Unforgettable Regret

Unforgettable Regret (part 2)

The next morning, Shane slowly opened her eyes with a painful groan.

Her head throbbed terribly from the alcohol she drank the night before. Even the sunlight passing through the curtains felt too bright for her aching eyes.

“Ugh…” she whispered, pressing a pillow against her face.

But then—

Fragments of last night suddenly flashed inside her mind.

Marco holding her carefully.

Her drunken voice calling his name.

The things she said to him.

Her confession.

Her eyes widened instantly.

Shane sat up so fast that dizziness hit her again.

“Oh my God…”

Her entire face burned red in horror.

“No no no no—”

She buried herself under the blanket, wanting the earth to swallow her alive.

She remembered everything.

Every embarrassing word.

Every emotional confession.

And worst of all—

she remembered telling Marco she loved him.

Shane let out a muffled scream into her pillow.

“What have I done?!”

The more she remembered, the more embarrassed she became.

She had spent months trying to act strong and unaffected around Marco, only to completely destroy her dignity in one drunken night.

And now…

she had to face him.

“Absolutely not,” she whispered dramatically to herself. “I’d rather disappear forever.”

The moment she imagined looking into Marco’s eyes after everything she said, her heart nearly exploded from embarrassment.

So Shane made a decision.

She would avoid him at all costs.

That entire morning, she stayed trapped inside her room. Whenever she heard footsteps outside, she immediately panicked and hid like a criminal avoiding capture.

At lunchtime, a maid arrived carrying food.

“Sir Marco asked me to bring this to you.”

Shane almost choked on air.

“W-Where is he?”

“In his office, miss.”

Shane sighed in relief a little too quickly. “Good.”

The maid looked confused.

“I mean… okay,” Shane corrected awkwardly.

After the maid left, Shane buried her face onto the table in despair.

“He definitely remembers everything…” she groaned. “I can never face him again.”

Meanwhile downstairs, Marco sat alone inside his office.

The room was silent except for the sound of rain outside the mansion windows.

But his mind was far louder.

No matter how hard he tried to focus on work, Shane’s drunken confession kept replaying in his head.

“When you disappeared… that was the moment I realized I loved you.”

Marco leaned back slowly and closed his eyes.

For the first time in a long while, he felt something dangerously close to happiness.

And yet…

there was still doubt inside him.

Because Shane was drunk last night.

What if she didn’t truly mean those words?

What if it was only the alcohol talking?

Marco clenched his jaw.

He had already been hurt by her once before. He wasn’t sure if he could survive believing in false hope again.

Even though his heart wanted to believe her so badly…

his mind kept stopping him.

Upstairs, Shane carefully opened her bedroom door and peeked outside the hallway.

The coast looked clear.

“Okay…” she whispered to herself nervously. “Just avoid Marco until I die from embarrassment.”

She quietly tiptoed through the hallway.

But suddenly—

a familiar voice spoke behind her.

“So this is your plan now?”

Shane froze instantly.

Slowly, she turned around.

Marco stood a few steps away, his hands inside his pockets, staring at her calmly.

The moment their eyes met, Shane’s entire face turned bright red again.

“I—I can explain—”

“You confessed to me while drunk,” Marco interrupted quietly.

Shane almost fainted on the spot.

“Please forget everything,” she cried in embarrassment, covering her burning face.

Marco stared at her for a few seconds.

Then softly… almost carefully… he asked:

“Did you mean it?”

Shane slowly looked at him through her fingers.

And for the first time since the night before, she noticed something hidden behind Marco’s cold expression.

Fear.

Not anger.

Not revenge.

Fear of being hurt again.

Shane could not answer Marco’s question immediately.

“Did you mean it?”

The words echoed inside her mind while her heart beat uncontrollably against her chest.

She slowly lowered her hands from her face, but before she could even speak—

something suddenly hit her.

Her family.

Her eyes widened.

For days… no one had searched for her.

No frantic phone calls.

No police.

No messages from her parents.

At first, she had been too overwhelmed by Marco, by the mansion, by the confusing emotions between them. But now the realization struck her all at once.

“Wait…” she whispered.

Marco noticed the sudden change in her expression. “What is it?”

“My family…” Shane said softly. “Why haven’t they been looking for me?”

For a moment, Marco stayed silent.

Then he calmly looked away.

“I handled it.”

Shane frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Marco sighed quietly before answering.

“I contacted your parents after bringing you here. I told them you decided to take a vacation because you were exhausted from working too hard for your family.”

Shane froze.

“And they believed you?” she asked weakly.

Marco looked at her carefully.

“They didn’t doubt it.”

His voice softened slightly.

“Because even they know you spent your whole life thinking only about them.”

The words hit Shane deeply.

It was true.

Ever since she was young, everything she did was for her family. Every dream, every sacrifice, every sleepless night—she carried them all alone because she wanted to give her parents a better life.

She forgot how to live for herself.

Forgot how to be loved.

Marco watched her silently.

“You know what your mother told me?” he suddenly said.

Shane slowly looked at him.

“She said she was happy you finally decided to rest and think about yourself for once.”

Shane’s chest tightened painfully.

Even her own parents believed she deserved happiness… yet she was the only one who never allowed herself to have it.

Marco stared at her for a long moment.

He wanted to pull her into his arms.

Wanted to comfort her.

Wanted to tell her she no longer had to carry everything alone.

But the moment his heart started softening again, painful memories suddenly returned to him—

The humiliation.

The rejection.

The way she hurt him in front of everyone.

Marco clenched his fists tightly.

For months, he forced himself to change because of that pain. He buried the weak and innocent version of himself that once begged for her attention.

So why now…

Why did one confession from her make his anger crumble so easily?

His jaw tightened as he took a step back from her.

Shane noticed the sudden change in his expression.

“Marco…?”

But Marco quickly looked away.

He hated how weak he became whenever it came to her.

Without another word, he suddenly turned around and walked away from her.

“Marco!” Shane called softly.

But he never looked back.

And as Shane watched him disappear down the long hallway of the mansion, she realized something heartbreaking—

No matter how much Marco still loved her…

the pain she caused him had never truly disappeared.The next morning, Marco was sitting quietly inside his office, trying to focus on work despite the chaos inside his mind.

But before he could even finish reading the documents on his desk—

BANG!

The office door suddenly swung open without warning.

Marco immediately frowned.

Only one person would dare enter his office that casually.

“Still alive, I see,” a playful voice said confidently.

Marco leaned back in irritation as his friend walked inside like he owned the mansion.

It was Adrian.

Known everywhere for his unbelievable charm, handsome face, and dangerous reputation with women, Adrian was the type of man who could make girls fall for him with just one smile. Confident, smooth, and impossible to ignore—completely opposite from the old Marco Shane once knew.

Marco narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“What are you doing here?”

Adrian casually sat on the couch with a grin. “Can’t I visit my dear friend?”

“No.”

Adrian laughed.

Marco rarely invited anyone into his private life, which made this sudden visit strange enough already.

But what confused him more was the unusual excitement on Adrian’s face.

Then Adrian suddenly smirked.

“So…” he began slowly. “When were you planning to tell me you had a cousin that beautiful?”

Marco’s expression instantly darkened.

Adrian continued shamelessly, clearly enjoying Marco’s reaction.

“I swear, the moment I saw her at the party last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.”

Marco felt irritation crawl up his chest.

“She’s not your type.”

Adrian raised one eyebrow teasingly. “How would you know my type?”

“Because your type changes every week.”

Adrian burst into laughter.

But then his expression became more serious.

“I’m not joking this time, Marco.” He leaned forward slightly. “I really like her.”

Silence filled the office.

Marco’s jaw slowly tightened.

For some reason, hearing another man openly admit interest in Shane made something dark stir inside him.

Adrian noticed it immediately.

“Oh?” he smirked knowingly. “Why do you suddenly look pissed?”

Marco coldly looked away. “I’m not.”

“Really?” Adrian laughed softly. “Because you look like you want to punch me already.”

Marco stayed silent.

And honestly…

he did.

The thought of Adrian looking at Shane, talking to her, flirting with her—

it irritated him far more than it should.

But Adrian misunderstood everything completely.

Since Marco introduced Shane as his cousin during the party, Adrian genuinely believed she was just family.

Which made him even bolder.

“So where is she?” Adrian asked casually while fixing his sleeves. “I came here early on purpose.”

Marco’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“For what?”

Adrian smirked confidently.

“To court her.”

The room instantly turned cold.

For a few terrifying seconds, Marco simply stared at him in silence.

Then suddenly—

Marco stood up slowly from his chair.

And Adrian’s smile immediately faded a little.

Because for the first time since arriving—

he realized Marco was genuinely angry.