The CEO's Regret: Too Late To Beg

urrogate who would carry the heir his genetic

w behind her back while ignoring me standing in th

oom-she wasn't a clinical third party. She was his lover of fifteen years. I was just the "s

ll near the champagne towe

for a "shock," leaving me standing alone in the foyer,

ok back. Not

ance alone, I didn't

his attention anymore. I was ca

y house. I walked straight to his study and unlocked the filing cabin

e was buildi

handing me the weapon to

pte

s the vessel for our future, but the way his hand lingered on the s

a warmth I hadn't heard in two years. "She'

med to beg for forgiveness while demanding submission. She didn't look

lsey," Elia said. Her voic

mask of tragic resolve, telling me that his genetic condition made natural conception nearly impossi

the hormone injections, the invasive procedures. I want

e had said then, kissing my for

fing a pillow behind her back before she even

ntedly ignoring the fact that I was standing there in

ct, Ben," E

e

y, he was Bennett. To his business partners, Mr. Ra

bout diets, about the timeline. Bennett leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his body physically shieldin

ine. Bennett had always seemed so burdened by it, so reluctant. I had comforted him, told him we would figure it out together. I

imated face, I saw no

lse

w tightened, looking at me as if I were

said. "Elia will be staying with us for

sounded hollow. "I thought we ag

hand dismissively. "It's better this wa

iumphant smile playing on her lips. It was

ed to tilt beneath me, my

er you wan

e leave. He was already pou

oil paint usually calmed me, but today it smelled like stagnation. I lo

to the dates Bennett claimed he had fertility treatments. Then

ers. Late mee

. It was the absolute, freezing realization that I

pt the household financial records. My hands were steady as I pull

I began to

ett's laugh, loud and uninhibited. A soun

a family. He didn't reali