His Regret Arrived Three Days Late novel Chapter 8

Annika's words sent a rush of blood to Yazmin's head. She swayed, on the verge of collapsing.

Conrad's face went pale with alarm as he lunged forward, catching his mother just before she hit the ground.

After a long moment, Yazmin's eyes fluttered open. Her gaze shot toward the gate where Annika had disappeared, and she swung her hand, slapping Conrad hard across the face.

"If you two divorce," she shrieked, "I'll kill myself!"

Allowing Serena's ashes into the house would be tantamount to admitting defeat to Zoey all those years ago!

Outwardly, Conrad was a statue of calm, but inside, a fire of guilt and frustration was consuming him.

"Mom, I can't betray Serena," he said, his voice strained. "When she fell gravely ill and left for Eirlandia two years ago, I promised her that when the time was right, I would welcome her into this family with all the honor she deserved."

"Are you blind, or have you lost your mind?" Yazmin’s face was a mottled mix of white and red. Fearing her blood pressure would spike again, she fought to control her anger. "The person who will stand by you for the rest of your life is Annika. Trust me on this."

She took Conrad's hand, her tone softening. "Annika is a good girl. She's worthy of your love."

...

After a furious Yazmin finally left, Conrad meticulously gathered the scattered ashes himself. Seething with a cold rage, he stormed upstairs and found Annika sitting at her vanity, calmly brushing her hair.

"How did my mom know I was coming back today?"

Annika's face went white. Her hand tightened on the brush, the teeth digging into her fingertips and drawing blood. "You think I told her?"

"Who else could it have been? Annika..."

The accusation in his voice made her tremble with a rage so intense she could barely hold the brush. She opened her mouth to defend herself, to scream her innocence, but he had already turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with a deafening crack.

The voice was weak, punctuated by soft coughs.

"Conrad, from the moment I decided to give you my kidney, our blood has mingled. We're closer than family. Without that kidney, every time it rains, the scar aches as if it's being torn open again. It's the souvenir you left me... and I... I don't regret it... cough, cough!"

The sound of her violent coughing made Conrad’s face drain of all color. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the recorder, his eyes turning a deep, pained red.

"I'm afraid I won't make it to see you, Conrad..."

Then, Serena Lawson's voice shifted, becoming bright with a feigned surprise.

"Conrad! I'm so scared I won't make it out of the operating room... But you came a day early to be with me! I'm so happy. That's why I celebrated with red wine with you."

"When I woke up from surgery... Conrad, I didn't see you. Where did you go? You promised you'd be here when I woke up!"