Regret Came Too Late

Goosebumps prickled across Thomson's skin. He was certain now that the masked man standing in front of him was a psychopath. His lips trembled uncontrollably as he kneeled on the ground, too frightened to rise.

The masked man slumped into a black chair nearby, resting his face against one hand. With the silver mask obscuring his features, no one could possibly tell what he was thinking.

Thomson dared not speak. Silence stretched between them until the masked man finally said, "She broke up with me."

Thomson stiffened, his goosebumps prickling once more. Though this time, he wasn't sure if the "she" the man was referring to was Grace. However, as far as he knew, Grace had never had a boyfriend. Hadn't she been hopelessly following Yancey like a puppy?

Who the hell was this lunatic, then?

If Thomson wanted to survive, he needed to say what the man wanted to hear.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it. Maybe she's waiting for you to reconcile with her. She probably can't let go of you," he said carefully.

The masked man tilted his head slightly. Though his expression remained hidden, Thomson knew he was weighing his words.

"Grace probably cares for you the most," he pressed on. "Women are stubborn. The breakup is probably just her way of testing you."

Thomson scrambled to think of something pleasing to say. He was now certain that the man before him was nothing more than a delusional monster completely lost in fantasies about Grace.

The so-called monster finally asked, "She's testing me?"

Thomson let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he had played his task to perfection. He quickly nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah. She's probably afraid that you don't actually love her, that all the promises you made were just empty words. You can try meeting up with her again. Maybe that's all it'll take to clear up the misunderstanding."

masked man lowered his head, seemingly contemplating the

malice flickered through Thomson's eyes. If this monster actually sought out

all because of that bitch that he now found himself groveling for survival. "She doesn't

retort, "No, she sure does! She loves you the most! It's

"Is that so?"

out. She'll definitely agree. Or pretend you're hurt—she'll definitely be worried sick!" Thomson yelled in desperation, wishing nothing more than

paused to consider the words before pulling out his phone. He began to type

wondered if he was really going to reach out

He gulped nervously, feeling as though his life now rested entirely in Grace's

managed to survive the night, he vowed that the sight of Grace in the future would send him running

...

Grace was on her way to find Joanne. She sent a message to

was implicit, he still felt compelled to

"No," she replied shortly.

immediately gave her

brought him to meet me? Did he leave the cut on

to delve into matters concerning Ed. "We've broken up. Let's not talk about that now. Let's focus

a moment, sensing that her mood had taken a sharp downturn. When Grace arrived at Joanne's place and sat down with her on

though she couldn't lift heavy objects for the time being. Seeing

couch, Grace's gaze shifted to the ceiling. "Yeah.

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