Novel & Cerita When I Disappeared, He Regretted It

The man who had disappeared without a trace after Jonathan's death. "You're dead," I whispered. "Everyone said you were dead." "I know." He stepped aside, gesturing for me to come in. "That was the point." I didn't move. I couldn't. My feet were rooted to the floor, my body refusing to obey. "You disappeared," I said, my voice rising. "After Jonathan died, you just... vanished. No one heard from you. No one knew where you went. I thought—we all thought—" "I know what you thought." His voice was gentle now, tinged with regret. "And I'm sorry, Victoria. I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for not reaching out. But I had no choice."

He let out a soft breath that almost sounded like a laugh, though there wasn’t much joy in it. “I'm glad you're good…” j wishpered. He chuckled weakly, and the sound eased something inside me. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until that moment, the quiet warmth of his laugh, the way it softened the edges of everything. “Autumn,” he said after a pause. “I’m sorry for disappearing.” “Stop saying sorry,” I whispered, even though the tears started again.

It was that easy familiarity that made the moment feel dangerous, because it reminded me of how much I had missed him without even fully admitting it to myself. Then the weight of the present returned. “I lost your contact,” I said, my voice softening as the smile on my face faded a little. “I tried to reach you so many times, Kelvin. I asked people about you. I looked for you. But it was like you disappeared.” His expression changed, and for a brief second, something like regret crossed his face. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have done better.” “Where did you go?” I asked. “It really felt like you vanished.”

She didn't let me talk before she continued. Trish’s spoon clattered onto her plate as she let out an exasperated sigh. “He disappears for years, no explanation, no closure, no calls, no texts, nothing at all, and now he’s back, expecting you to just… what? Listen to whatever he has to say?” I stirred my soup, watching the spoon move in slow circles as my other hand dropped from trailing lines on my stomach. “I don’t know what he expected,” I admitted. I recalled the look on Adrian's face, and it tugged something in my chest. Why was he regretting everything when he cause everything?

he began hesitantly. “What am I thinking?” I challenged him, standing my ground. He swallowed, the confidence he usually wore so easily nowhere in sight. “That you regret it,” he said quietly. “That you think Maldives was just a vacation thing. A mistake. And that I disappeared because I didn’t care.” My mouth opened—then closed again.

He walked toward the window overlooking the harbor. The afternoon sunlight reflected across the water. Bright. Peaceful. Completely disconnected from the storm inside him. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded different. Not angry. Not bitter. Something else. Broken. “I wasted ten years.” The words hit harder than anything else. Because they were true. Painfully true. Ava looked toward him. And for the first time since all of this began, she saw the full depth of his regret. Not the regret of recent weeks. Not the regret of recent months.

“ I thought that I would let you be and keep to myself, but I realize now that it was a mistake. I should have confronted you about the welcome party you threw for her when you said you were going to attend a gala. I was an idiot for believing whatever you say. In a sense, this is my fault. I didn't even mention that I wasn't feeling well and I missed my parents. In case you forgot, my parents died. They have been gone for a long time and this is where they are buried. That is why I came here to visit them. I'm not some crazy stalker like you think, but yeah, you can think whatever. I don't care anymore. You can continue taking care of Anna. She matters more to you than I do.” I lost my comp

I got a strange feeling that might be putting on an act the day they said I was welcome to be a part of their family. Once he realized I didn't have the intention of talking further, he left again. I looked at his frail back, his steps were that of a tired man. Within these few days, he had lost weight, he didn't look alright. Maybe he truly regretted his action. But regret or no regrets, it was too late.

“I do not even know what to think.” “You do not have to know tonight.” “You hid this from me. All of it. I know we were not exactly in love at first, but what about later? Why didn't you mention it as time went on? You should've said something…” He flinches. “I know,” he whispers. “And I regret it more than anything I have ever done.” “Regret,” I repeat with a humorless smile. “That is what my father had too.” He looks confused. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t start with cheap lines, Adrian. I’ve suffered enough from you. You have no idea what it feels like to be sidelined, belittled, treated like a shadow behind your success.” “I do know!” Adrian’s voice cracked as his emotion broke through. “Because I was blind! I crushed your worth, I wounded the one person who gave me everything. And I’ve regretted it every second since you left.” Rosemary clenched her fists, struggling to hold back tears. “You regret it now because you need me to save your business—not because you truly love me.”