All Chapters of TOO LATE TO REGRET, EX-HUSBAND: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The cold rain drizzled onto the pavement, creating a quiet, rhythmic hum against the front steps of St. Matthew Medical Center.Adrian stood beside the sleek black sedan, his expensive coat soaked through at the shoulders. His face was pale, his dark eyes fixed entirely on Vivian. He held a thick leather folder in his left hand, his knuckles white from his tight grip.Vivian stopped on the bottom step, her blue scrubs visible beneath her open coat. She looked at Adrian, then at Michael, who stood beside her with a calm, polite smile that suddenly felt unnaturally still."What are you doing here, Adrian?" Vivian asked, her voice steady despite the tension thick in the air. "I told you everything I had to say in the hallway."Adrian took two slow steps forward, ignoring the chill of the rain. "I'm not here to beg, Vivian. I know I lost the right to ask for your time. But you need to read what is inside this folder before you take another step with this man."Michael let out a short, amu

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the small kitchen of the seaside cottage.Vivian stood by the open window, wearing an oversized beige sweater and dark jeans. Outside, the morning breeze blew off the ocean, carrying the salty air into the room and rustling the blue curtains. Gulls circled in the bright sky above the waves crashing against the shore rocks below.It had been three weeks since she officially stepped into her role as Interim Chief of Surgery at St. Matthew Medical Center. It had also been three weeks since she last saw Adrian in the hospital cafeteria.She turned around, picking up her favorite ceramic mug and taking a long, satisfying sip.Her life felt remarkably calm now. The quiet routines of her day–making toast, watering the small potted plants on the porch, listening to the morning radio–brought a deep sense of contentment she hadn't felt in years. She wasn't hiding anymore. She was living.Her phone chimed softly on the wooden kitchen counter.Vivian pick

The morning sky above the coast turned a deep shade of gold as the sun peeked over the ocean.Vivian stood on the wooden porch of her seaside cottage, wearing a soft gray sweater and jeans, holding a warm cup of coffee. The cool breeze carried the sweet scent of fresh salt air and pine trees. Below her porch, small waves crashed rhythmically against the rocks, filling the quiet morning with a peaceful, steady rhythm.It was six o'clock in the morning, her very first day as the official Chair of Surgery.She took a slow sip of coffee, watching a flock of sea gulls fly low over the water. Her mind drifted briefly to the night before–the sparkling crystal chandeliers of the hotel ballroom, the thunderous applause of her colleagues, and the final quiet conversation on the balcony with Adrian.There was no sadness left in her chest. For three years, her life had felt like a heavy coat she couldn't take off, weighed down by neglect, unspoken tears, and constant self-doubt. But standing here

The low hum of the hospital coffee machine sounded like a distant whisper against the sharp click of Vivian’s heels.It was barely seven o'clock on a cool Tuesday morning, but the corridors of St. Matthew Medical Center were already alive with the subtle rhythm of a new day. Nurses in light green scrubs bustled past, carrying tray carts loaded with morning medication, while orderlies pushed empty gurneys down the polished tiles.Vivian wore a fitted navy dress beneath her crisp white surgical coat. Her hair was pulled back into a neat, professional knot at the nape of her neck. In her right hand, she held a warm ceramic mug of dark roast coffee; in her left, she held a folder containing the morning’s surgical roster.She stopped outside the main glass doors of the pediatric intensive care unit, watching through the clear panel. Inside, little Leo was sitting up in bed, happily eating a bowl of oatmeal while his mother combed his hair. Seeing the bright color restored to the boy's chee

The autumn leaves drifted slowly onto the brick pathway leading toward the main archway of St. Matthew Medical Center.Vivian walked with purpose, her beige trench coat buttoned against the chilly morning air, holding a fresh cup of dark coffee in her left hand. The cool breeze carried the crisp scent of falling pine needles and damp earth, signaling the change of seasons. It was seven o'clock on a sharp Thursday morning, two weeks after the hospital board had officially announced the construction of the new Benjamin Carter Pediatric Surgical Center.Inside the glass main lobby, the morning rush was already in full swing."Good morning, Dr. Carter!" a night-shift nurse called out from behind the central reception desk, waving a small stack of patient charts."Good morning, Sarah," Vivian replied, giving her a warm, genuine smile. "Get some rest after your shift."Vivian took the elevator straight up to the fourth-floor pediatric ward. As the doors slid open with a quiet chime, Nurse C