The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 114

Chapter 86: The First Night.–2

When he raises his head again, he seems resigned. He puts his phone in his pocket and turns slightly, as if

he were about to leave. And that movement shakes me.

Before I even think about it, my hand turns the knob. I open the door.

The sound makes Ethan stop immediately, turn to me, surprised.

The warm light from the candle behind me spills into the dark hallway and barely illuminates it.

For a second neither of them says anything.

The rain is heard loudly behind the walls of the building. Their eyes meet mine.

“Clara…” he says, clearly without expecting to find me there.

I look him up and down.

His jacket is slightly wet from the storm.

“I thought you weren’t home,” he murmured.

He lets out a small exhale.

The rain is hitting the windows hard again. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

The candlelight trembles behind me, casting soft shadows over the hallway.

Ethan stares at me for a moment longer.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” he added quietly. “I was just… close.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Close?”

His mouth curls slightly, as if he knows that excuse isn’t very convincing.

“Well,” he says. “Not exactly.”

I look at him for a few more seconds. And then, finally, I step aside from the door.

“It’s raining a lot,” I say.

Ethan hesitates for a moment, then walks in. The door closes behind him with a soft sound.

The small flame of the candle illuminates his face now that he is inside the apartment.

And for some reason, my heart beats again just like it does in his office. Quick, restless.

As if tonight… it was not over yet.

I step aside to let him in. Ethan enters the apartment somewhat hesitantly, as if he’s not entirely sure he

* Chapter 86 19 Feet Night

should. The door closes softly behind him, and the candlelight is the only light in the room.

Then I notice him more clearly; he’s completely soaked.

425 Pets

Water drips from his dark hair, sliding down his forehead and down his jaw. His jacket is soaked, his shirt

stuck to his chest from the rain.

I look at the floor, with each step he takes, he leaves small traces of water on the wood, and the drops slowly fall from his clothes.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go in,” he says with a tired half–smile. “I’m all soaked.”

I shake my head immediately.

“No, no,” I say, moving toward the kitchen. “I’m looking for something right now for you to dry. Come, please come in.”

I grab a towel from the small closet nearby and when I turn back to him, Ethan is still standing in the middle of the room, as if he’s still processing that he’s really here.

The candle barely illuminates its silhouette, the shadows of the flame move on the walls and make everything seem more intimate, more silent.

I approach and hand him the towel.

“Thank you,” he murmurs.

He begins to dry his hair with slow movements, I cross my arms, watching him.

The sound of rain fills the space between us.

“You know,” I say finally. “I know you weren’t close.”

Ethan lowers the towel a little and looks at me.

“Oh, yes?”

“Yes” I tilt my head slightly. “So… why are you here?”

Silence settles between us. The rain hits the windows harder.

Thunder rumbles in the distance, Ethan drops the towel over his shoulder and lowers his gaze for a

second, as if searching for the right words.

Then he looks at me again, his eyes are different tonight.

More vulnerable.

“I had to talk to you,” he says finally.

My chest barely tightens.

“At this hour?”

Chapter Bu. The Fast Night

He lets out a small exhale.

“I had to see you.”

My heart races a little

“Ethan…”

He shakes his head softly, as if he knows I’m going to question him.

“I couldn’t sleep if I didn’t see you.”

Blinking.

“What do you say?”

The candle flickers and for a second his face is more illuminated!

And that’s when I see it.

The tension in his expression, the tiredness. Something akin to despair.

“Clara…” his voice sounds lower now. “I’m… I’m desperate.”

The words seem to come from him.

He runs a hand through his damp hair, frustrated.

“I really feel so… so…”

He stops. His lips part slightly, but he can’t find the words.

Silence envelops us again. And then I lift the candle from the shelf a little, barely bringing it closer.

The light illuminates his face better, and I understand that.

You don’t need to finish the sentence. He’s lost… His eyes are fixed on mine for a few long seconds.

I can hear my own heart beating, thunder erupting outside. The flame of the candle is stirring.

And then it happens, Ethan takes one step towards me, then another. And before I can say anything else,

his arms close around my body.

He hugs me tightly. The impact takes me by surprise.

His wet clothes soak my blouse almost instantly, the cold of the rain piercing through the fabric as his chest clings to mine. But he doesn’t seem to notice.

His embrace is firm, needed. As if he had been holding back for too long.

I feel his breath close to my ear, then I hear him say, in a low voice, broken by something I don’t know how

to name:

“I need you.”

Chapter But Night

My hands are suspended in the air for a second, while the rain continues to fall outside.

And the small candle continues to burn silently.

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& Chapter 87. A Tramite My Treasure