to see him once th

Eleanor saw Maria and Jonathan, too. She narrowed her eyes, taking in the gentle scene between mother and son. Every alarm bell inside of her rang.It was too much of a coincidence.Jonathan had just left her place that morning, and he was having the time of his life at an amusement park with Maria by afternoon? That so-called "excuse" about having something to do had clearly just been something Eleanor made up. Now, why were these two here together?Frowning, Eleanor walked toward them.Jonathan froze for a heartbeat when he saw her, then snapped into motion. In the next second, he yanked his hand out of Maria's grip as if shocked. He stepped back two paces and raised his voice, sharp and piercing. "I told you to stay away from my dad! I only recognize Eleanor as my mom!"Maria had to admit Jonathan was a great actor. As Eleanor came closer, she quickly faked a hurt look.When Jonathan saw Maria's reaction, he played it up even more. He pointed his finger at her, looking f

Richard caught up with Maria at the corner of the street just as she was about to leave. "Mari!" He stepped in front of her, his voice low and firm. "I might not be able to go after Eleanor yet, but I'll make sure the one who drugged you pays the price."Maria felt a tugging feeling in her heart at his promise, but her expression stayed icy. Hearing the words "drugged" made the nausea surge up from deep inside. The breathless images from that night flashed through her mind, and she felt a rush of embarrassment and anger.She turned away, her tone flat and distant. "This is my problem. I don't need your help.""I know you don't." There was a bitter humility in Richard's voice. "Mari, I'm not trying to trade this for your forgiveness. I just… I just can't stand watching anyone hurt you again. Even if I'm not the one stepping in front of the danger for you, I still want to make sure that it never shows up again. This… This is the only thing I can do for you. Are you going to take eve

Willow hung up the phone. His usually stern expression loosened at once, breaking open in gloating delight.Cameron could tell Willow and Maria had something to discuss, so he gave them a calm smile and got ready to take his leave.As Willow watched the easy atmosphere now appearing between Maria and Cameron, he could not help but ask, "You two…made up?"Maria shook her head without embarrassment and answered evenly, "Not really. Cameron and I talked things through. We decided to be friends.""Friends?" Willow's smile instantly collapsed, replaced by deep regret. He let out a heavy sigh as he continued, "What a shame. I always thought he was the best match for you."Maria didn't want to stay on that topic. Curiosity laced her voice. "What did you hear on that call, anyway? You looked so happy."The satisfaction on Willow's face could no longer be hidden. "That scumbag Melvin got drunk in a bar, and someone beat him so badly his leg is broken! He's lying in a hospital bed whining