His regret; Too late to love me now ex-husband のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 81 - チャプター 90

Layla's POV.Liam insisted on driving me home. Of course he did.“I’m not letting you take another taxi,” he said as we left the cinema lobby. “you need to stop letting yourself worry too much," I’d tried to argue, but his smile had already disarmed me. So here I was, walking beside him toward the car park.Liam reached the car first, opened the passenger door, and gave me that old-fashioned half-bow that made my chest ache. “Your carriage awaits, my lady.”“Stop it,” I said, trying to laugh, though my voice shook.He grinned. “Never.”I slipped inside, clutching my bag against my lap. He shut the door gently and walked off toward the valet stand to retrieve his ticket.I took a slow breath, trying to steady my heart. It should’ve been a perfect end to a good night, but all I could feel was that cold pressure behind my ribs, the sense that someone was watching even now.I stared out the window at the blur of lights, forcing myself to relax. Liam would be back in a minute. Everything

Layla's POV.I hated that morning had to come, refusing me enough time to wallow in my misery.I hadn’t really slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face again. The shock. The hurt. The disbelief when I said those words.I lay still for a long time, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that what I’d done was right. That this pain... this hollow, aching pain — was the price of protecting him.But it didn’t feel noble. It felt like punishment.After what felt like forever laying on my bed and wishing morning hadn't come, I finally got up, my limbs heavy. The mirror by the dresser caught me mid-motion as I passed towards the bathroom, and I wished it hadn’t. My eyes were swollen, my hair a mess, the imprint of tears still staining my cheeks.I turned away quickly and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face again and again until my skin burned.When I finally looked up, I practiced a smile, a small one. One that I intended having on my face the entire da

Layla's POV.I’d been staring at the same document for nearly an hour, my eyes fixed but not seeing, the pen resting uselessly between my fingers.It had been days since that encounter with Liam.We haven't crossed paths since then, it was obvious he was trying to avoid me, he had also stopped attending the board meetings, and the few times he managed to be present, he seemed so lost in thought, not even a single contribution from him.What have I done? I leaned back in my chair and sighed, pressing the pen to my lips.My thoughts spiraled again... to Liam’s eyes when he looked through me like I was just another colleague, to every single thing that led to this ugly situation.A knock broke through my haze.“Come in,” I said, not looking up.The door opened, and a voice I hadn’t heard in a week but would recognize anywhere resounded against my ears.“Good morning, Layla.”I froze.My head snapped up.And there she was.Evelyn.Smiling like a cat that had just cornered a bird.For a m

Layla's POV.For a few seconds, I just stood there, frozen.My mind was trying to process what my eyes were seeing... Liam, the man who was always put together, always so sure of himself, sitting on the floor like a shadow of who he used to be.“Liam,” I whispered again, stepping closer. “What have you done to yourself?”He didn’t answer. His gaze shifted to the empty bottles beside him, then back to the one still dangling loosely in his hand.The sight made my heart twist painfully.I hurried forward and knelt beside him, carefully reaching for the glass. “Give me that.”He pulled it back slightly, his lips twitching into an expression that looked almost like a smile... a tired, broken one. “Didn’t expect you,” he murmured, voice rough.I swallowed hard. “You didn’t answer your phone. You haven’t been to work for two days, Liam. I was worried.”He huffed out a laugh, dry and bitter. “Worried? That’s new.”I winced. “Don’t do that.”“Do what?”“Talk like that. Like I don’t care.”He t

Layla's POV.For a moment, neither of us moved.Liam suddenly pulled back slightly, his brows knitting together. His hand was still on mine, but it had gone still, fingers tightening just a little as if to ground himself.“Blackmailed?” he repeated quietly, his voice low.I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “yes.”He went rigid. His jaw clenched. “By Evelyn?” he said again, this time louder.I nodded, barely able to meet his eyes.His hand slipped from mine, and he took a slow step back, his entire body tightening like a bowstring pulled too far. “Layla… what did she do?”I opened my mouth, but no words came.He took another step toward me, his voice breaking the silence. “Tell me.”“She..." I started, then stopped, pressing my palms together. “She found out about us.”His eyes widened slightly. “What?”“She saw us, Liam,” I said, my voice trembling. “She had her suspicions at first, then she started following us secretly, she took pictures at the cinema. When you hugged me. When you…” I