Too Late for Regret: My Husband and My Son의 모든 챕터: 챕터 71 - 챕터 80

Julian's POV How could I ask Ophelia to understand when I myself couldn’t understand the direction of my own heart?I shifted farther into the room, closing the door quietly, as if even the smallest sound could shatter something already fragile. I lay back on the bed without turning on the light. The ceiling above me was only a vague shadow, but my mind was too bright and too loud.Ophelia.Her name spun in my head along with memories that once felt certain. Light laughter in the mornings. Short conversations that felt sufficient. Simple plans I thought were the future. All of it was real. And precisely because it was real, the guilt cut deeper.I had hurt her. Not with shouting or obvious betrayal, but with something far crueler: emotional absence. By choosing to be elsewhere when she was standing right in front of me.I exhaled and closed my eyes. Vivienne’s image appeared uninvited, her pale face, her trembling embrace, the tears I held against my shoulde

Ophelia's POV I wiped my tears quickly when I heard Julian’s footsteps outside the room. A soft knock on the door made my chest tighten.“Ophelia?” he called.I stood, staring at his silhouette behind the frosted glass door. My body trembled faintly. Part of me wanted him to pull me into his arms, apologize and reassure me that I still mattered most.But another part of me felt unready to hear anything at all.Because whatever came out of his mouth next might destroy me even more.I looked at Maximilian one last time, then whispered, “I just want to be loved. That’s all ”I wiped away the remaining tears, steadied my breath, and walked toward the door, hoping I still had a place in Julian’s life. Yet deep down, I was afraid the answer would no longer be what I hoped for.Hesitantly, I opened it.Julian looked exhausted, like someone who had just lost his sense of direction. But his expression changed the moment he saw my face. His eyes, once co

Julian's POV I woke up far earlier than usual. It was still dark outside, the curtains untouched, the room cold. But what pulled me from sleep wasn’t the air, it was the weight in my chest, the sense that whatever I had done last night hadn’t truly resolved anything.I had been honest with Ophelia. I had told her the real reason Vivienne was sick. A brain tumor. That was why I couldn’t walk away from her, even while trying to build something with Ophelia. That should have been enough, right? It should have made everything clearer. And yet, somehow, it didn’t feel that way.I stared at the ceiling, letting my thoughts drift without direction. The clock ticked softly, each second a reminder that time was moving forward while I remained stuck caught between two lives I couldn’t merge.Honestly, I had hoped that telling Ophelia the truth would bring some relief. Like loosening a knot that had been tightening around my chest for too long. Instead, what remained was a sha

Julian's POV I hugged Maximilian, feeling his small body shake with emotion. “Yes, Maximilian. Today.”He hugged me back tighter than usual. As if he were afraid that if he let go, my words would disappear like a morning dream.“Dad, I miss Mom Vivienne,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I miss her so much.”My chest tightened. I know, sweetheart. But I couldn’t say it. I could only rub his back and nod slowly.“Me too,” I finally said. “That’s why today we’re going to Mom’s place. We’ll see Mom Vivienne together.”He lifted his face, wet with tears he hadn’t realized were falling. “Really?”“Really.”But beneath that certainty, I felt nervous. Afraid. A mix of emotions I couldn’t fully explain.Because I didn’t know how Vivienne would react to seeing both of us. I didn’t know if it would make her happy or only make things harder for her. I didn’t know whether this was the right decision, or one driven by guilt that never stopped gnawing at m

Vivienne's POV “Max.” That was all I could manage. In an instant, he was running toward me. His small body wrapped tightly around my waist so tightly I almost lost my balance, but I didn’t care. I held him, stroked his hair, felt his heart racing like that of a child terrified of losing something precious. I closed my eyes. Tears spilled freely. I missed him. God, I missed him so deeply. “Mom, really?” he asked, looking up at me, his face wet, his voice shaking. “Is this really Mom?” I smiled through my tears. “Yes, sweetheart. It’s Mom.” Maximilian cried harder, hugging me again. “Mom, I missed you. I missed you so much ” I bit my lip, holding myself together so I wouldn’t completely fall apart. “I missed you too. So much.” Then I felt his small hand move gently, touching my cheek, as if he needed to make sure I wouldn’t disappear. “Mom’s sick, right?” he whispered.