MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(JARED'S POV)

"Why

did you save me first this time?"

Her question hit me like a jolt, slicing through the silence. She asked it so directly, as if it were a simple thing to answer. But I had no words for her.

Not for this.

What could I even say? Should I confess how my heart nearly stopped when Rebecca's voice trembled over the phone, telling me Sofia was at the restaurant? How my mind had been a storm of dread as I drove, running red lights, my only thought was to get to her? Should I admit that I'd spent years wrapped in regret, haunted by the choices that led us here?

When I saw Sofia holding her, willing to drag them both into death, I didn't think. There was only one truth pulsing through me: I can't lose you, Arielle. I couldn't live with myself if I did.

But now? Now I had no right to say any of that. My words felt hollow-especially when I thought of everything I'd done three years ago, all the ways I'd chosen wrong. And then there was Sofia, spinning tales about her pregnancy, leaving me in knots of guilt and doubt. What had she told Arielle? What did Arielle say to provoke Sofia's madness? I didn't know. I couldn't even begin to fathom it.

When I didn't answer, Arielle finally looked away, her voice soft. "Forget it. I'm going to rest."

I nodded, bitterly, reaching to hold her hand.

She didn't pull away this time, maybe she's too tired. But it was enough to hold me to her. To make me believe she's alive, and she's here, with me.

I stayed until she fell asleep, then slipped quietly out of the room. There was something I needed to do.

I found Sofia's room and entered. On taking in her look, I realized her injuries were mostly minor but her face bruised.

On noticing my presence, her eyes snapped towards me, red-hot like coal.

"You saved her first! You chose her over me,' she spat, her voice bearing accusations.

I held my ground, hands tucked into my pockets, bracing myself for her fury.

"Sofia, I" I began.

But she cut me off, her voice raised.

"Don't even try to justify it," she warned. "You've made it clear where your priorities now lie. You've suddenly forgotten everything I did for you, everything we shared. And you've forgotten I'm carrying your child!"

Her words hung in the air, but I felt nothing but a strange calm. I stepped forward, undeterred. "Sofia, listen-"

"No, you listen," she snapped, turning away from me. "Leave me alone."

I paused, then continued anyway. "Sofia, I need to tell you something," I said, voice low. "I've made mistakes for years. Choosing the wrong people, letting old memories cloud my judgment."

Her shoulders stiffened, but she refused to turn.

"I kept clinging to the idea of you as that girl from our past-the one who laughed with me, stood by me, competed with me, even tried to protect me once from bullies."

For a moment, the memories of those carefree days flooded my mind, but I refused to revel in them, pushing them away.

"But I see now how blind I was." I paused, "Clinging to a shadow of our past that doesn't exist."

I stepped closer, dropping my voice. "There was never a child, was there? You were never pregnant."

She didn't answer, but her shoulders slumped, and she gave a slight nod.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Sofia, listen, I'm done living in illusions. I've finally seen the truth, and I'm not going back. hope you find a way forward without tearing others down."

My voice hardened, the warning clear. "Don't go after her again. I could have put you in jail."NôvelDrama.Org owns this.

A heavy silence settled over us as I struggled to find the right words. "Take care of yourself, Sofia."

Her back remained turned to me, her silence deafening. But I didn't need her response. What mattered was that, finally, I'd broken free of the twisted cycle we'd been trapped in.

Would she accept the truth, or keep spiraling down her own path? That was up to her now.

That decided, I turned around and walked out of the room. But I wasn't prepared for who was standing just outside the door.

"Arielle?" I whispered, frowning as our eyes met.