The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 286

Chapter 205-re is my peace, my tranquility

Chapter 205: She is my peace, my tranquility.

Ethan

25 Paints

The door closes softly behind her… and the silence that remains isn’t awkward. It’s different. It’s a profound silence. As if her presence still lingers in the air, as if the house hasn’t quite accepted that Clara is no longer here, at least not yet.

I finish getting organized more calmly; I still have plenty of time. But I feel I’ve used it wisely.

I go downstairs and say goodbye to my wife; she’s hurrying off with her coffee in hand. I stand for a few seconds, looking toward the entrance… as if she might return at any moment because she forgot something. I smile slightly… Always so rushed… and always so herself.

I walk slowly toward the kitchen, running my hand through my stil damp hair. The warmth of the shower lingers on my skin, but what I truly feel… is something else. It’s calm. A calm I haven’t felt in a long time.

I take a seat at the kitchen island, the same spot where she’d been just a few minutes before, her cup in hand, looking at me with that mixture of haste and tenderness that only Clara possesses.

I close my eyes for a second and take a deep breath. There it is… her scent. Coffee, her perfume… and something more. Something that is simply her.

I open my eyes and then I see it, her phone. It’s there, on the table, right next to where that cup had been. I watch it for a few seconds, as if waiting for it to vibrate, to ring… something. But no. Nothing.

“Always the same…” I murmur, shaking my head with a small smile. “I knew you’d end up forgetting something.”

I lean forward and pick it up. It’s cold, inactive… completely forgotten.

I turn it over in my fingers, lost in thought. I could call her… tell her she forgot it. I could ask the driver to bring it to her, or even someone from the office. But no, I don’t want to, not because it’s complicated… but because there’s something inside me that wants to do it myself. To take it, to see her. Even if it’s just for a moment, even if it’s just going in, handing it to her, and leaving.

The idea takes root in my mind with almost absurd ease… and I don’t try to resist. Because the truth is…! want to see her. After everything that’s happened, after everything we’ve rebuilt… there’s something inside me that still can’t get enough of looking at her, of finding her, of confirming that she’s still there. That she’s with me.

I get up from my chair and put my phone in my pocket.

“You got lucky…” I say softly, as if she could hear me. “Because otherwise, I’d have an excuse to see you anyway.”

I smile a little wider this time, walk over to the coffee maker, and pour myself a cup. The aroma rises immediately, enveloping the room.

I take a slow sip, resting a hand on the counter as I look out the window.

The city is fully awake now, and I… am too. But not in the usual way. Before, mornings were routine. Work, calls, decisions… moving forward. Always moving forward. Without dwelling too much on what I felt, on

Chapter 205 he is my peace, my tranquility

425 Points

what I wanted beyond the immediate: Not now, now there’s something more. Now there’s her… And that…. changes everything.

I take another sip of coffee, slower this time, and let rny thoughts flow.

Clara… Her name no longer hurts when I think of it. It no longer weighs the down. Now I say it with the present tense, with the future in mind. And that… calms me in a way I can’t quite explain.

I set the cup down on the table and reach into my pocket, feeling the outline of her phone. It’s a simple gesture… but there’s something about it, something symbolic. Before… I was the one who lost her. The one who dropped important things without realizing it, not anymore. Now I’m picking up where I left off, now I’m taking care of her, now I’m… present.

I take a deep breath, running a hand over my jaw.

“Life changes…” I murmur.

I finish my coffee in silence, without rushing. Savoring this moment of calm that I rarely allowed myself before. When I set down the empty cup, I straighten up and walk toward the bedroom.

I finish dressing leisurely, choosing a comfortable but presentable tie. I’m going to visit my wife, not formally… but it’s not just any old thing. I’m going to see her. And that, for me… is never “just any old thing.”

I grab my keys, check my phone… and before leaving, I pause for a second at the door. I look back. The house… our house. And for the first time in a long time… it doesn’t feel empty when she’s not here. It feels… paused. As if it’s simply waiting for us to return.

I nod slightly, as if closing a thought.

“I’m on my way, Clara…” I say softly, more to myself than to anyone else.

I step outside, the morning air welcoming me with freshness, clearing away the last traces of the shower’s

heat.

I walk calmly to the car, without that constant urgency that used to accompany me. Today there’s no rush, today… there’s intention.

I get in the car, start the engine… and as I drive, a clear feeling settles in my chest. Tranquility. I don’t need to chase after it, I don’t need to desperately search for answers, I’don’t need to force anything. Because for the first time… I feel we’re in the same place. At the same point, looking ahead. And that… is enough.

I adjust the steering wheel, focusing my gaze on the road.

“I’m going to see you…” I murmur, with a small smile.

And I accelerate gently, carrying more than just a forgotten cell phone.

I have a perfect excuse, and an even better reason.

Comments

H

255

Vote