The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 251

Chapter 177 “Yes”

Chapter 177: A “Yes”

Clara

I don’t know when I stopped breathing. Maybe it was when he said my name. Maybe when I saw that rose in his hand, or maybe… when he asked that question.

“Will you be my girlfriend again?”

Time stops, literally. Everything around me-the lights, the music, the table, the city beyond the window- becomes blurred, as if someone had turned down the volume of the world to leave only his voice…. and my heart pounding in my chest.

I look at him and I see him, I really see him. Not the confident, controlled, dominant Ethan I’m used to. Not the man who always seems to have all the answers. I see a man… nervous. Waiting, exposed. And that…

disarms me.

My eyes fill with tears, and I can’t stop them. They aren’t tears of sadness. They are… something else. Something deeper, more honest. I smile, even though my lips tremble.

“Ethan…”

My voice comes out low, almost a whisper, and I take a step toward him.

“Yes.” I don’t need to say more, but I do anyway. “Yes… I want to.”

And then… everything breaks. But in the best way. His expression changes completely. That tension in his face disappears, his shoulders relax, and a a real one… appears on his lips.

smil

I don’t have time to react because in the next second… I’m already in his arms. He hugs me tightly, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear. And I… hug him back, close my eyes.

And for a moment… everything is alright. Everything.

“Thank you…” he murmurs against my hair.

I shake my head gently. “No… thank you.”

I pull back slightly, just enough to look at him. And then… I kiss him.

A soft kiss at first, but full of everything we didn’t say.

Of everything we feel, of everything we… still want.

He reciprocates immediately, as if he’d been waiting for this since I arrived, and in that kiss… there’s something different. It’s not urgency, it’s not just desire. It’s intention, it’s choice.

We pull apart slowly and both breathe a little deeper than usual.

“Come here,” he says, taking my hand. And he leads me to the table, our table. The same one..

My chest tightens

Chapter 177Yes”

can’t believe you did this…” I murmur, looking around.

“I wanted to do it right,” he replies.

And he did… God… he did.

I sit down and he pulls out my chair, as always. Like before, like… now.

I look at the table and begin to notice the details.

The small ones, the important ones.

“This place…” I whisper. “Is it… empty?”

He nods, pouring wine into the glasses.

“Just for us.”

I look at him, surprised.

“How…?”

He smiles slightly.

“Let’s just say I had to insist.”

I let out a small laugh,

“That sounds like you.”

I pick up the glass, examine it. The color, the aroma. And then… I know. I taste it, and close my eyes.

“Ethan…”

I look at him.

“This wine…”

He watches me intently.

“It’s the same one from that first time we came here.”

His smile widens slightly.

“I knew you’d notice.”

My chest fills with a warmth.

“Of course I noticed…

I shake my head gently.

“I remember you saying it was too strong… but then you ordered another glass.”

I chuckle softly.

< Chapter 17-Yes”

“And I ended up loving it.”

“Like me,” he says with a half-smile.

I look at him.

“You weren’t optional.”

His gaze changes, becoming deeper. More intense.

“Neither were you.”

The silence between us… is perfect. The food arrives. And each dish… Each one… Is a memory.

“This…” I say, looking at the first one. “I ordered this once.

“Three times,” he corrects.

I look at him, surprised. “Really?”

“Yes,” he replies. “And you always left a little at the end.”

“Because it filled me up…”

“Because you wanted to save room for dessert.”

I laugh.

“That’s true too.”

And so… we continue.

Dish after dish, memory after memory. Conversation after conversation.

“That’s why you’ve been so busy these past few days… right?” I finally ask.

He nods, leaning back slightly in his chair.

“Yes.”

“I noticed you were… distant.”

“I know.” He pauses. “I was stressed.”

I frown slightly.

“Because of this?”

“Because of everything,” he replies. “Because of the restaurant, the food, every detail.

He looks at me. “I wanted it to be perfect”

My heart clenches. “Ethan…”

“I didn’t want to mess up,” he adds. “Not again.”

425 Polits

Chapter 122 “Yes”

Hook down for a second.

“You don’t have to be perfect.”

“For you… I want to be

I look up. “You already are… when you’re yourself.”

Silence. But this time… it’s a soft silence.

We continue talking about ourselves, about what happened, about what we want, about what we learned.

No recriminations, no attacks. Just… honesty, and that… feels different. It feels good.

When we finish dinner… He gets up and disappears for a moment. I watch him, confused.

“Ethan?”

“I’ll be right back.”

He returns a few seconds later, with a small box in his hand. My breath catches in my throat.

“Don’t be scared,” he says with a slight smile.

“I’m not…” 1 lie.

He comes closer, kneels in front of me. And my heart… races.

“It’s not what you think,” he adds.

“Are you sure?”

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