The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 68

Chapter 46: I’m Going to Fight.–1

Ethan

A few days ago…

It wasn’t what she said, it was how she said it.

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I’ve spent days trying to convince myself that I’m exaggerating. That it was just an awkward conversation. That no one dies because of a refusal, but what left me breathless were not

her words, it was her look.

Clara did not hesitate, she did not lower her voice, she did not soften the blow.

She didn’t leave a crack open for me to say “maybe.”

I expected that… Not a promise, not a statement, just a crack. A damn little crack for me to pass back into her life.

Something minimal that would allow me to think that, if I did things right this time, there

would be a chance.

I’m a man used to doors not closing in my face.

If I don’t go in through the first, I go in through the second. If they don’t pick me right away, they wait.

If I am wrong, I have room to correct.

Just as it happened with the contract… In the end, in the end I’m in something… to the second, even if it is not to the first.

With her there was no margin.

I remember the exact moment when I understood that she was not leaving me space. Her upright posture.

Her firm voice, that serenity that was not coldness… it was a decision. And when she finished speaking, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

A sharp blow, as if the ground had been removed from under my feet, but without drama. No shouting. No scene.

Only… closing.

a

It was as if I had knocked on a door that in my head was always ajar, and she closed it gently. No violence. No hatred.

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4 Chapter 46: I’m Going to Fight.–1

Worse, with conviction.

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That was what broke me a little, because if she had yelled at me, if she had complained to me, if she had cried… there would be room for intensity.

But no, there was calm. And when someone is calm when rejecting you, you understand that they have already grieved.

What hurt me the most was not losing. It was not being enough to make her doubt.

I, who have always known how to move the pieces in my favor, was waiting for a signal that

never came.

My ego reacted first… Perfect, nothing happens.

If I didn’t look for her for two years, I may not look for her for another thousand. I don’t need to convince anyone to stay.

I am not going to beg, I am not going to insist where I am not a priority… That is what I repeated to myself, that is what I maintained.

I left that conversation with my back straight and pride intact on the outside.

Inside… something had cracked. Because, even though my head said “retire,” my chest wasn’t ready to accept that she could start something with another without me really trying.

And that’s what started to bother me later. Not rejection, but the possibility that I would have been too proud to fight when there was still time.

That feeling did not go away, it remained silent. Like a closed door that I keep staring at, pretending I don’t care… while I wonder what would have happened if, instead of standing still, I had put my hand to prevent it from closing completely.

And it was there… That’s where pride began to lose ground. That’s where the real problem

began:

“It’s okay” became more false.

It’s okay if Clara is busy, it’s okay if she doesn’t respond right away. It’s okay if she’s with him.

I’ve been fine before her, I’m going to be fine after.

Who am I kidding? Those words are spoken by my pride. But the problem is that my pride doesn’t sleep with me. And last night I didn’t sleep.

I tried to concentrate on work. I opened emails. I answered two. I closed the laptop… I

< Chapter 46: I’m Going to Fight–1

opened it again.

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All I saw was her face the day she told me she needed distance. The way she held my gaze, as if she was making an irreversible decision.

I even remembered that night, the night of the event, when I came home and she told me she

wanted a divorce.

She didn’t tell me that there was someone else, but she also didn’t tell me that there wasn’t. And that ambiguity is killing me.

At eleven in the morning I couldn’t take it anymore, I’m not an impulsive man. I don’t usually run after anyone.

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Chapter 46: I’m Going to Fight. -2

Chapter 46: I’m Going to Fight.–2

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But that’s the theory… The practice was that I took the car keys and drove straight to the building where she works.

I didn’t call her before, I didn’t let her know. I just needed to see her. Confirm that everything was fine. That this was just a bad time. That I wasn’t losing something without knowing it.

I went in.

The reception was impeccable. Like everything that surrounds her now. That building was already seen as a company, only small details…

“Good morning,” I said, controlled.

The secretary looked up.

“Good morning.”

The woman was picking things up from a box.

“I’m looking for Miss Clara Sinclair.”

She checked something on her screen.

“Miss Sinclair is not in the office. She will be absent for a few days.”

A dry emptiness pierced my chest.

“Absent?”

“Yes.”

I tried not to change my tone.

“Is Mr. Alexander here?”

I don’t know why I needed to ask that question.

She looked at the screen again.

“It’s not available either. Both return next week.”

Both.

The word fell like a clean blow.

Both are absent, both are not in the city. Both return next week.

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<Chapter 46: I’m Going to Fight.–2

My head began to set up scenarios without permission.

Breathe… Nothing happens.

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It can be work, it can be coincidence, it can be anything. But the body doesn’t obey logic when it senses that it is losing ground.

I leaned slightly over the counter.

“I’m Ethan Blackwood. Partner of Miss Clara Sinclair.”

That changed something in her expression.

Recognition… I know, she had heard the name before.

Of course she had heard it. We are working on a joint project for an important company. My name is circulating here.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Blackwood.”

I nodded.

“I need to tell Mrs. Clara something. It’s important.”

The secretary hesitated.

“If you want, I can take the message and send it to her.”

No.

It wasn’t a message that I needed to send.

It was presence.

“I prefer to talk about it directly with her. It is confidential.”

My tone was not aggressive. He was firm. Professional.

She hesitated for a few more seconds.

And that’s when I understood that I was crossing a line.

But I didn’t care.

“Could you give me the address of her apartment? It is strictly for an urgent work matter.”

Silence.

I could see the internal struggle on her face. Privacy Policy Against Executive Pressure.

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Chapter 46 I’m Going to Fight -2

“It’s personal information, sir…”

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“I understand,” I interrupted, lowering my voice slightly. “But if this matter is delayed, the impact will be considerable for both parties. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to.”

I wasn’t lying at all. The impact would be considerable, for me.

She took a deep breath and gave me the address.

When I left the building I no longer had any real control over my thoughts.

I drove faster than I should have.

What am I doing?

This is not like me, I don’t pursue. I don’t insist where they don’t want me.

But I also don’t sit still watching someone decide for me that I’m no longer part of their story.

I arrived at Clara’s building. I went in, asked for her.

“Miss Sinclair is not there.”