The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 176

Chapter 125: A Routine.–1

Clara

I wake up… and for a second I don’t know where I am… It’s not because of the place, it’s because of the feeling.

It’s different.

Quieter… warmer… I blink slowly, and then I remember. Ethan.

I turn my head just a little… and there he is. Asleep next to me.

His breathing is deep, stable. One of his hands is close to me, as if even in his sleep he doesn’t want to get

too far away. I watch him in silence, and something inside me… softens.

Because there is no tension, there is no uncomfortable distance. There is no weight that used to be among us. Only… calm.

I take a deep breath and sit up being careful not to wake him, but I barely move…

“Are you awake yet?” he murmurs, his voice still hoarse.

I smile without being able to help it.

“I think so…”

He opens his eyes slowly, focusing on me. And then… smiles. Just like that, effortlessly.

“Good morning.”

My chest tightens a little, because it sounds… natural.

“Good morning…”

There is a small silence, but not uncomfortable.

The house feels different. Not because it has changed… but because he’s here…

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Ethan has a strong presence. That scent of him permeated my pillows, in my entire room.

I saw him walk with a towel around his hips, I saw him… to man. Somehow that makes me feel different.

I walk to the kitchen while he leaves his jacket on one of the chairs. I look at him out of the corner of my

eye.

He moves naturally, but not with excessive confidence.

As if he understood that this space… it’s still mine. And that… I notice it.

“Would you like something to drink?” I ask him “Perhaps a coffee.”

“Whatever you like.”

Chapter 126

Inod, puuring two cups of coffee to my liking

approach him, I hand him the cup, he takes it, he thanks and we start drinking it.

There was silence, but not uncomfortable. It is a new silence… One that is not fraught with tension… but of

care.

I watch him bring the cup to his lips and sip carefully because it’s so hot.

I was sitting next to him, I saw every movement, but there was one that I didn’t see coming.

Ethan brings his hand to my leg and there is that soft electricity again

“It’s delicious,” he says.

I nod, I rest my back completely on the back looking at him.

“This is strange,” I admit.

A small smile appears on his lips.

“A little.”

“But not uncomfortable.”

He shakes his head softly.

“No,” he replies. “It’s not awkward.”

Our eyes hold for a second longer.

“It’s… important,” he adds.

And there it is. The exact word.

I lower my gaze for a moment, playing with the glass in my hands.

“I don’t want to ruin this,” I confess.

My voice comes out lower than I expected, but it’s true. He takes a step towards me.

It does not invade. He does not press. He just… approaches.

“We’re not going to do it.”

I look up.

“How can you be so sure?”

Ethan watches me for a few seconds… Really, as if he measured every word before saying it.

“Because this time… I’m not running.”

He pauses slightly.

“Not with you… or myself.”

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That it hits me. Gently, but deeply.

And treither do you,” he adds.

I don’t answer right away, because he’s fight. And that… It scares me too, but I don’t back down.

“Then,” I murmured, “let’s go slowly.”

He nods.

“Slowly.”

Set the glass aside, and without breaking that quiet rhythm… Take my hand.

He intertwines his fingers with mine.

There is no hurry, there is no urgency. It is just… decision.

“I’m fine with that,” he says.

I look at him. And for the first time in a long time… I am too.

His hand is still intertwined with mine, it doesn’t squeeze… it does not demand. It’s just there.

And that, in a way, makes me feel more secure than any promise.

“There’s no hurry,” he says suddenly, breaking the silence with that calmness that is beginning to be so

much his own.

I look up at him..

“The day you want to go home… just do it,” he continues. “And the day you want to stay… too.”

I watch him in silence. Because he’s not just saying it… He’s leaving it in my hands.

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Chapter

Chapter 125: A Routine.–2

The rhythm… The decision… everything. And that… It is heavy, but not in a bad way.

I nod slowly.

“Okay…”

My voice is soft, but sincere. And for the first time… I don’t feel like I have to defend my space.

Because he’s already respecting it.

Ethan holds my gaze for a second longer… and then, something changes in his expression.

It gets a little bit lighter. Almost… accomplice.

“How about staying with me this weekend?”

I blink slightly, surprised by the change in tone.

“We can be in the pool,” he adds, with a slight shrug, “then in the garden…”

He pauses slightly, as if imagining it.

“A barbecue… something quiet.”

It doesn’t say more, but it is not necessary. Because I see it… I see the whole scene.

Us… without pressure, without the past weighing on us. Just… being.

A smile forms on my lips before I can help it.

I barely shake my head.

“Little by little you are taking me with you…”

My words come out soft, but loaded with truth.

He is not surprised, he does not deny it. On the contrary. A slight smile curves his lips.

“It’s just what I want to do.”

My breathing gets a little slower, because he doesn’t say it like a game. He says it as an intention, as something he has already decided.

I look down for a second… but not to flee, to feel. To process what this means, and then I come back to it.

“Okay,” I say finally.

My fingers gently squeeze his.

“But slowly.”

Ethan nods without hesitation.

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“Slowly.

His thumb brushes the back of my hand in a calm gesture… constant. And at that moment… I get it.

He’s not pushing me, he’s not waiting for me from afar. He’s walking with me.

Step by step, and this time… I don’t want to go back.

“Do you have to go to work early?” he asks, sitting up a little. –

I nod.

“Yes… I can’t disappear yet.”

He lets out a small laugh.

“What a pity.”

I look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Why?”

He shrugs.

“Because I was liking this.”