Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

"No," Briony answered, her voice calm and even. "Whether I look for him or not has nothing to do with him anymore."

Gwendolyn White studied her, searching for any flicker of dishonesty across Briony's face.

But there was nothing.

Briony remained composed, unruffled.

Gwendolyn sighed softly. "But you know, Bryn, your godfather and I—we can't help worrying about you. We're afraid you'll never move on from Stewart's death."

"Godmother, even if Stewart were still alive, I wouldn't have gone back to him." Briony stared into her glass of wine, swirling the deep red liquid. "It's just... now that he's gone, I can't help but feel a bit of regret. But it's not about love. It's just— he shouldn't have left this world like that..."

"Bryn, it's only natural to feel regret," Gwendolyn said gently. "Not just for you. Even I-whenever I think about Stewart, or look at those two kids, there's always this strange ache in my heart."

"I'm not keeping myself single out of loyalty to Stewart," Briony said, her eyes lowered as she watched the wine shimmer in her glass. "The regret I feel isn't about love. It's about the waste of it all. Our nine-year marriage-it wasn't really as important as I thought. I just feel Stewart deserved a better ending. But that ending, it should be about the kids. Not about me."

"I understand." Gwendolyn set her glass down and moved to Briony's side, wrapping her arms around her.

"Your regret comes from the fact that he was finally ready to get treatment, and then... that happened. Bryn, you keep thinking that if you'd been a little more firm that day, if you hadn't agreed to take Stewart and the kids to the amusement park, maybe it wouldn't have happened at all."

Briony leaned into her godmother's embrace, closing her eyes.

She didn't argue. She didn't answer.

Gwendolyn gently stroked her hair. "Oh, Bryn, people have their own destinies. You did everything you could."

kept her eyes closed, a glimmer of moisture gathering at

her whisper, "He asked me if I still resented

Stewart with regret, sending him from this world without

Stewart's final moments, the only thing he felt from her was

was Briony, with her indifference, who sealed the

soft haze of wine, Briony finally

months. Her tears

she not be

She was devastated.

again, she would teff Stewart herself: I don't blame you anymore. Let's just go

New Year's Eve, Briony's phone lit up with a flood of holiday messages. Some were from business partners, others from young men she barely knew, who'd

voice message—a cheerful

of a New Year's

happiness

of midnight.

Aster in the background, babbling nonsense in her

Briony picked out the ones from close friends and replied to

By the

it was late