The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118

BLAKE

Three years later

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I sat in the sterile hospital corridor, the fluorescent lights making my already pounding headache worse. The doctor’s report lay on my lap – another clinical confirmation of what I already knew. My left hand was getting worse, not better. The constant pain had become my only

faithful companion these past three years.

Mom sat beside me, her face lined with worry that had aged her well beyond her years. Her once elegant silver-gray hair now had more

white strands than I cared to count. She’d been through hell watching me self-destruct, piece by piece.

“Blake, you need to take this seriously,” she said, her voice tired from repeating the same concerns. “The doctor says your dependency on painkillers and sleeping pills is reaching dangerous levels. Your liver function tests are concerning.”

“I’ll try to be careful, I muttered, not meeting her eyes. We both knew it was bullshit. The pills were the only thing that let me sleep without seeing Aria’s face, without reliving that moment at the cliff over and over again.

Mom reached for my right hand, squeezing it gently. “Your body can’t take much more of this punishment. Neither can your mind.” Her

voice broke slightly. “I can’t lose you too, Blake.”

The guilt hit me hard. I was all she had left, and here I was, slowly killing myself. But I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t find the strength to pull

myself out of this downward spiral.

“If only Aria were still here…” Mom whispered, more to herself than to me.

Her name stopped me cold. Three years since the cliff. Three years of nightmares, regrets, and questions without answers. Three years of existing rather than living. Sometimes I could almost convince myself I was moving on, then something would drag me right back to

square one- a song, a scent, a random memory.

Before I could sink deeper into those thoughts, a sweet, familiar voice called my name from down the corridor. I turned to see Emma walking toward us, wearing a white dress that highlighted her slender figure, her golden hair perfectly styled over her shoulders. Everything about her appearance was calculated for maximum effect the image of purity and innocence that I knew was anything but

real.

‘Blake! What a surprise to see you here,” she said, her voice deliberately soft and melodic.

I felt my jaw tighten. Of all the days, of all the times how did she always manage to appear when I was at my lowest? It couldn’t be

coincidence. Nothing with Emma ever was.

“What are you doing here?” I asked coldly when she reached us.

She smiled. “I’m here for my routine checkup. What a coincidence to run into you.”

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Chapter 118

Bullshit. I wanted to call her out right there, but what would be the point?

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Mom stood immediately, her posture stiffening. “The air in here isn’t good for me. I’ll wait in the car,’ she announced, not even glancing in Emma’s direction before walking away.

I watched Mom leave, noting how her dislike for Emma had only intensified over the years. She’d never said it outright, but I knew she blamed Emma for what happened with Aria. The feeling was mutual- I caught the flash of annoyance in Emma’s eyes as she watched my mother’s retreating figure, her fingertips curling slightly before she composed herself.

“Your mother still doesn’t like me much,” she observed, trying to sound light-hearted but unable to hide the bitterness.

“Can you blame her?” I replied flatly.

Emma quickly changed tactics, stepping closer and lowering her voice. “Blake, how are your test results? Is your hand getting any better?”

“My condition is none of your concern,” I replied, turning to leave. I’d had enough of this charade for one day. Every conversation with

Emma was exhausting – watching her pretend to be something she wasn’t, waiting for the mask to slip.

“Don’t walk away from me,” she called after me, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. “Don’t you remember? I injured my spine

saving you during the Manhattan fire. The doctors said I might never dance again if I don’t heal right.”

I stopped, my back still to her. This was her favorite story, her trump card. The heroic sacrifice she never let me forget. The way she told

it, she’d risked everything to save me, suffering a back injury that nearly left her paralyzed. A convenient narrative that painted her as the

selfless heroine and me as the ungrateful villain.

“You’ve always been the most important person to me,” she continued, her voice softening. “Seeing you in pain hurts me too. But you’re

strong, Blake. My spinal injury healed because of your support. Your hand will get better too. Believe in yourself, and let me help you.”

Her fingers squeezed my arm gently. “Don’t be afraid to show me your vulnerable side. Healing takes time, but we’ll get through it

together. Call me when your old wound hurts. Let me be there for you, okay? You don’t have to do this alone.”

Her words sent my mind spinning back. Not to the fire, but to Aria’s back – the scars I’d only seen a handful of times during our three

years of marriage. Deep, jagged marks that told stories of pain I never bothered to ask about. One of the maids from the Grant family had

once mentioned that Aria’s injuries were comparable to what Emma now claimed to have suffered.

Yet Aria never complained. Never showed pain. Never used it to manipulate me or gain my sympathy. Even when I’d been cruel to her,

even when I’d made her clear out the clutter from the old carriage house and her old injury flared up she’d suffered through the night

without a word.

–

Was it because she felt no pain? Or because she didn’t want me to see her suffering?

The thought sent a wave of agony through my chest, worse than any physical pain in my hand. My face must have paled because Emma

called my name again, her tone shifting from concern to irritation.

“Blake? Are you listening to me? I’m trying to help you.”

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Chapter 118

I turned to face her, seeing the flash of annoyance in her eyes before she quickly masked it with a look of worry. She wasn’t as good at

hiding her true feelings as she thought she was. Or maybe I’d just gotten better at seeing through her.

“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?’ The sweetness in her voice vanished completely now. “It’s been three years since Aria fell off that cliff. Three years! I’ve been by your side this whole time, and you can’t even focus on me for two hours straight.”

I said nothing. What was there to say? That she was right? That even now, Aria haunted my every waking moment? That sometimes I’d catch myself reaching for the phone to call her, only to remember she wasn’t there anymore?

My silence only fueled Emma’s frustration. She started losing it, revealing the desperation beneath.

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