All Chapters of His regret; Too late to love me now ex-husband: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Layla's POV. I had just slipped under the duvet, still warm from my shower, when I heard a faint sound of footsteps right outside my room. My heart stilled. At first, I thought it might be Adrian. He often roamed the halls late at night, mostly on calls. But this sound was… slower. Like whoever it was is trying to be careful not to make too much sound. And then came the softest knock. “Layla,” a voice whispered. Liam. My heart fluttered so fast it almost hurt. I hesitated for a beat before whispering back, “It’s open.” The door creaked slightly, letting in light from the hallway. Liam slipped inside, quiet as a shadow. He closed the door behind him, and suddenly, it was just the two of us... the air suddenly filled with that familiar tension we’d been drowning in for weeks. He was in a gray T-shirt and sweatpants, his hair slightly tousled, eyes soft and uncertain. “What are you doing here?” I whispered, sitting up. He smiled faintly. “Couldn’t sleep.” I rolled

Layla's POV. One thing about weddings is that they have a way of making you feel everything at once, but for me, nostalgia is all I felt as I stood before my mirror, fastening the clasp of my bracelet, preparing for a colleague's wedding reception, while reminiscing on that day I had foolishly given myself to Donald, I had been the happiest on earth not knowing the hell that awaited me. I tried to shake the thoughts off, it's all in the past now, and I've moved past that. I smoothed down my dress, I’d paired it with nude heels and small diamond earrings, my hair was curled loosely, falling over my shoulders in a way that would’ve made Liam say, “You look breathtaking.” Except he wasn’t the one picking me up tonight. Adrian was. The realization made me pause and sigh softly. It wasn’t supposed to matter... he was my brother, after all, but I’d gotten used to Liam’s small gestures: opening doors for me, the constant compliments after every few seconds, the way he looked at m

Layla's POV.The sounds of the reception faded behind me, replaced by the rustle of the garden trees swaying under the evening breeze.I took a deep breath, letting the cool air wash over me. My chest still felt tight from earlier... Mrs. Hartford's words, Evelyn’s arrival and her perfection, all of it clung to me tightly.“Layla.”I froze as I heard his voice behind me.I turned slowly to find Liam standing a few feet away, hands tucked into his pockets, his eyes searching mine.“Shouldn’t you be inside?” I asked quietly.“I was,” he said. “Until I realized you weren’t.”I looked away, hugging my arms to myself. “Needed air.”He took a few steps closer. “I figured.”We stood there for a moment, the silence stretching between us.Then he sighed. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” I frowned.He hesitated, then cleared his throat, “For her... For my mother, I'm sorry about the way she talked to you.”I smiled faintly, though it felt brittle. “You don’t have to apologize for her.”“I do,” he said

Layla's POV.I sat motionless, tapping the pen in my hand gently against the desk, my eyes peered into space.Last night replayed like a film I couldn’t pause.Evelyn's arrival.Mrs. Hartford’s voice as she said all those sweet things about Evelyn, yet couldn't even greet me right.I tried to lose myself in work, but every sentence I read blurred into another memory I didn’t want to relive.A knock on my door broke the cycle.“Come in,” I said, straightening my papers without looking up.The door opened softly.“Layla.”Hearing his voice, I froze, my pen halfway between my fingers. I didn’t have to look to know who it was... my body already knew.I looked up slowly, and there he was; Liam, standing just inside my office, hands in his pockets.“Morning,” I said carefully.“Morning,” he replied, closing the door behind him.Silence stretched between us, I couldn't even bring myself to look him in the eyes.Finally, he exhaled. “We need to talk.”“I figured,” I murmured. “you seemed kind

Layla's POV.“Alright,” I said, gathering the plates from the counter. “Let me help.”Liam turned from the sink, one eyebrow lifted. “Absolutely not. You’re the guest.”“You cooked,” I reminded him, stacking another dish. “So I’m helping.”“Layla.”“Liam.”We stared at each other for a second, daring the other to back down. He smiled first, and that was enough to make me grin too.“Fine,” he said, giving up with a dramatic sigh. “You can rinse. But only because you're really beautiful and you're driving me crazy right now." He mumbled with a charming smile on my face and I felt butterflies straight in my tummy." I rolled my eyes at him in fake annoyance. "You're impossible." He handed me a plate, still warm from the water. “Careful, it’s hot.”“I’m not completely useless in the kitchen, you know,” I said, rinsing it under the faucet.“I never said you were.”“You implied it.”He laughed softly. “Maybe a little.”We worked together in silence, trading glances, occasionally brushing h