Novel & Cerita His Regret, Her Name, My Freedom

Taylor looked at him through the glass, and for a moment, something shifted in her otherwise blank expression. She jumped to her feet, pointing at Quentin through the bars. "Regret? I don't regret a thing! The only thing I regret is not taking her out right then and there, so you wouldn't have figured anything out! "We should've been happy together! It's all Sharon's fault, that damn bitch! She couldn't even let us have peace when she was gone!" "Taylor Cross!" Quentin raised his fist, ready to strike her, but his last ounce of self-control kicked in at the last second.

"This is a self-portrait. I painted it the day I burned all my work." She held his gaze. "That was the day I let go of you. Completely. I let go of everything that had anything to do with you. I named it Rebirth." She watched the disbelief flicker in his eyes—then shatter into something unspoken, something raw. She saw the pain in him, and for the first time, felt free. 'So, Graham, you can feel pain. Do you now lie awake at night the way I once did? Do you cry the way I used to—every single day? This feeling,' she thought, watching him. 'This is what they call retribution.'

XENIA’S POV They tried to strip my name. My voice. My role. Now they were coming for my child — not with knives, but with questions. But questions only have power if you leave them unanswered. So I gave them an answer. And I gave Ash a name. A small one. A strong one. One they couldn’t touch. ENDING SCENE RICO’S POV There’s a different kind of power in naming something. Not claiming. Not owning. Just seeing it fully — and letting it be seen. That’s what she did. And I don’t think they’ll recover from it.

She was unaware of my eyes on her but I was still entrapped by her. I tried to call her attention by saying her name but that felt like the hardest thing ever. My heart beating fast within my chest was a reminder of how soft I’d grown. How soft she’s made me. I didn’t mind being softhearted for her sake. She had her eyes closed and I took in a deep breath and finally said her name. “Isla.” She opened her eyes and poured on me hazel beauty that contrasted the dullness of the night. I hesitated a moment with my next words as they felt very heavy to let out. But then I had her attention now so I had to say it. “I’m sorry for ever hurting you.”

“I’ve gotten rid of that fool Samuel Smith! As for those who mocked you with that silly nickname…I’ll spare none of them! “I promise I’ll never let you be mistreated like that again! Jansen, I really can’t do without you…” She reached out to grab my arm, but I dodged it. I stood rooted to where I was, looking at her with pity. Turns out that I was nothing more than a pawn who could help her clean up her mess.

“Finally. I’m free of you. He pushed her out of his way with a force that knocked her to the floor. “Now get out and never show your disgusting face here again.” Cat rose from a kneeling position with trembling limbs, her body riddled with the force of her feelings. She wanted to collapse, but she refused to show weakness. Instead, she turned toward the door, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with venom, “You’ll pay for this. Everything you’ve done to me… I’ll make sure of it. You will regret this.” She vowed to herself as she walked out, still bleeding, that she would never let him take her whole. She wasn’t done. Not yet.

My chest caved in on itself, quiet and total, a wall giving way behind my ribs. "I built my name away from this family and mine on purpose." She wrapped both hands around her water glass, knuckles pale against the condensation, thumb pressing hard enough into the glass that it left a faint print behind when she finally let go. "Signing with Hagreeves undoes three years of work in one signature. I hope that makes sense." My grandmother studied her for a long moment, then huffed out a small laugh and shook her head, like she'd expected this and lost a bet with herself anyway.

The truth was I couldn’t tell him anything. I couldn’t tell him who the man was. I couldn’t tell him what had happened. I couldn’t even tell him why I had done it. And the worst part? A part of me didn’t even regret it. I twisted, finally managing to break free from his grasp. My chest was heaving as I struggled to catch my breath, the tension in my body feeling like it might snap at any moment.

He turned his back on her once again, completely ignoring her existence and leaving her to scream in frustration alone inside the silent office. Deep within his heart, Mike knew that he had become trapped in an endless labyrinth of regret. His thoughts remained entirely fixated on Elara's name, mourning the departure of the woman he now realized had taken every piece of his soul with her.

"I don't care. But make sure of one thing. Never regret your decisions right now. Because the way you're doing this might end up with something that will only hurt the both of us." Callum turned around. And left. Elise stood frozen in place. She watched her husband's back disappear down the hallway, then smiled bitterly. "Elise Voss," Elise whispered softly. "It seems I can finally accept that name now... after hearing it from you."