The Billionaire's Regret

Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Evelyn looked up, offering a tired smile. "I’m almost done, I swear. I just need to review Marcus’s team’s projections and check the legal footnotes. I don’t want any surprises when we present the timeline to the financial department on Monday."

"Those puppy dog eyes don't work on me tonight," Maria said, crossing her arms. "You've already proven yourself with how you handled that meeting today."

" And need I remind you, that you’re getting married to the most eligible billionaire bachelor in the city. For the love of all that is holy, go home and take a bath."

" Honestly, I don't understand why you're still working here when Aunty and uncles company would be a better fit."

" You know I have my reasons." Evelyn chuckled.

" Yes yes, that I know, but you really should get going already." Maria said with a helpless sigh.

"But the documents—"

"Leave them. I’ll come in early tomorrow and finish the review myself," Maria insisted, her tone leaving no room for debate.

"I can't have my best friend looking like a zombie at her own wedding because she worked herself to death. Now, pack your bags before I call security to escort you out."

Evelyn laughed, finally relenting. "Alright, alright. You win. I owe you a huge one, Maria."

"You mean you owe me a very expensive bottle of champagne at the bridal shower," Maria countered with a wink.

Evelyn gathered her things, her heart feeling lighter than it had in months. She watched Maria take her seat at the desk, already diving into the files with a focused frown. It seemed she was surprised that her friend had managed on her own so far. Looked like her words regarding coming in early tomorrow morning to finish up would definitely come to pass.

With a final wave, Evelyn stepped out of the office, her mind already drifting to thoughts of Vander, his sharp jawline, handsome features and intoxicating scent that always had her at ease when around him, and last but not least, the life they were about to build together.

The underground parking lot was chilly and quiet, the air smelling of concrete and exhaust. Evelyn found her silver sedan, the engine purring to life with a reassuring hum.

As she pulled out onto the city streets, the nighttime scenery of the metropolis began to whip past her. The neon signs of high-end boutiques and five-star restaurants blurred into streaks of light. She felt a sense of profound peace. Everything was falling into place.

Ding...

The sound of a text message notification broke the silence. Her smartphone, resting in the cup holder, vibrated insistently.

Evelyn kept her eyes on the road for a moment, then reached down at a red light.

The notification turned out to be a message from an unknown number. Thinking it might be a last-minute update from work or perhaps a surprise from Vander, she eagerly swiped to unlock it.

Sadly, what she didn't expect was for the screen to flicker to life, displaying an image that made the world stop spinning.

"W-What?"

Her breath hitched in her throat. The photo was high-resolution, clearly taken with a professional zoom lens from a distance.

The setting was unmistakable, the interior of a black luxury SUV, Vander’s car. And there he was. Vander Wellington, the man who had promised her a June wedding only hours ago, was leaning across the center console.

His hands were tangled in the hair of a woman Evelyn didn't recognize, a blonde with striking features, and they were locked in a passionate, desperate kiss.

The blood drained from Evelyn’s face so fast she felt lightheaded. A high-pitched ringing filled her ears, drowning out the sound of the city. Her mind went white, resembling a blank canvas of shock and betrayal.

' It can’t be.... This has to be some kind of photoshop. It must be a prank. This is definitely a mistake.' she said to herself.

But as she stared, her eyes tracing the familiar line of his watch, the one she had bought him for his birthday, she knew it was real.

The light turned green. Mechanically, her foot pressed the gas, but her hands were no longer steering. They were frozen on the wheel, trembling with a violent, uncontrollable force.

Her vision began to tunnel. The road ahead became a blur of meaningless lights.

The car began to drift, the tires humming against the lane dividers.

"Vander..." she whispered, her voice cracking.

The car veered sharply toward the sidewalk. Evelyn snapped back to reality as the curb rushed toward her, but it was too late.

In a panic, she jerked the steering wheel to the left, but her movements were too frantic and uncoordinated. The car swerved wildly, the tires screaming against the asphalt.

SCREEE!

BAM!

The impact was bone-shaking. The sedan slammed into a heavy cast-iron fire hydrant at the edge of the sidewalk with so much force.

In an instant, The world turned into a chaotic symphony of breaking glass and twisting metal. The airbag deployed with a muffled explosion, a cloud of white dust filling the cabin. Evelyn’s head snapped forward, then back, the force of the collision rattling her skull.

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of water hissing from the ruptured hydrant and the distant wail of a car alarm.

Evelyn tried to move, but her limbs felt like they were made of lead. She felt a warm, sticky sensation trickling down her forehead, blurring the vision in her left eye with a curtain of deep crimson. The smell of smoke and antifreeze filled the air.

Outside, she could hear the muffled sounds of the world continuing. Panicked shouts. The frantic patter of footsteps on the pavement.

"Is she alive?" someone yelled.

"Call 911!"

Evelyn wanted to scream, to ask someone, anyone for help, but her throat felt constricted, as if an invisible hand were squeezing her windpipe. Her eyelids grew heavy, the weight of the darkness pulling at her.

In her dwindling moments, She thought of the photo on her phone, and a single, bitter tear escaped her eye, mingling with the blood on her cheek.

As the darkness finally claimed her, the last thing she heard wasn't the sirens or the shouting. It was the haunting, rhythmic beat of her own heart, breaking in two.

The world returned in fragments, each one sharper and more jagged than the last.

First, it was the smell, a sharp, aggressive scent of bleach, industrial-grade floor wax, and latex that stung the back of her throat.

The not so familiar scent of a medical environment.

Beep... Beep...

Then came the sounds she never thought she'd hear again in her lifetime.

The rhythmic beeping from a cardiac monitor.

Evelyn’s eyelashes felt glued together by a crust of dried salt and blood. With a Herculean effort that sent a spike of white-hot pain through her neck, she gradually forced them open.

The first thing she saw was the ceiling, which was a grid of fluorescent white panels that made her brain vibrate with every flicker.

"Urgh..." A dry, raspy sound escaped her throat, sounding like sandpaper on stone. Her body felt as though it had been put through a professional industrial shredder and then poorly stitched back together with dull needles.

"W-Where...?" she managed to whisper. She tried to move her right arm, but a sharp, biting tug stopped her. An IV line was taped securely to the back of her hand, snaking up to a clear bag of saline hanging like a transparent, weeping ghost beside her bed.

Just as her confusion began to peak, Memories began to flood her mind like a secondary collision.