Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

That evening, Grace left work half an hour early, stopping by the supermarket to pick up fresh ingredients. Then, she rushed home.

With two hours until Ethan's arrival, she had more than enough time to prepare a small meal.

She worked alone in the kitchen, moving swiftly. Just as she was finishing and with only 20 minutes left before the scheduled time, the doorbell rang. Assuming it was Ethan, she quickly went to open the door.

"Eth-"

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Carmen standing outside.

Her mood instantly soured, and her expression turned cold.

Carmen shoved the door open without hesitation, the aroma of freshly cooked food immediately hitting her.

"Grace, you still have the heart to cook here?" Carmen snapped. "Do you even know that Alice and Liam have been craving your food? Alice is sick, and she keeps asking for your cooking. Get your things. You're coming home with me." Grace didn't bother responding. She simply raised a hand to shut the door.

Carmen, already in a foul mood, shoved it open with force.

"You bought this place with Alice's money, didn't you?" she sneered. "She's sick now, and all she wants is a meal from you. Yet here you are, indifferent. You're heartless!"

She stormed into the dining area without invitation.

Seeing the beautifully plated dishes arranged neatly on the table, Carmen's fury spiked. Without a second thought, she grabbed the edge of the tablecloth and yanked.

In an instant, the dishes toppled over. Food splattered across the floor, and plates shattered. Even the tablecloth landed in a crumpled mess on the ground.

"Alice and Liam haven't had a single bite, but you're here feasting alone?" Carmen spat.

Grace stood still for several seconds, her chest rising and falling. Without a word, she pulled out her phone and called building management.

The staff in the security office hesitated. "Ms. Lambert, we didn't intentionally let her up. She said she was your mother, and just a few days ago, she bought a villa for her other daughter. One of our staff recognized her, so we let her through."

"I don't know her. Right now, she's trespassing and causing a disturbance. Please remove her immediately," Grace said coolly.

Carmen never thought she'd see the day when security threw her out. Standing outside the complex, she stomped her foot in frustration, shaking with rage.

This was the second time she had come looking for Grace in such a short period. Her patience had run dry. If Alice didn't love Grace's cooking, she wouldn't have bothered. From now on, she'd pretend this daughter never existed.

Inside her house, Grace had crouched down to pick up the shattered porcelain. Just then, she heard the sound of a wheelchair approaching.

Ethan was at the entrance, dressed in a crisp, freshly tailored suit.

Grace had thought she was already numb toward humiliation. But why did Ethan always show up at the worst possible moments?

Her fingers tightened around the broken pieces of the dish. Her voice was hoarse when she finally said, "Mr. Henderson, I'm sorry. Maybe it's best if you eat out tonight."

Even with the memory loss that had caused her to forget everything about the Lambert family, something inside her still ached.

She bent down, collecting the shattered porcelain. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her fingers, and blood trickled from a fresh cut.

The wheelchair rolled closer. Then, Ethan caught her hand.

"Don't move. I'll have Tim clean it up."

As his assistant, Tim handled almost everything for him. He had been standing outside the door all this time.

Grace noticed the surprise flashing across Tim's face when Ethan said that. For some reason, it made her want to laugh.

"That's unnecessary," she muttered. "I can clean it myself."

She tried to pull her hand away and continue picking up the pieces.

"Tim," Ethan called out.

Tim immediately stepped inside. "Ms. Lambert, just sit down. I'll handle it."

Tim had already headed toward the bathroom to retrieve the mop.

Grace had no choice but to stand up, only to have Ethan take her wrist and lead her to the couch.

The moment she sat down, a tissue was placed at her fingertips. Ethan then wiped away the grease stains left from cooking.

She instinctively curled her fingers. Moments ago, her body had felt flushed from the surge of emotions, but now, wherever his skin brushed hers, it felt like ice. It was like she was touching fresh snow.

A subtle stillness filled the space between them, and the air felt thick with something unspoken.

Ethan wiped her fingers clean. Her palm was bleeding, but it wasn't too serious.

He tossed the tissue into the trash. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yes."

Grace stood to retrieve it. But when she returned, her gaze landed on a small stain of red on the couch.

Her heart dropped. Her palm hadn't bled that much.

Her face flushed red when she realized it had to be her period.

From the looks of it, it had already seeped through her pants. This meant Ethan must have seen everything.

No wonder she had been feeling off while cooking earlier.

But that wasn't the real problem. Right now, she couldn't look up. She wished she could vanish on the spot.

Why would such an awkward situation happen to her?

Her whole body stiffened as heat rose to her cheeks. Just then, his voice broke

the silence. "Does your stomach hurt?"

Her skin burned from sheer embarrassment. She couldn't even answer.

Then, he reached over to touch her hand.noveldrama

"Does it hurt a lot?" he asked again.

Her lips trembled slightly before she finally forced herself to reply, "A little."

The aroma of freshly cooked food had faded. Tim had quietly cracked open the window before slipping away, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Ethan stood

and headed to the

kitchen. Moments later, she heard

the sound of water boiling. He returned with a hot water bag, having somehow found one in her cabinets. He carefully filled it tested the temperature, and then handed it to her.

Grace hesitated, frozen in place, until he said, "Hold it against your stomach."

Before she could thank him, a fresh wave of pain hit her. Her face turned pale, and even her fingers trembled.

Ethan rummaged through the first aid kit and pulled out a pill bottle. He popped out an ibuprofen, but by now, Grace was in too much pain to focus.

"Take it."

She slumped against the couch, her body damp with sweat. For once, she was

too miserable to care about embarrassment. The pain was unbearable.

Ethan grabbed a glass of warm water and sat beside her. He tilted her chin up with one hand while pressing the pill lightly against her lips with the other.

Grace instinctively tried to spit it out, but before she could, he tilted her head back

slightly and brought the glass to her lips.

"Drink."

Maybe his tone was too firm, so Grace swallowed without any hesitation.