The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 275

Chapter 196: A “Casual” Dinner

Clara

The drive to that place already felt special… but I didn’t understand why.

There was something about Ethan. I couldn’t explain it exactly, but from the moment we left my mom’s house, I felt him… different. More attentive, yes. But also more.. present. As if every little gesture was calculated. As if nothing was accidental. And that… made me think. But not enough to suspect what was really going on.

When the car stops in front of the restaurant, my eyes widen a little more than usual.

The place is… beautiful. It’s not ostentatious, not over the top, but it has that quiet elegance that I like. Warm lighting, wood, subtle details, well–arranged tables… everything feels intimate, carefully curated.

“Wow…” I murmur as I get out of the car. “I thought it would be something more casual.”

I feel Ethan’s presence beside me. “I wanted it to be just the way you liked it.”

I turn my face toward him, and for a second… I just look at him, because he doesn’t say it lightly. He says it knowing exactly what I like, and that… touches me.

We go inside; the atmosphere is warm, welcoming. There’s a soft murmur of conversation, instrumental music playing in the background… everything fits together. Everything feels… right.

Ethan walks beside me, but his hand rests on my lower back, gently guiding me. That gesture… so his. So familiar. And yet… it feels new.

We reach the table.

He goes ahead, pulls out my chair… then does the same for my mother.

“Thank you, Ethan,” she says with a smile.

“Always,” he replies naturally.

I sit down and can’t help but watch them both. My mother looks at him affectionately; there’s no tension, no doubt. She welcomes him as she always did… when he was a part of our lives. And that… gives me a peace I didn’t know I needed.

We settled in, and a waiter approached. Ethan took care of everything with a calmness that made me

smile.

“Wine?” he asked, looking at both of us.

“Of course,” my mother replied.

I nodded.

“Yes… wine is fine.”

He ordered a bottle without even glancing at the wine list. He knows it, and that also made me think.

+25 Points

My mother placed her hands on the table.

“Thank you for this dinner,” she said. “It’s truly… a very kind gesture.”

Ethan looked at herrespectfully, with that way he had of looking at her that conveyed sincerity.

“No, thank you,” he replied. “I know these moments are important… and I’m truly grateful that you’ve allowed me to be here.”

My mother smiled, and I… felt something in my chest. Because it wasn’t just what she said. It was how she said it, and how she held it.

The waiter brought the wine. Ethan tastes it, nods, and then pours first for my mother… then for me… and finally for himself.

“To the family,” he says, raising his glass.

I look at him.

“To the family,” I repeat.

We gently clink glasses. And I drink… The wine is perfect. Smooth, elegant… with that touch I love.

I look at him over the top of my glass.

“You chose well.”

He smiles slightly. “I always do… when it’s about you.”

I don’t answer right away. I just look down at my glass… feeling something inside me stir.

My mother clears her throat softly, as if she notices this brief moment between us.

“Clara told me things are going well between you two,” she says.

I look up immediately.

“Mom…”

But she smiles.

“What? I’m your mother, I have a right to know.”

Ethan lets out a small laugh.

“Yes… things are going well,” he replies. “Very well, in fact.”

I look at him. And there’s something in the way he says it… that makes me believe him without hesitation.

He seems a little nervous or embarrassed; I think it’s because my mother brings it up in front of me… I overheard them talking earlier in the living room, but I gave them their space.

“I’m glad to hear it,” my mother says. “I always thought you two… had something special.”

My fingers fidget with my glass.

Chapter 196

“We do,” I reply, almost without thinking.

“Ethan looks at me. And that glance… lasts a second longer than usual.

+25 Points

The conversation flows; we talk about simple things. About how my mother has been, about the house, about memories… even about my father. And although his absence is still a void… this time it doesn’t hurt the same. Because we’re together, because something is being rebuilt.

The food arrives, and it’s… perfect. Ethan clearly didn’t choose this randomly. Every dish has something I like, flavors I recognize. Details that make me think he… took the time.

I watch him as he talks to my mother. The way he expresses himself, the way he listens, the way he’s present. And I can’t help but think… He’s being a great man.

My mother’s words echo in my head. “You deserve to be treated like the treasure you are.”

And… for the first time in a long time… I feel like I am. The night goes on, the laughter comes more easily. The atmosphere grows warmer. And then… Something happens, a waiter approaches. But he doesn’t bring plates, he brings flowers.

My brow furrows immediately. A large bouquet… of red roses… beautiful, abundant. And another smaller one… just as delicate.

“This…?” I murmur, confused.

The waiter approaches me first… and places the bouquet in front of me. Then he does the same to my mother. My hands rest on the table, I look at the flowers… then I look up at Ethan.

“What are those?”

My tone isn’t harsh… but it is full of surprise.

He holds my gaze, calm, confident.

“They’re for you.”

I frown slightly.

“For me?”

My mother smiles, delighted. “They’re beautiful…”

But I don’t take my eyes off him.

“I wanted this dinner to be special,” he says.

There’s something in his voice. Something… different, deeper, more… intentional.

“Because it really is.”

My heart gives a small, sharp jolt.

“Special… why?”

I don’t know why I’m asking, but I am.

Chapter Kate

+25 Points

He doesn’t answer right away. He just looks at me, and in his eyes… there’s something I can’t quite Decipher. But it makes me feel… that this… isn’t just dinner. And something… is about to happen. There’s

something in Ethan’s eyes, a different kind of glow… one that goes beyond happiness, a deeper glow than the one he has during intimacy, it’s… a kind of look that… My heart stops, I look at the flowers and, again I see him… is it possible that…?

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