The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 277

Chapter 198: The Ring on My Finger.

Clara

I don’t know when I started crying… I only know that, when I came to, my cheeks were already wet and my chest was rising and falling with that mixture of emotion, disbelief… and something deeper. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time: happiness.

I look at him… Ethan is still standing in front of me, holding me as if he’s afraid to let go… as if at any moment all of this could disappear. But no, it’s not a dream, not this time.

I lower my gaze, my hand trembling slightly as I raise it… and there it is. The ring. Shining on my finger as if it had always belonged there, as if it should never have left.

I let out a small laugh through my tears.

“It can’t be…”

My voice comes out low, broken… but full.

Ethan smiles, and his eyes… his eyes are just like mine. Heavy.

“Yes, it can,” he replies gently.

I look at him again and can’t help but move closer, wrap my arms around his neck, and hug him tighter.

“You’re crazy…” I whisper, still holding him.

He chuckles softly against my hair.

“But I’m your crazy one.”

I close my eyes. And for a second… I just allow myself to feel. His warmth, his presence, his voice. Everything.

When we separate, my mother is there… watching us. And when I look at her… her eyes are shining too.

“Come here,” she says, opening her arms.

I go to her immediately, and when she hugs me… it’s different. It’s not just a hug; it’s approval, it’s relief, it’s love.

“I’m happy for you,” she whispers.

I squeeze my eyes shut.

“Thank you, Mom…”

She pulls back slightly, cups my face in her hands.

“Just be happy…” she says. “That’s all I want.”

I nod.

Chapter 19%

“I am”

My Finger

+25 Points

And I say it without hesitation, because I am. Because in this moment… there is no fear, no doubt, no past that weighs more than this. Only… this. The present.

Dinner continues, but nothing is the same anymore. Everything feels lighter, warmer… more alive. There is laughter, there are knowing glances. And there are moments when I simply stare at my hand… unable to believe it.

Ethan keeps searching for my gaze, and I for his. It’s as if we both need to confirm it again and again, that it’s real, that it happened… That we said yes.

At some point, one of the waiters approaches.

“Would you like us to capture this moment?”

I look up and smile.

“Yes…. please.”

We settle in, first the three of us. Then Ethan and I. He puts his arm around my waist, I rest my hand on his chest… showing the ring without even thinking. Flash, another… And another.

“One more,” the waiter says.

Ethan moves a little closer.

“Look at me,” he whispers.

I do. And in that instant… they capture more than just a picture. They capture… what we are now.

When we finish, I sit back down, still smiling.

My mother looks at the photos on the camera.

“Beautiful,” she says.

Ethan takes my hand on the table, intertwines it with his. And my pulse… quickens again.

“Clara…” he says softly.

I look at him.

“Yes?”

He glances down at the ring. Then back at me.

“Are you okay?”

I smile.

“I’m… more than okay.”

I squeeze his hand.

“I’m happy.”

Chaplong

My Finge

+25 Points

And that… seems to be enough for him; the night comes to an end.

“We leave the restaurant, the fresh air envelops me, and I feel how everything inside me is still vibrating. As

if I haven’t quite finished processing it.

We get in the car, go back home, and when I’m finally alone with Ethan…. silence settles in. But it’s not awkward, it’s… full.

I look out the window of our room for a few seconds, then… I took down.

My hand rests on my lap, and the ring… It’s still there.

I run my finger over it, its shape, its shine.

“It’s incredible…” I murmur.

Ethan turns slightly toward me.

“What?”

I raise my hand.

“Having this again…” I say it softly, but he hears me.

He extends his hand, takes mine. He looks at it for a few seconds… As if he also needs to confirm it. And then… He brings it to his lips and kisses the ring.

I close my eyes, because that gesture… That simple gesture… It completely disarms me.

“This time…” he says, “you’re not going to take it off your hand.”

I look at him and shake my head gently.

“No…” I reply. “Not this time.”

The ride back is quiet, but my mind… doesn’t stop. I think about everything, about what we were, about what happened. About what hurt… And about what we’re building now… It’s not perfect, it never will be. But it’s real, and that… is worth more.

୮

I realize something as I look at my hand once more: it’s not the ring that matters. It’s what it represents now… Before… it was an illusion. Today… it’s a decision, a conscious decision. Both of ours.

“Ethan…” I say, turning slightly toward him.

“Mm?”

“Thank you…”

17

He looks at me.

“Why?”

I smile.

Chapter 194 The Bog on Aly Linger

“For not giving up.”

**

“His expression barely changes.

“I never was going to.”

I lower my gaze, feeling something in my chest settle.

“This time…” I add, “let’s do it right.”

He nods.

“This time… we’re going to do it perfectly, our way.”

+25 Points

I smile because that sounds better, because that sounds… possible. The car keeps moving, and I… lean back slightly. Holding his hand, feeling his warmth. Feeling that, finally… I’m where I want to be. And that this time… I did make the right decision.

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