His Darkest Regret

June

When Scarlett arrived, I was still sitting on the couch, staring at the door like Kyra was going to walk back in at any moment. The thought of it sent a shiver down my spine, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t focus on Kyra right now. I needed Scarlett to help me figure out what the hell was happening. It felt like everything was crumbling before my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it.

“June?” Scarlett's voice pulled me from my thoughts as she rushed inside, her eyes wide with concern. “What happened? You sounded like you were freaking out on the phone.”

I didn’t know how to start, how to explain that the life I thought I had was unraveling right in front of me. “She was here,” I whispered.

“Who? Kyra?” Scarlett sat beside me, her expression darkening.

“Yeah, Kyra. She was… she was in my house, Scarlett. In my house. She knows about everything. She knows about Axel, about my pregnancy, and she… she even made comments about the baby. Like she was—” I stopped, my voice cracking as the tears I’d been holding in finally fell.

Scarlett frowned, squeezing my hand. “That’s insane. What did she say?”

I replayed the fucking conversation in my head and I wanted to collapse this time.

I shook my head, my throat tight. “It was more than what she said, Scarlett. It was how she acted, like she owned everything in my life, like she already had Axel, and now she wanted to take everything else. She sounded so assured and it was scary. You didn't see the look on her face, it felt like she was enjoying messing with me.”

Scarlett's jaw clenched, and for a moment, she didn’t say anything. Then, almost too casually, she asked, “Who drove you home?”

I blinked, thrown off by the sudden change of topic. “Oh… this guy, Levi. He’s just someone I met at the bar.”

I gulped.

Scarlett's face went rigid. “Levi?”

“Yeah… why?”

She hesitated, and I could see something flicker across her face. It seems that there was something she wasn’t telling me. “What’s his last name?”

“I don’t know,” I said, frowning. “Why does that matter?”

Scarlett gave a stifled smile, but I could see the worry in her eyes. “It doesn’t. I just… I’ve heard that name before. Levi. Just wondering if it’s the same guy.”

My instincts were screaming that something was off. “Scarlett, if you know something, you need to tell me.”

But she just shook her head, forcing a laugh. “It’s nothing, really. I’m probably just being paranoid. You’ve got enough to deal with without me throwing some weird theory into the mix.”

I wanted to press her, but I could see that she wasn’t going to budge. So I let it go, at least for now. There were too many other things on my mind anyway. I leaned back against the couch, my exhaustion finally catching up with me. “I don’t know what to do, Scarlett. I feel like everything is falling apart.”

Scarlett sighed, pulling me into a hug. “We’ll figure it out. You’re not alone in this, okay?”

I nodded, but the hole, aching in my chest didn’t go away. It felt like no matter what I did, I was losing everything. Axel was slipping through my fingers, and Kyra… Kyra was taking everything that was supposed to be mine. She has seated fully telling me that she was aware of my moves that she was going to snap out from behind the scenes soon enough.

All I know was that I couldn't let that happen.

*

The next day at work, things felt surreal. I tried to focus on my patients, but my mind kept drifting back to the chaos of the night before. Every time I thought about Kyra sitting on my couch, smug and confident, my stomach twisted into knots. It felt like a nightmare coming to play before my very eyes. In my own home.

But I pushed through the day, determined to not let it break me. I’d barely made it through half my shift when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting to see some meaningless notification, but what I saw instead froze the blood in my veins.

Photos of Axel. With Kyra.

The first picture was of them kissing, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hand on the small of her back. The others were just as intimate—laughing together, holding hands, walking side by side like they were already a couple.

My hands shook, and I could barely breathe. I wanted to scream, to throw my phone across the room, but all I could do was stare at the images, my heart shattering with every new slide. How long had this been going on? How many times had Axel lied to me, looked me in the eyes and told me he loved me, while he was with her? I shook my head, telling myself not to jump into conclusions. Then the signs were there and I just couldn't ignore it. It tore my heart to pieces, seeing them like that. Everything we've shared turned to ashes in my hands and it seems there was no way of removing it.

I felt the weight of betrayal crush me, and I couldn’t keep the tears from spilling over. I quickly wiped them away, but the ache was too deep, too raw to ignore.

“June?” Marissa’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I hadn’t even noticed her standing there. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I tried to smile, but it felt like my face was breaking in two. “I’m fine. I just… I need a minute.”

She gave me a sympathetic look, but thankfully, she didn’t pressure me to speak. I made my way down the hall, trying to pull myself together, but it felt impossible. Everything felt impossible.

I was about to head to the break room when a nurse approached me. “Mrs. Grey, your new patient is ready. You can see him now.”

The term ‘mrs’ made me cringe now that my marriage was mirrored with questions.

I nodded, trying to shake off the pain and focus on my job. But when I walked into the room, I froze.

Sitting on the exam table, with that same easy smile, was Levi.

He looked up, his eyes locking onto mine, and for a second, neither of us spoke. My heart was still pounding from the pictures, from the betrayal, from everything. And now, here he was, the man who had driven me home the night before, the man who had made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time—ease.

“Levi,” I breathed, barely able to believe he was sitting in front of me.

“June.” His voice was soft, and his gaze was steady, like he could see right through me. “Are you okay?”

I blinked, trying to find the words, but all that came out was a sob. The well I’d been holding back broke, and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

In an instant, Levi was off the table and by my side, pulling me into his arms. I didn’t resist. I didn’t even force myself to fall in his touch. I let him hold me, let the warmth of his embrace wash over me as I cried.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t alone. Someone cared. Someone wanted to be there for me.

When my sobs finally quieted, Levi pulled back slightly, his hand gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“For what?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“For whatever’s hurting you. For whatever he’s done.”

I looked into his eyes, and in that moment, I knew he understood. He didn’t know the details, but he knew enough. “How did you—?”

“Axel,” he said simply. “I figured it had to be him. A man would be an idiot to make you cry like this.”

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. “Levi, I… I don’t know what to do.”

He held my gaze, his expression serious. “Then let me help you.”

His words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I considered it. I considered what it would mean to let Levi in, to let him be the one to help me. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

“I can’t,” I whispered. “I need to figure this out with Axel .” I didn't like it but it was what was right.

Levi's jaw tightened, but he didn’t push. Instead, he gave a slow nod. “Okay. But just know, June… you deserve more than this. You deserve to be happy.”

I didn’t know how to respond. I just stood there, feeling the weight of his words settle into my bones.

After a few more minutes, Levi left, but not before giving me a long, lingering look that said more than words ever could. And as he walked out the door, I realized something I hadn’t before.

I was fighting a losing battle.

*

That night, I went home, determined to talk to Axel. To fight for my marriage, for the life I thought we had. But when I walked through the door, I was met with cold indifference. He gave me a cold shoulder like I had already disappeared.

Axel was there, sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened. Like the pictures didn’t exist, like Kyra wasn’t slowly taking over my entire life.

“I saw the photos,” I said, my voice trembling.

He didn’t even look at me. “It’s not what you think.”

“Not what I think?” I could hear the anger rising in my voice. “Axel, you’re kissing her! You’re with her—”

“She’s pregnant, June,” he cut me off, his voice flat, emotionless. “I don’t need you stressing her out. It’s bad for the baby.”

I stared at him, my heart breaking all over again. “She’s pregnant?”

He nodded, finally looking up at me with a cold gaze. “Yeah. So don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

Something inside me snapped. “I want a divorce.”

For the first time in months, I saw a flicker of emotion on his face—surprise, maybe even anger—but I didn’t care anymore. I couldn’t keep doing this. I couldn’t keep pretending like everything was okay.

I took off my wedding ring and threw it at him. “I’m done, Axel."