Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

James didn't say another word. He turned and walked away.

...

On the way back, Briony suddenly said she wanted to stop by Pearbrook.

James pulled the car over by the roadside near the river.

He walked with her across the crosswalk and onto the sidewalk that bordered Pearbrook.

Late summer nights after a storm always carried a sticky dampness to the city. The river ran swift, its waters churning rather than calm.

The rain had only just let up. There was no one else by the river.

Briony stood gazing out at the dark water, silent for a long time.

James simply stayed by her side, keeping quiet.

Across Pearbrook was Briony's new home; just a crosswalk separated them from

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The damp night breeze tugged at her long hair.

Briony lifted a hand to brush the strands from her cheek.

Cedric Clarke's words from the police station echoed in her mind-

[Stewart always said he didn't want a funeral. He just asked me to scatter his ashes in Pearbrook. But now...]

"But now there's nothing left. His last wish can't even be fulfilled."

She murmured the words, barely audible. James caught only a fragment and leaned in, his voice low, "What did you say?"

"It's nothing."

Briony kept her eyes on the river. "It's getting late. Let's go home."

James looked at her, but the night was so dark he couldn't make out the expression on her face.

When they returned to Skybreeze Retreat, they found Stella already there.

Briony stepped inside to see Stella sitting on the floor, playing puzzles with her children.

The moment Stella saw her, she jumped up and hurried over, worry etched across her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Briony tried to reassure her with a small smile. "Why did you come over? Where's Aster?"

"After everything that's happened, of course I had to come!" Stella replied. "I brought the nanny too. Cedric's going to be swamped with work for the next few days, and there's not much else I can do at least I can keep you and the kids company."

"Actually, Dr. Clarke and Carl are the ones who'll be busy. There's not much happening on my end. You really didn't need to make a special trip."

If Stella didn't know Briony as well as she did, she might have been fooled by her calm demeanor.

"Come upstairs with me," Stella said, tugging Briony up to the second floor without waiting for an answer.

She pulled Briony into a bedroom and closed the door.

Then, without a word, Stella pulled her into a tight hug. "Cry if you want. I'm here. Just let it out."

Briony stood still for a few seconds, then gently pushed her away.

Stella frowned, studying her face.

Briony sighed. "Star, I'm not feeling that kind of emotion."

Stella blinked. "You really hate Stewart that much?"

"It's not hate." Briony shook her head. "The moment I heard he was gone, it was

like all my feelings just... faded."

"So what, your heart died with him?"

Briony turned to look out the window.

Beyond the glass, the night was pitch black, nothing visible in the darkness.

Her voice sounded soft, almost fragile, in the quiet room.

"When someone dies, that's it. Whether you grieve or not doesn't change anything. I'm not devastated by Stewart's death. It just feels... unresolved. It shouldn't have ended like this for him."

Stella squeezed her hand. "You still care about him."

Briony didn't deny it.

How could she not care? This was the man she once loved with five years of her youth. Even after deciding she'd never look back,

she'd never wished for his life to end

so brutally.

Once, she'd obsessed over why Stewart hurt her, over why he didn't love her.

But eventually, she let go. Love and heartbreak seemed so trivial beside fate and

the differences between two people.

She gave up on romance and

stepped away from the role of wife,

choosing instead to see Stewart

only as the father of her children.

That was when she finally realized

people aren't just one thing.

Stewart might have failed her as a husband, but as a brother, as a boss, as a father-he was good enough.

It was obvious from the way those around him reacted to his death.

Briony's sadness and sense of regret came from the fact that she'd already made peace with moving on, sharing custody, and letting both of them live their own lives.

But he left-suddenly, violently-bringing everything to an abrupt end.

He was gone now, leaving behind nothing but unfinished business.

From now on, those debts would go unpaid, with no one left to answer for them.

And her sweet children would have to grow up without their father.