By the Time He Regretted, She Was Gone Forever

The older woman seized Kinsley’s collar, her hatred raw and unforgiving. Then, without hesitation, she yanked the diamond bracelet from Kinsley’s wrist and hurled it to the ground.

The delicate diamond shattered into pieces.

Enzo said nothing.

But in that silence, everything became clear.

They were no longer a couple.

They were no longer the ones who had once spoken of forever.

They had become something else: victims and criminal’s kin.

Kinsley had wanted to uncover the truth.

But before she could take a step forward, her father’s body was found near the reservoir two days later.

And the world whispered the same verdict: he had taken his own life out of guilt.

The Moore Corporation had crumbled.

Overnight, everything was gone.

All that remained was her mother, trapped in madness, a hollow shell of the woman she once was.

Kinsley had always been stubborn. She had juggled five jobs a day just to pay for her mother’s treatment, pushing herself beyond exhaustion.

But even as her body withered under the strain, her mother remained comatose, clinging to life by the thinnest thread.

Now, returning to the present, Kinsley curled into herself, bone-deep exhaustion pressing down on her.

Only in this fragile moment could she steal a sliver of relief.

But once the sun rose, she would once again become the Kinsley, even she could barely recognize.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried to leave.

But every time she did, Enzo dragged her back.

“Kinsley, do you think your father’s death can erase the damage he did to my family?”

His voice was ice, sharp and unrelenting.

“I want you to stay in Cascadia and suffer, just like I do, every single day.”

They were the same.

Both had lost everything overnight.

And Kinsley hadn’t hesitated to agree.

Not long ago, the doctors had sealed her fate: a brain tumor.

Maybe, in the near future, she would forget everything.

Or maybe she was already living during borrowed time.

“Kinsley, your mother passed away last night.”

She answered groggily, her fingers numb against the phone. Her legs had long lost their strength and as the news settled in, her body weakened, leaving her frozen in place.

The servants who passed by hesitated, their curious gazes lingering. But when she offered no response, they left, their presence dissolving into the background.

Closing her eyes, she forced herself to steady. When she finally spoke, her voice trembled.

“Rowan, please help me. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

As the call ended, she struggled to stand, her steps unsteady as she forced herself forward.

At the hospital, she stood before the glass window, staring blankly.

The woman on the bed was no longer breathing.

Her mother’s voice echoed in her mind, fragments of a past that could never be reclaimed.

“Kinsley, I don’t believe your father would harm anyone. He was innocent, just a scapegoat.”

“Don’t go to the Keller Family. I won’t accept treatment either. I just want you to live well.”

“Kinsley! I dreamed of your father again. His body was covered in wounds and he was crying out in pain. I think he’s coming to take me with him.”

Her eyes snapped open, bloodshot and filled with grief.

Tears welled up, spilling silently onto the floor.

At some point, Rowan had appeared behind her.

“Auntie left peacefully. She didn’t suffer too much.”

She wiped her tears with trembling fingers, letting out a soft, weary sigh.

“I know. I know it all.”

“But now, I’m all alone.”