All Chapters of CEO's Regret - Losing Valentina: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Valentina Saturday 7th February 2026By the time I showered and changed into an oversized T-shirts, the Bennett house had finally fallen quiet. The laughter. The excitement. The endless congratulations...Had given way to silence. I stood for a long moment in the doorway of my old room. Rhys was already asleep, sprawled diagonally across the middle of the bed like he owned it. I smiled. "Bed hog," I whispered fondly. Carefully climbing in beside him, I tucked the blanket around his tiny body before brushing the soft silky hair off his forehead. He stirred sleepily. One chubby little hand automatically searched for me. My heart melted. "Mama’s right here baby.” I cooed softly. I intertwined my fingers with his. His tiny hand closed around one of mine Safe. Certain. My beautiful boy. I leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss against his forehead. "I love you, monkey." He made a sleepy little humming sound without opening his eyes. Within seconds, his breathing settled once more.

Ethan The house was still asleep when I slipped quietly out the front door for my morning run. Running had always been my reset button. Back in high school it had been track. Then Harvard. These days I preferred the gym, but whenever life became complicated, I found myself lacing up my running shoes and pounding pavement instead. And life had become very complicated. Valentina owned Bailey's Books. No... I smiled to myself. *Bennett & Bailey Books.* The thought still felt surreal. CEO. The word echoed around my head. It was the opportunityof a lifetime. One that would take both Bennett & Partners and my own career to heights I hadn't imagined reaching for another decade. It was mindblowing. Exciting...and terrifying at the same time. Then there was the other problem. Valentina. How exactly did a man confess he had been hopelessly in love with his sister's best friend for years...when she was practically family... And to make matters worse, when she had just become h

MaddieMy family was complete again.Like any mother, I had been devastated when Valentina left two years ago. She'd only been twenty then, hurting far more deeply than she'd ever admitted. Every instinct I possessed had wanted to keep her here, to wrap her in our love until whatever had broken her finally healed. But some wounds demanded solitude.The dining room hummed with familiar chaos. Ethan and Livvy were bickering across the table.Mark was pretending to read the newspaper while listening to every single word. Rhys sat happily in Ethan's lap, kicking his little legs while Ethan alternated between feeding him scrambled eggs and eating his own breakfast.And Valentina...She looked better than she had when she'd arrived. Not completely healed. A mother noticed those things. But there was colour in her cheeks again. More laughter. More light.I watched Livvy continue tormenting her brother until his ears turned bright red. Enough. She was a menace when she was unleashed. Time to

LeightonLunch was an absolute revelation.Five years of grey prison slop, powdered eggs, overcooked vegetables and meat that tasted vaguely of cardboard had done strange things to a man's expectations. Even something as simple as fresh bread with real butter had felt decadent.Fabio's had been something else entirely. Perfect tender wagyu steak. Truffle potatoes. A bottle of Bordeaux that probably cost more than an inmate earned in a decade.For a little while...The world almost felt civilized again.Almost.The Ethiopian blend coffee arrived in delicate porcelain cups, its rich aroma curling between us. Gwendolyn smiled over the rim of hers. "So..." she said. "Your comeback exhibition. You ready?"I leaned back comfortably. "The end of the month, the art will speak for itself. Let the critics and naysayers come.”She nodded. "I'll need the final list of pieces soon. The gallery has to arrange insurance, crating and the catalogue. If collectors buy on opening night we need everythin

ValentinaSunday – 8 February 2026 Belladonna Atalier Rhys, who was normally all sunshine, sticky kisses and infectious giggles, decided today was the perfect day to remind me that he was, in fact, a toddler."I want Booey!" he wailed, fat tears streaming down his impossibly handsome little face.I pinched the bridge of my nose. "My love," I said for what felt like the hundredth time, "Bluey's at home.""Booey!" he sobbed louder, tiny fists clenched."We packed in a hurry, remember? Mama forgot.""No!" he cried, throwing himself dramatically onto the Bennett family room rug. "Booey!"I looked helplessly at Ethan. "I don’t know what else to do.” I sighed. "He's usually the easiest child on the planet."Rhys only cried harder. "Booey!" I was rapidly losing the will to live.Ethan crouched beside him, completely unfazed. "Hey, tiger..." Rhys sniffled, hiccupping miserably. "You know something?" He had my boy’s attention. Ethan lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I heard there's a famil