The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 276

Chapter 197: Do You Want to Be My Wife… again?

Ethan

I don’t know the exact moment that night when I decided… But I felt it. That instant when everything inside me aligned and I knew… there was no turning back.

I watch her.

Clara is standing in front of me, holding that bouquet of roses, looking at the flowers and then at me with that mixture of curiosity and confusion that so characterizes her when something is unexpected.

And I think… God… How could I not do it, how could I not choose her again and again?

I take a deep breath, resting both hands on the table for a second feeling the slight tremor in my fingers. It’s not fear, nor is it doubt. It’s… emotion. An emotion I don’t remember feeling this way.

I look up at her.

“Yes…” I begin, with a small smile. “This isn’t just any dinner.”

Clara frowns slightly, still holding the flowers.

“Oh, no?”

I shake my head gently. “No.”

My voice lowers slightly, becoming more intimate.

“It’s a special night…” I add. “And that’s why your mother is here.”

I see her eyes change. Something in her expression slowly transforms, as if she’s beginning to understand that this… is more than it seems.

Her mother remains silent, watching us, and there’s something in her gaze… something that gives me the confidence I need to continue.

I barely glance at her.

“Mrs. Sinclair…” I say respectfully.

She nods, with a slight smile. “Ethan.”

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“Thank you…” I continue. “Thank you for welcoming me back. For opening the door to your home… to your family… even after everything.”

She doesn’t respond immediately, but her eyes… say more than any words could.

I return to Clara, and there… There, everything becomes clearer.

“Clara…”

Her name comes out differently, heavier. More… meaningful. I see her breathing slow, waiting.

chapter 194 pps Vest

RaMy Wile again?

+25 Points

“The first time I did something like this…” I begin. “Your father was standing right in front of me.”

Her gaze softens. And so does mine.

“I remember perfectly how he looked at me…” I continue. “As if he were evaluating every word I said, every intention I had.”

I let out a small, humorless laugh.

“And he was right to.”

Clara barely smiles, but says nothing.

“At that moment…” I add, “I thought I knew what this meant.” I pause. “But I had no idea”

Silence.

The atmosphere changes, becoming denser, more… emotional.

“I didn’t understand what it meant to truly love…” I confess. “I didn’t understand what it meant to sustain a relationship… to nurture it… to value it… to protect it.”

I look down for a second.

“And I messed it up.”

There’s no more direct way to say it; I don’t want to soften it. I don’t want to hide it.

When I look back at her… she doesn’t take her eyes off me.

“But losing you…” I continue, “was all I needed to understand everything.”

My voice cracks slightly… but I keep going.

“To understand who you are… what you’re worth… what you mean in my life.”

My fingers tense slightly on the table.

“Because you’re not just the woman I love…” I take a step toward her. “You’re the woman I want everything with.”

୮

Silence… A deep silence.

“I want to build something with you…” I add. “I want to grow with you… make mistakes with you… learn with you.”

Her breathing changes; I notice.

“I want to do things right again…” I say. “But this time… consciously. With respect. From true love.”

I feel my heart pounding faster.

“I’m not the man I used to be… Clara.”

And I say it with complete certainty.

& Chapter 192

My Wife agay?

+25 Points

“And I’m not asking you to forget what happened.” I shake my head. “I’m asking you to let me show you… That I can be better, that I already am.”

My eyes never leave hers

“Because if there’s one thing I’m sure of now… it’s that I don’t want a life without you.”

Silence… a silence filled with emotion. And then… I do it.

My hand slowly slides down to the inside pocket of my jacket, I feel the ring there… Waiting. As if she also knew this was the moment, Clara notices. I see her expression change, her body go completely still.

“Ethan…” she whispers.

But I don’t stop, I take out the small box. I hold it for a few seconds… looking at it, and then I open it. There it is, simple, elegant, perfect.

I look up at her. And then… I kneel.

The world… disappears.

I hear nothing else. Only my breathing… and hers.

“Clara…”

Her name… now it trembles. But not from doubt… From everything I feel.

“Will you marry me… again?”

The silence that follows… is eternal. I see her.

Her eyes are wide open, her hand slowly rises to cover her mouth. As if she’s trying to contain everything she’s feeling.

“I…” But she can’t speak, her eyes fill with tears. And that… That almost breaks me. Because I know they aren’t tears of pain, they’re tears of emotion, of surprise. Of everything this means.

She nods… Once, then again.

“Yes…” she manages, her voice catching. “Yes…”

My chest expands, as if I can finally breathe after so long.

“Yes, Ethan…”

I close my eyes for a second. Just one, to hold back everything that’s about to overflow. I take her hand carefully, as if it were something sacred. And I slide the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly, just as it always should have.

I stand up immediately and don’t think. I hug her, enveloping her completely in my arms, pressing her to me as if I need to make sure she’s real. That she’s here, that she said yes.

I feel her arms around me too, tightly, desperately. And then… I kiss her. A deep kiss, full of everything that words can’t express.

Chapter 197

Be My Wife

+25 Ponts

When I finally pull away… She leans close to my ear.

“I wasn’t expecting this…”

Her voice trembles, and I smile, resting my forehead against hers.

“That’s what it’s all about…”

I sigh.

“Surprising you… but this time… to stay.”

I look at her, and in her eyes… I see everything. Love, emotion. And something more… Something that confirms that this time… It’s different, this time… It’s forever.

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