Her Return, His Regret novel Chapter 160

“I can’t believe I can finally go out in the open,” Ryan said as he and Lora walked out of the hospital. He looked at Lora and pulled her closer by the waist, “It feels surreal to hold you like this. I missed you, baby.”

Lora blushed, realising Ryan’s hand couldn’t wrap around her waist perfectly because her baby bump had grown in the last few weeks.

Ryan had to stay longer in the hospital due to a certain complication. However, he still got better with time and after weeks of isolation and tiring treatments, he was finally allowed to go home.

His scalp was no longer shiny and sported very short hair that was beginning to grow back. Although he had lost weight, he looked better rather than the pale look he had the past weeks.

“I missed you more, Ryan. I’m so happy you’re better now,” Lora remarked. She looked up at him and smiled, saying, “See, I told you you would get better.”

“I’m sad I never got to be there for you throughout the first trimester. But, now that I’m out, I won’t miss any stage of our babies’ growth,” Ryan stated, placing his other hand on Lora’s baby bump and caressing it gently.

“I know you will,” Lora replied, her heart feeling full. She was filled with so much joy at Ryan’s discharge from the hospital. “We’ve been waiting patiently for you.”

Ryan looked around again and inhaled sharply. He sighed, the soft breeze brushing against his face.

“After being locked up for such a long time, I’ve come to appreciate every little thing in life. Just being able to see the sky and breathe fresh air is such a huge blessing that shouldn’t be taken for granted,” he uttered.

“I can’t believe I survived,” Ryan added, his eyes blurring with tears. “The treatment was very harsh but… I knew I had to stay strong for you and the children. Now I’m ok and I can finally go back home!”

“You earned it,” Lora said. “You stayed strong and I’m proud of you. We are all proud of you.”

The couple shared a loving look before walking towards the parking lot and getting into the car. On the way, Ryan couldn’t stop looking out the window.

He smiled and remarked, “I missed seeing these streets, these buildings… I missed everything about the outside world.”

Lora held Ryan’s hand and laced their fingers. She looked at him and stated, “From now on, let’s appreciate every little thing together.”

Ryan turned to look at Lora. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, saying, “I promise. I’ll enjoy the sunrise with you, the sunset… and when it rains, I’ll sit with you and watch movies or read books, when it’s cold, we will sit by the fire and warm ourselves up while chatting and drinking a cup of hot chocolate. When it’s hot, I’ll take you swimming to cool off and relax after a tiring day.”

“I want to do everything with you by my side,” he added, looking intensely into Lora’s eyes.

…

A little while later, they arrived at the villa and found a group of people waiting at the entrance.

Ryan arched an eyebrow at his wife as the car drove up the driveway and Lora chuckled, asking, “Don’t tell me you thought no one would come to welcome you back home?”

Ryan shook his head and replied, “I did expect something but I didn’t expect all these people.”

Everyone was there including Jack and Freya Davis. A few executives from the company and Lawrence, Ryan’s assistant, were there too.

“They all missed you and would like to congratulate you on beating cancer,” Lora replied.

When they got closer, Ryan saw a banner hanging above the grand doors. It read, [Congrats, Ryan! You’re a survivor!]

After they stepped out of the car, the twins rushed forward, screaming, “Daddy is home!”

Ryan crouched down to hug Ella and Ethan, “Hey, my lovely twins. Daddy missed you.”

“We missed you too, Daddy! Welcome back home!” Ella said.

“This place was empty without you,” Ethan uttered, hugging his father tightly.

Ryan’s eyes stung with tears. Being able to hold his children in his arms again was a dream come true. He had so many things to be grateful for but this was at the top of the list.

“I’m happy to be back home,” Ryan replied.

After he shared that sweet moment with the kids, he got to his feet and met the rest of the family. Diane and Bianca came forth to hug and congratulate him.