Regret Came Too Late

That evening, Grace left work half an hour early, stopping by the supermarket to pick up fresh ingredients. Then, she rushed home.

With two hours until Ethan's arrival, she had more than enough time to prepare a small meal.

She worked alone in the kitchen, moving swiftly. Just as she was finishing and with only 20 minutes left before the scheduled time, the doorbell rang. Assuming it was Ethan, she quickly went to open the door.

"Eth-"

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Carmen standing outside.

Her mood instantly soured, and her expression turned cold.

Carmen shoved the door open without hesitation, the aroma of freshly cooked food immediately hitting her.

"Grace, you still have the heart to cook here?" Carmen snapped. "Do you even know that Alice and Liam have been craving your food? Alice is sick, and she keeps asking for your cooking. Get your things. You're coming home with me." Grace didn't bother responding. She simply raised a hand to shut the door.

Carmen, already in a foul mood, shoved it open with force.

"You bought this place with Alice's money, didn't you?" she sneered. "She's sick now, and all she wants is a meal from you. Yet here you are, indifferent. You're heartless!"

She stormed into the dining area without invitation.

Seeing the beautifully plated dishes arranged neatly on the table, Carmen's fury spiked. Without a second thought, she grabbed the edge of the tablecloth and yanked.

In an instant, the dishes toppled over. Food splattered across the floor, and plates shattered. Even the tablecloth landed in a crumpled mess on the ground.

"Alice and Liam haven't had a single bite, but you're here feasting alone?" Carmen spat.

Grace stood still for several seconds, her chest rising and falling. Without a word, she pulled out her phone and called building management.

The staff in the security office hesitated. "Ms. Lambert, we didn't intentionally let her up. She said she was your mother, and just a few days ago, she bought a villa for her other daughter. One of our staff recognized her, so we let her through."

"I don't know her. Right now, she's trespassing and causing a disturbance. Please remove her immediately," Grace said coolly.

Carmen never thought she'd see the day when security threw her out. Standing outside the complex, she stomped her foot in frustration, shaking with rage.

period. Her patience had run dry. If Alice didn't love Grace's cooking, she wouldn't have bothered. From now on,

had crouched down to pick up the shattered

was at the entrance, dressed in a crisp, freshly

was already numb toward humiliation. But why did Ethan always show

tightened around the broken pieces of the dish. Her voice was hoarse when she finally said, "Mr. Henderson, I'm sorry. Maybe it's best if

that had caused her to forget everything about the Lambert family, something inside

collecting the shattered porcelain. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her fingers,

rolled closer. Then,

move. I'll have Tim clean

Tim handled almost everything for him. He had been standing outside the

Tim's face when Ethan said that. For

muttered. "I can clean

pull her hand away and continue

"Tim," Ethan called out.

inside. "Ms. Lambert, just sit

had already headed toward the bathroom to

only to have Ethan take her wrist and lead

at her fingertips. Ethan then wiped away the grease stains left from

of emotions, but now, wherever his skin brushed hers, it felt like ice. It was

space between them, and the air felt

clean. Her palm was

trash. "Do

"Yes."

retrieve it. But when she returned, her gaze landed

heart dropped. Her palm hadn't bled that

face flushed red when she realized it had to be

of it, it had already seeped through her

had been feeling off while cooking

problem. Right now, she couldn't look up. She wished she could vanish on

an awkward

as heat rose to her cheeks.