His Regret Arrived Three Days Late novel Chapter 52

Annika’s mind flashed back to her father's wake, to Conrad standing by silently as Serena and Yelena tormented her. If it weren't for his tacit approval, Serena would never have dared to provoke her time and again. And now he was using her desire to avoid him as the perfect excuse to stay at the Beryl family estate, spending his days with Serena. What a brilliant scheme!

But why should she play by his rules? A deep resentment toward Conrad simmered within her, fueling a reckless spark of defiance.

"My relationship with Tyler is nothing like yours with Serena," she declared, her voice sharp. "We've done nothing wrong. Why can't I see him?"

So her relationship with Tyler was innocent, which meant his with Serena was sordid?

A hot rage surged into Conrad's chest. "Annika," he gritted out, "are you deliberately trying to make me angry?"

"I wouldn't dare," she replied, her smile painfully fake. "Honestly, I don't understand you. We're already divorced. You have no reason to force me to come back here."

*Back to this home without you, where my heart freezes over.*

"You really don't understand?" Conrad’s jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

"No, I don't."

Seeing the stubborn defiance on her face, her raw anger, an unexpected pain lanced through Conrad’s chest. He tried to explain. "I’m sorry about your father. I truly never expected things to turn out this way. Yelena is in prison, and Serena lost both her legs…"

Annika let out a cold laugh, cutting him off without hesitation. "Yelena is in prison because she deserves to be. Don't you dare try to pin that on anyone else. And you think Serena losing her legs makes everything even?"

Inside, Annika sat on the bed. A car’s headlights swept across the room, illuminating the misty darkness in her eyes. A moment later, she heard the sound of an engine fading into the distance. Conrad was gone.

She slowly lay back, staring blankly at the ceiling. He was forcing her to stay only so he could run a paternity test once the baby was born. If the child was his, he would keep it. If not, he would let her go. She would never let him have his way.

***

The next day, Harvey showed up at Annika’s office, his face a mask of misery. He told her that Hank, following Conrad’s orders, had told him to get lost. Harvey had been with Marcus for years; he was a veteran of Sargent Group. Annika wasn't about to let him go.

"Ignore him," she told Harvey firmly. "From now on, you report to me."