Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

Briony kept her head bowed, afraid he might notice something was wrong.

She nodded quietly and lifted another spoonful of soup to her lips.

Stewart stood nearby, watching her. It wasn't until her third bite that he finally noticed something was off.

He quickly crouched down beside her, just in time to see a tear slip from her eye.

The tear landed in the pale soup.

A sharp ache pulsed in Stewart's chest. "Bryn?"

Briony reached up to wipe her eyes. "I'm fine, really..."

Stewart gently took the bowl from her hands and set it on the table.

"Bryn, I'm sorry. I know I put you through so much." He knelt on one knee in front of her, a heavy sorrow settling over him.

He knew exactly why she was crying.

A simple bowl of soup had opened the floodgates of memory.

For five years, she had started from nothing, learning as she went, raising a newborn with patience and devotion. She gave everything without complaint, only to have it all repaid with his betrayal, and the resentment and blame of that child she'd loved as her own...

Then, after four years apart, even when fate brought them together again, he'd only managed to hurt her all over.

Each wound had etched itself into her heart, leaving scars that never quite faded.

clinging to the past. Maybe she was simply too tired to keep caring, too worn out to

that truly happened-how could anyone ever pretend they never

of soup,

been a complete

regret ashamed of all the pain he'd

away her tears, but Briony turned away before he could

meet his eyes, determined not to let him

awkwardly in the

moment, he swallowed

got to his feet and left the

door closed, Briony buried her face in

bowl of soup sat untouched, cooling

erase what had truly happened. When familiar faces or objects returned, the memories came with them, resurfacing with a vengeance, taking root and torturing

at least for now, she couldn't genuinely

impossible to hide

close and trustworthy-except for Julia Hudson-found

Winslow and Gwendolyn White

Gwendolyn broke down in tears, while Briony, calm and composed, ended up comforting her instead-even though she

Northborough for the time being. With Briony's health so fragile, they couldn't rest easy going back

Gwendolyn and Carney realized there wasn't much more they could

of Ferdinand's sensitive background, even now, only

countryside years ago and knew little about what

remained blissfully unaware, thriving under

week, Gina recorded snippets of Julia's