The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 226

Chapter 158: Honest Answers, Part 1.

Ethan

Clara says her name… And everything inside me stops. Vanessa.

She’s not just one person. Not in our history. Not in what she was… and in what she almost destroys.

I look at her… And for a second I don’t know where to start. Not because I don’t have answers. But

because I have too many… And none of them feel simple enough to say without hurting.

Her expression is not one of rage. Not yet.

It’s worse, it’s doubt. And that… that weighs more.

i

I run a hand over my face, exhale slowly. I need to order this. I can’t go wrong now. Not with her. Not after everything we are trying to rebuild.

“I’m sorry…” I begin, but my voice is barely cut off.

I swallow hard.

“I’m really sorry that happened.”

I look straight at her.

“I know how important that event was to you… that meeting.”

I clench my jaw for a second.

“And I was about to ruin it.”

I don’t disguise it. I don’t soften it.

“Because of this…” I add, gesturing slightly between us. “Because of that necklace. Because of Vanessa.”

The name feels uncomfortable in my mouth.

“I thought-“I continue, more slowly, “that Alexander was here with you for other reasons.”

There I admit it, without pride, without beating around the bush.

“Not for work. Not to help you… I did not imagine that I was the trigger for what could have been a… a detriment to your work and more, when I know how much you have tried to be what you are now.”

A pause.

“And I reacted from there.’

I don’t lose sight of her.

“From an idea that I built myself… without having all the information. I traveled thinking that…”

I bit my lips and lowered my head.

Silence. A short one, but necessary.

**I needed to talk to you,” I say finally. “Do not jump to conclusions. Maybe I took them out, but I didn’t stay

with that.”

Clara watches me. And when she answers… There is no attack in her voice.

“At least now we can communicate.”

That… It hits me differently, not as a reproach. But as a truth that we needed to hear.

I nod slowly.

“Yes,” I murmured. “At least now.”

I look at her, I really look at her. And there is that feeling again… that of not wanting to lose this for something that is not even what it seems.

“I didn’t give that necklace to Vanessa.”

I say it clearly, without hesitation. Her eyes don’t leave mine.

“I could never give her a jewel… or whatever… to another person as I gave it to you.”

My voice drops a

“I didn’t do any of that.”

A pause.

“And I know that’s the first thing you might be thinking.”

Silence… She doesn’t respond immediately. And I understand.

Because from the outside… everything points to that.

I take a deep breath.

“That necklace,” I begin, “was not a casual choice.”

I walk slowly around the room, but without getting too far from her.

“I wanted to give you something.”

I had to give her an explanation and I admit that explanation embarrasses me.

“Something that meant something real, something that wasn’t just… a nice object.”

I look at her again.

“That day I wasn’t sure what to buy.”

I frown slightly, remembering it.

“I asked my assistant to take care of it… to look for options. Something beautiful, something perfect for

< Chapter

YOU”

Tpause for a while.

“And Vanessa was there.”

I see the slight change in Clara’s expression… but I continue.

She offered to help.

There is no defense in my tone, just facts.

“She said she knew a jewel… that had a special meaning.”

My fingers tense barely remembering.

“She told me about what it represented… the symbolism… what it meant to give something like that as a gift.”

I look at her.

“And at that moment-/t

seemed right to me.”

Not perfect, not planned by me. But that’s right.

“I thought it was appropriate for you.”

My voice softens a bit.

“Because it made sense… with what I felt. That necklace… God, I never imagined being in this situation with you because of that gift. If I knew that, knowing that it was going to make you feel bad, I would never

have heard her.”

Silence.

“I didn’t know she had one just like it.”

I say it firmly.

“I had no idea.”

Clara observes me attentively.

“I didn’t give it to her,” I add. “Never,”

And that part… it is important. More than it seems.

Because there is a huge difference between having shared something… and having been manipulated to

do so.

“She suggested it,” I continued. “But I didn’t know she had that necklace too…. or at least… that’s what I thought.”

That’s where the doubt lies. Because now… I’m not so sure anymore.

enter

Glam bases her arms slightly, not as a defense. More as containment.

“She did it with bad intentions. She did it on purpose.”

Her voice is clear, confident

She does not hesitate.

“It wasn’t kind.”

And when she says it… something inside me settles. Because it makes sense, too much sense.

I run my tongue over my lips, thinking.

“Maybe,” I admit. “But I didn’t know it at the time.”

I look at her.

“To me… she was just trying to help, she wanted to be kind.”

A low, humorless laugh escap

“How naive I sound now

Clara doesn’t smile, and she shouldn’t. Because this isn’t funny, it’s awkward.

It’s real.

“But I didn’t give it to her,” I repeat. “There’s nothing between her and me now. Nothing.”

Silence. One that is not tense… but neither is it light.

And then… She speaks.

I swallowed loudly and felt my heart wrinkle.

I’d seen that look in Clara’s eyes before, and I didn’t know what it meant then. I… I know what it means now. I know what she’s trying to tell me. I know how she feels, and it tears me apart.

“Why does she keep hanging around your life?”

The question catches me off guard, not because it’s unexpected, but because of its directness.

“What was that intense thing you two experienced… that she still won’t leave?”

Her voice softens slightly, but remains firm.

“Tell me the truth.”

I feel something in my chest adjust. Because this… This is no longer about the collar.

It’s about the past, the one we avoid. The one we never finished talking about completely.

The one that… is still here.

“What really happened between you two?”

enter

46

Her eyes luck onto mine, demanding honesty. An answer… and it’s a difficult one to give, but I will… I’ll tell her Whatever it takes to be okay. And also, to give her peace of mind.

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