Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Ed said nothing. He watched Grace shut her eyes tightly, making it obvious she wasn't trying to sneak a look at him.

His Adam's apple bobbed a couple of times.

Grace, thinking he might be upset, rushed to explain.

"He crashed into my car," she said. "You know he's loaded, right? He wrote a check on the spot. There was no way I was gonna say no. Rich people are just reckless like that. Now, hurry up. Pick something you want."

Ed stayed silent for a few more seconds before finally taking the phone. Without hesitating, he picked out a pair of luxury couple's watches that were worth one million dollars. He handed the phone back to Grace.

Grace glanced down, didn't even blink, and immediately processed the payment. Honestly, she liked this about Ed-how straightforward he was. She told him to pick something, and he just picked. He missed her, and he showed up. This was way better than someone like Ethan, who would stew in silence for hours instead of speaking his mind.

Grace turned off her phone and tossed it aside. Then, she rested on Ed's lap. When she was with him, there was no need to pretend or put on a front.

Ed's fingers lightly brushed her temples, gently massaging in slow, steady circles. "Are you planning to take care of me now?" he asked, his voice low and rough. Grace smiled lazily. "Sure. I'll work hard and make plenty of money."

"I don't eat much," Ed murmured. "You won't need a fortune to keep me around. Just don't leave me."

His fingertips traced along her cheek, tender and feather-light.

Grace didn't know why, but a strange wave of unease stirred in her chest. Still, she quickly pushed it down, reassuring him softly, "I won't. Even if I someday regain all my memories, I'll still stay with you."

Saying it out loud made her feel better. She sat up slightly and kissed him gently on the cheek, then snuggled right back down into his lap and drifted off to sleep. She couldn't help it. She was exhausted.

The past two days had been non-stop work with barely any rest. And the following day, she had another brutal battle ahead. She was trying to pull in new business deals to stabilize the company.

Now that she had taken over Lambert Group, half the industry was waiting for her to fail. She wouldn't get a shred of mercy during the negotiations.

But as she slept, she started to dream again. This time, she was a little girl, standing in a boxing ring, practicing her footwork and throwing punches. Off to the side, someone's warm voice called out, "Grace, why don't you take a break?"

"I'm not tired, Alex," she said, flashing a grin.

"Okay. But I'm getting tired," Alex Sutton teased gently. "Come rest with me for a bit, alright?"

Even though she couldn't see his face clearly through the haze of her dream world, she could feel his

warmth hand wiped the swearet

from her forehead with a soft, careful touch. She beamed up at

him. Alex was her senior.

"Alex, when you go on missions in the future, can I come too? I'm really strong! I'll

protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you!" she said earnestly.

Alex laughed. Then, he scooped her up easily in his arms.

"Alright," he said. "Remember what you promised. You'll protect me, no matter what."

"Of course! You're the most important person in the world to me!" She made her vow with wide, shining eyes, pouring every bit of sincerity into it.

But the dream shifted suddenly.

Suddenly, everything was chaos with scattered bodies and disjointed screams. She couldn't see anything clearly, but the grief and the overwhelming, suffocating pain were unmistakable.

Back in the dimly lit living room with no lights on, Ed sat beside her on the couch. His fingers gently traced the line of her cheek, something tender and aching in his chest. And then he heard her murmur in her sleep. "Atex..."

Ed went rigid like someone had flipped a switch and shut him down. The blood that had been surging hot through his veins turned ice-cold in an instant.

He carefully laid her back onto the couch, then just stood there, staring at her— long and hard-like he was trying to burn her face into his memory and etch her into his bones.noveldrama

He reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch and gently tucked it around her, then stood and quietly left the room. Outside, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

"She's starting to remember," he said, his voice low and urgent. "I need the drug- the one that'll keep her from ever remembering anything."

"Ed, you're not thinking clearly. Come back. There's still a way to fix this."

"A way?" Ed snapped, his voice cracking with frustration. "If she remembers anything, I'll lose everything. You don't get it. You've never understood. I need that drug. You told me it was ready."

Silence stretched between them.

"It's been developed," the voice finally said. "But it still has serious side effects."

Ed fell completely silent. Then, he said in a hoarse voice, "Then tell me what I'm supposed to do."