Too Late For Regret: My Genius Wife

Too Late For Regret: My Genius Wife

Tao Yaoyao

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My five-year-old daughter was dying in the ICU, her heartbeat replaced by the continuous, electronic scream of a flatline. I gripped her cold hand, my throat sealed shut by a terror so absolute I couldn't even cry out. I dialed my husband Grayson's private number, the one reserved only for me and his assistants. He declined the call instantly. A second later, a text buzzed against my palm: "In a meeting. Do not disturb. Stop calling." Five miles away, Grayson was at a luxury gala, adjusting his silk tie and laughing with Belle Escobar. He told her I was just being "dramatic" and using our daughter's "fever" as an excuse to avoid the event. He had no idea Effie's heart had already stopped. When I finally reached our penthouse, soaked from the rain and carrying Effie's small socks in a plastic bag, Grayson didn't even look at me. He snapped at me for ruining the hardwood floors and asked if I'd left Effie with the nanny just to "feel sorry for myself." Three days later, while I buried our daughter in a small, lonely ceremony, Grayson was at the Hamptons. Belle posted a photo of him golfing with the caption: "A mental health day with the boys." He didn't even attend the funeral, but he returned home demanding I clear out Effie's room to make a study for Belle's son. The injustice burned through me until there was nothing left. I swallowed a handful of sleeping pills, desperate to join my daughter. But instead of the darkness, I woke up to blinding lights and the scent of Grayson's expensive cologne. I was standing in a ballroom, wearing a blue silk dress I had already burned. Above me, a banner read: "Happy 5th Birthday Kaiden & Effie." I was back, exactly one year before the tragedy. This time, I wasn't going to be the grieving wife. I was going to be their worst nightmare.

Chapter 1 1

Isolde sat in the dark, listening to the silence of a house that no longer held her daughter's heartbeat. She just gripped Effie's hand.

It was so cold.Effie was only five. Five-year-olds were supposed to be warm, sticky with juice. They weren't supposed to be cold.

"Time of death, 8:42 PM. Cause, complications from acute pneumonia leading to cardiac arrest."

The doctor's voice was flat. Professional.

Isolde's knees hit the linoleum.She fumbled for her phone. Her fingers were shaking so violently she dropped it twice before unlocking the screen.

Grayson.

She dialed his private number.

It rang once. Twice.

Declined.

A second later, a text message buzzed against her palm.

In a meeting. Do not disturb. Stop calling.

Isolde stared at the screen. The white letters on the grey background blurred.

Five miles away, the crystal flutes at the Lancaster Charity Gala chimed like delicate bells.

Grayson Lancaster adjusted his silk tie, his expression the perfect mask of bored affability. He stood near the chocolate fountain, watching Belle Escobar dab a smudge of fondant from a six-year-old Kaiden's cheek.

"You're spoiling him," Grayson said, but the corner of his mouth ticked up. It wasn't a smile, exactly, but it was the closest thing to warmth he'd shown all evening.

Belle laughed, the sound light and practiced. "Someone has to. Where is the lady of the house? I thought Isolde was bringing Effie tonight."

Grayson's face hardened. The warmth evaporated. "She's being dramatic. Effie had a fever or something. Isolde uses the girl's health as an excuse to avoid these events. She knows I hate it when she sulks."

"Poor thing," Belle murmured, though her eyes were scanning the room for photographers. "She really struggles with the pressure, doesn't she?"

"She struggles with everything," Grayson muttered, taking a sip of his champagne.

Back at the hospital, the nurse handed Isolde a plastic bag. It contained a pair of small, pink socks and a hair clip shaped like a butterfly.

"Mrs. Lancaster," the nurse said softly, pity etching lines around her eyes. "Is... is your husband coming? For the transport arrangements?"

"He's busy," Isolde whispered.

She walked out into the New York night. It was pouring rain. She didn't have an umbrella. She didn't call a driver. She just walked.

The water soaked through her cheap wool coat. The cold rain mixed with the hot tears she finally allowed to fall, masking them.

She reached the penthouse two hours later.

The apartment was dark. Silent.

On the mantle sat a framed photo. The "Family" portrait. Grayson sat in a leather chair, Kaiden on his lap. Belle stood behind them, her hand resting familiarly on the chair back. Isolde was in the background, slightly out of focus, holding a blurring Effie.

She sat on the floor in front of the cold fireplace, shivering.

It was past midnight when the elevator chimed. Grayson walked in, bringing the scent of rain and Belle's signature perfume-sandalwood and roses-into the stagnant air.

He loosened his tie, his eyes narrowing when he saw Isolde sitting in the dark, soaking wet.

"For God's sake, Isolde," he snapped, tossing his keys onto the console table. "What are you doing? Ruining the hardwood floors?"

Isolde didn't look up. She was staring at her hands.

"Where is Effie?" he asked, his tone clipped. "I assume she's asleep? Or did you leave her with the nanny so you could sit here and feel sorry for yourself?"

"She's gone," Isolde said.

Grayson sighed. He rubbed his temples. "Gone to sleep? Good. I don't have the energy for her crying tonight. Or yours."

He walked past her toward the master bedroom. He didn't see the plastic bag on the floor.

"Grayson," she said.

He paused at the door, not turning around. "What?"

"Nothing," she whispered.

He slammed the door.

Isolde sat in the dark, listening to the silence of a house that no longer held her daughter's heartbeat.

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