Lost Me Gained Regret



Gregory gently wiped away my tears, helped me to my feet, and took the baby from my arms. "You've got two minutes for tears, any more than that is bad for the eyes."

I reached out and hugged him, rubbing my face against his shoulder, "No more crying.'

Gregory patted my back and whispered in my ear, "Help your mom up, will you?"

I let go of him and turned around. As I bent down, my mom was turning her wine glass upside down.

The liquid inside traced a wet line across the floor.

My mom opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

Seeing her trying to get up, I reached out to help her.

She waved me off, "Go talk to your grandma some more, I'll head downstairs."

I still held onto her, "I'm done talking. Let's go home together."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as we slowly made our way downstairs, arm in arm.

Gregory, holding the baby, followed behind us.

Back at Elmwood Villas, he skipped the office to cook dinner instead.

"Jane, keep your mom company."

I knew Gregory stayed to cook as a way to ease the tension between my mom and me.

He was always aware that my mom and I blamed ourselves.

Even when it seemed like we had moved on, the guilt resurfaced every time grandma was mentioned, reaching its peak.

We always wondered if the accident could have been avoided if we hadn't thrown that party, giving Summer an opportunity to cause trouble.

"Mom..."

I sat next to her, and without planning, we both ended up watching baby Mira in her crib, silent for a long time.

When Gregory came out with the dishes, he glanced our way.

Our eyes met, and he subtly raised his eyebrows at me, magically lifting much of my gloom.

I turned to my mom, "Mom, let's break free from the chains we've put on ourselves."

My mom poked Mira's cheek, and the baby, not understanding much yet, just smiled back, drooling.

She laughed too, gripping my hand,

"Okay. I want to live healthily, to e you Mira grow up." Content Watch

and Gregory happy, to watest

"And maybe, to see Mira find her own happiness."

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At that moment, a wild idea struck me, "Mom, you're free now, why not try falling in love?"

My mom flicked my forehead, "What

are you thinking? Do you think I'm

like you kids, talking about falling in

love?"

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"Why not?" I argued. "Any age is right for love."

My mom shook her head, "I've been alone for so many years, I don't want someone disrupting my routine now."

I wouldn't press her, but maybe I could still do something.

After dinner, as my mom took Mira for a stroll, Gregory and I cleared the table.Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

While loading the dishwasher, I mentioned my idea to him.

Gregory closed the dishwasher, hit the start button, and wrapped his arms around me as we left the kitchen.

It wasn't until we reached the

bedroom that he finally said, "Your idea might work. If your mom starts dating, it could shift her focus so she doesn't trap herself in her thoughts."

"But it's going to be challenging to put into action."

"We can't just force her into dating."

"In all these years, there haven't even been rumors, let alone any hint of a romantic link."

That's when I remembered someone, "You know Mr. Shaw, right?"

Gregory nodded, "I've heard of him. Hasn't he been collaborating with mom for half their lives?"