The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins novel Chapter 278

Chapter 278

ARIA

Matthew,” Emma said, voice high and breaking, “what are you doing? Stop this nonsense right now!”

“You wanted the truth revealed, Matthew replied calmly. “Now face the consequences.”

Emma backed away, shaking her head frantically. “This is crazy! He’s making this up! He’s mentally unstable!”

She turned to me, desperation filling her eyes. “Aria, you can’t believe this! He has no proof he hypnotized you!”

Matthew gave a slight smile. “The evidence speaks for itself.”

He clicked a remote, and the giant screen behind us flickered to life.

(

The video quality wasn’t great – grainy and old – but I could make out a teenage girl lying in what looked like a hospital bed. My heart stopped. Despite the poor quality, I recognized her immediately.

Me. That was me.

My body covered in bandages, face pale as death, back wrapped in bloodstained gauze. I looked half-dead.

Blake made a strangled sound. His eyes fixed on the screen, pupils contracted to pinpoints.

My head began throbbing violently. The scene triggered something – not complete memories, but fragments. Falling from a tree at the Grant house? No. That wasn’t right. I saw flames. Smoke burning my lungs. Someone calling for help.

I remembered the servants at the Grant house caring for me while Christine focused only on Emma. They said Emma was ‘injured’ too,

but now I understood – she never was.

The video continued. A younger Matthew appeared beside my hospital bed, playing strange, rhythmic music from a small device. His voice

came through clearly:

“Aria, can you hear me? I’m someone you can trust…”

I watched, horrified, as Matthew systematically manipulated my memories.

“You didn’t go to Manhattan. You never went to that fire. You fell from a tree at home. The boy you saved isn’t worth remembering he’ll

only bring you pain…”

The me on screen slowly opened her eyes, vacant and empty. “Forget everything… then I won’t hurt anymore…”

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Chapter 278

Oh God. What had they done to me?

The video jumped to Emma and Matthew talking in a hospital corridor.

“She won’t mention saving Blake now?” Emma asked, looking satisfied.

Matthew nodded. “Her memory has been replaced with the tree accident.”

“Good, Emma said. “You better not be lying. We can’t have her mentioning the fire rescue to Blake.”

Matthew warned, “You can’t hurt her again, Emma. Not after what you tried today.”

Emma laughed dismissively. “What feelings could you possibly have for Aria? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Matthew denied quickly: “I don’t have feelings for her! Don’t say such absurd things.”

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Emma smirked. “Whatever. All evidence of Aria saving anyone is gone. Christine will back me up. I’m a professional performer! Blake

won’t suspect a thing.”

The video ended. Complete silence filled the room. Then a man in a black suit approached Blake, whispering something and handing him

what looked like travel documents.

Blake’s hands trembled as he took them. The veins in his hand stood out as he gripped the papers so hard they crumpled in his fist. He

broke the armrest of his assistant’s chair.

“A plane ticket,” he said, voice barely audible. “Aria’s plane ticket to Manhattan sixteen years ago.”

Everyone stared at the evidence projected on screen. The atmosphere felt heavy as concrete.

I stared at the screen, at my younger self lying broken in a hospital bed while Emma stole my life. The pounding in my temples grew

worse as suppressed memories fought to break free.

Flashes came back to me: sitting in a wheelchair, watching Emma receive Blake’s admiration; crying backstage when Emma ‘recovered”

and returned to dancing while I struggled through physical therapy.

I laughed bitterly through my tears. “All these years, I envied you. I thought I wasn’t strong enough to overcome my injuries and return to

dance. I felt worthless next to you.”

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14:39 Mon, Jun 15

The CEO’s Regret: His Lost Wife’s Secret Twins