My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

Seraphine's reassurance worked wonders on Cullen's mood.

Witnessing her father's relief, Sabrina's tears began to subside too.

"It makes sense," she murmured, wiping her damp cheeks. "Louis must have confused someone else for Mom. It couldn't possibly have been her."

This logical explanation calmed her racing heart—until a troubling memory surfaced. Veronica had once mentioned how adorable Audrey was. The way they interacted suggested familiarity.

Without hesitation, Sabrina reached for Cullen's pocket. "Dad, I need your phone."

Cullen, who had already pieced together the situation from Seraphine's explanation, gently wiped the remaining tears from his daughter's face with his thumb before handing over his device.

With trembling fingers, Sabrina located Veronica's number and initiated the call.

Meanwhile, Veronica was engrossed in an arcade game, having just finished watching a movie. When Cullen's name flashed across her screen, she declined the call without a second thought.

"Mom didn't answer," Sabrina reported, disappointment evident in her reddened eyes.

Cullen offered a reasonable explanation. "She's probably caught up with something important. Let's not disturb her now. How about I treat you to dinner tonight instead?"

His suggestion that Veronica was simply busy reinforced Sabrina's growing belief that Louis had indeed mistaken someone else for her mother. Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Can Niall join us?" she asked, hope returning to her voice.

Cullen's smile was warm. "Of course."

Feeling considerably better, Sabrina extracted herself from her father's embrace and prepared to return to her puzzle. However, a lingering doubt prompted her to call Catherine and request a conversation with Audrey.

Catherine couldn't hide her surprise. From what she'd observed, Sabrina had never shown particular fondness for Audrey. She hadn't been cruel, but...

Unable to resist Sabrina's earnest plea, Catherine contacted Casey first. After confirming both Audrey and her mother were amenable to the call, she provided Sabrina with Casey's contact information.

Sabrina immediately initiated a video call.

Audrey answered promptly, her face brightening. "Sabrina? Ms. Hudson mentioned you wanted to talk to me. Did you want to play together?"

Despite Sabrina's apparent indifference toward her, Audrey had always admired the other girl for her boldness and confidence.

"Mm," Sabrina mumbled, pressing her lips together. "Where are you right now?"

"At home!" Audrey exclaimed cheerfully, panning the camera around. "My grandparents are visiting. They're helping my mom make ravioli—my favorite! Would you like to—"

The sight of the plentiful ravioli and confirmation that Audrey was indeed at home allowed Sabrina to exhale in relief. "You didn't go to the movies with my mom today, right?"

Audrey shook her head definitively. "With Ms. Murray? No, I haven't seen her in ages."

This confirmation completely dispelled Sabrina's anxiety. "Got it. Enjoy your ravioli."

She was about to disconnect but paused awkwardly before adding, "Bye."

Audrey blinked, seemingly caught off guard by the unexpected politeness. "Oh, b-bye."

When Cullen returned to the living room, Watson inquired, "Everything resolved?"

"Yes," Cullen confirmed.

The guests seated across from Watson and Cullen had only recently arrived. This was their first encounter with Sabrina.

One couldn't contain his astonishment. "I can hardly believe Cullen's child is already this grown. So he's been married for quite some time?"

Rumors about Cullen having a child had been circulating recently, but most dismissed them as gossip. Seeing the evidence firsthand now, they realized the truth.

Cullen took an unhurried sip of tea. "Indeed."

The visitors exchanged uncomfortable smiles. They had deliberately brought their daughters along today, hoping for a potential match with Cullen.

If something developed between them, it would be ideal. But now they discovered he was already spoken for.

Despite their daughters being beautiful, refined, and demure, Cullen hadn't spared them a single glance during the thirty minutes they'd been present.

Clearly, he had absolutely no interest in them.

Perhaps, even if he weren't married, their daughters wouldn't have stood a chance.

After more than an hour at the arcade, Marco and Cecelia departed due to prior commitments.

Before venturing out today, Veronica had made significant progress on her thesis. With it nearly complete, she planned to make final revisions upon returning home before sending it to Malcolm for review.

Once he confirmed its quality, she would submit it officially.

Lost in thought, she continued immersing herself in the VR game, unaware that a departing moviegoer had spotted her.

Bonnie sneered at the sight of Veronica playing arcade games alone before turning and walking away.

Thirty minutes later, Bonnie arrived at the opulent Crystal family villa.

Rushing upstairs, she was surprised to find Aurora present. "Mom? Weren't you supposed to be shopping? What brings you to Aunt Dora's?"

"I just returned from my shopping trip."

Though the Mack family's residence was already impressive, it paled in comparison to the one Cullen had purchased for Dora.

Ever since the Crystal family moved in, Aurora found every excuse to visit, still marveling at the lavish décor despite the passage of time.

Bonnie shared this tendency. Given the close relationship between the Crystal and Mack, she, like her mother, found herself visiting with increasing frequency.

Making herself comfortable as if in her own home, she sat down and cryptically announced, "Mom, Niall, Aunt Dora, can you guess who I just spotted at the arcade?"

At that moment, Niall was seated by the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, absorbed in a book.

Though she had already surmised the answer to Bonnie's question, she showed no interest and remained silent.

Aurora, however, leaned forward eagerly. "Was it Veronica?"

"Exactly!" Bonnie grinned triumphantly as she casually popped a sunflower seed into her mouth.

"Is Cullen not allowing her back at Dennis Estate anymore? She was all by herself, playing arcade games. God, she looked so pitiful from behind."