My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

After enjoying a quick lunch and watching a movie, Veronica and Sabrina strolled past an arcade. Sabrina's eyes immediately brightened with excitement—it had been forever since she'd played games with her mom. Without a second thought, she grabbed Veronica's hand and pulled her inside.

Shopping trips, movies, and arcade visits weren't anything new for Sabrina, but experiencing them with Veronica again made everything feel magical. She was having the absolute best day.

Later that evening, Veronica had dinner plans with Doran. As they exited the arcade, she planned to drop Sabrina off at home before heading to the restaurant.

Sabrina, however, wasn't ready for their day to end. She clutched Veronica's sleeve with pleading eyes. "Can I come with you? Please?"

Veronica paused to consider the request.

It was just an informal dinner with Doran—nothing fancy or business-related. Bringing Sabrina along wouldn't be inappropriate.

With that in mind, she pulled out her phone and called Doran, asking if he'd mind if she brought her child along.

Doran's warm laugh came through the line. "Ver, bring them along. It's not a problem at all." After a brief moment, his tone shifted to curious. "Your child?"

"Yes," she confirmed simply.

Doran couldn't hide his surprise. During their last meeting, she'd mentioned being married, but he hadn't expected someone who looked as young as Veronica to already have a child.

Half an hour later, Veronica arrived at the private lounge with Sabrina's small hand nestled in hers.

Doran was already waiting. When he spotted the little girl, a genuine smile crossed his face. "Ver, so this is your daughter? She's your spitting image."

Veronica smiled and nodded.

"What's her name?" he asked.

"Sabrina Dennis."

"Dennis?"

Doran froze momentarily.

Something about Sabrina seemed familiar, but he couldn't immediately place where he'd seen her before. Then, as the surname registered, realization dawned—he'd seen the Dennis on New Year's Lewis. The little girl holding Cullen's hand had definitely been Sabrina.

His eyes widened slightly. "Your husband is Cullen?"

Veronica nodded silently.

Doran found himself speechless. When she'd first mentioned being married, he'd wondered why someone as exceptional as her would settle down so young. After all, few men could truly match her caliber. But if it was Cullen... well, considering background, social standing, and capabilities, he was probably the only suitable match for her in their entire circle.

Doran offered a small smile, but his thoughts wandered to the distant look in Veronica's eyes whenever she mentioned her marriage. Then there was New Year's Lewis—he'd seen the Dennis family, but Veronica had been notably absent.

This wasn't just a strained relationship. The divide between her and Cullen ran much deeper than he'd initially suspected.

He gestured for them to sit and retrieved two gift boxes, extending them forward.

Veronica instinctively began to decline, but Doran's voice was gentle as he insisted, "It's just a small tradition. Nothing extravagant—please take it."

Left with no graceful way to refuse, she accepted. "Thank you, Mr. Harris."

Turning to Sabrina, she nudged her gently. "Say thank you, Sa."

Sabrina, bright-eyed and impeccably mannered, beamed up at Doran. "Thank you, Mr. Harris."

"You're very welcome."

Chuckling, Doran studied the child's features. "She definitely takes after Cullen more."

"She does," Veronica agreed quietly.

Doran grinned. "Whether she resembles Cullen or you, with parents like you two, she's destined for greatness."

Veronica lowered her gaze, offering only a faint smile without further comment.

Doran then asked, "Has my stubborn son finally made amends with you?"

She shook her head with a rueful smile. "If anything, things have deteriorated further."

Doran laughed heartily. "Good."

Completely unfazed, he added, "He's had everything handed to him. A lesson in humility will serve him well. Honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out."

Their conversation gradually shifted to other topics.

After dinner concluded, Veronica and Doran continued their discussion for over an hour before finally saying their goodbyes.

With the movie outing and dinner behind her, Veronica spent the following days at home, deeply immersed in the research materials Malcolm had sent.

While Veronica buried herself in work, Sabrina remained admirably well-behaved. Aside from occasional outings with Thomas and others, she mostly stayed in her room, entertaining herself quietly.

Still, she faithfully video-called Cullen every day.

And more often than not, Niall was right there beside him.

It wasn't that Veronica deliberately eavesdropped, but Sabrina understood her mother's feelings about Niall. Consequently, whenever Niall appeared during calls, Sabrina would take her tablet outside rather than remaining in her room.

After two or three days of intense focus, Veronica finally experienced a breakthrough.

For the first time since receiving Malcolm's materials, her thoughts crystallized into something tangible and promising.

That day, she worked relentlessly from dawn till dusk, so completely absorbed that she didn't even hear when called downstairs for lunch.

Noticing this, Poppy simply brought food directly to her room.

Sabrina observed her mother's untouched, now-cold meal and called out, "Mom, eat something first."

Veronica mumbled an incoherent response while keeping her eyes fixed on the laptop screen, barely aware she'd acknowledged her daughter.

Sabrina tried calling her several more times. Only after repeated attempts did Veronica finally take a brief pause to eat something.

The same pattern repeated that night.

Veronica was so engrossed in her work that meals became an afterthought. Sabrina had originally planned to ask for help with her bath, but after several unanswered calls, she gave up and went downstairs to ask Adrian instead.

When Sabrina returned from her bath, she found Veronica still fixated on her laptop. Realizing she wouldn't get her mother's attention, she quietly climbed into bed alone and drifted off to sleep.

Sabrina woke the next morning, still groggy, and realized dawn had broken. She climbed out of bed clutching her doll and approached Veronica. "Mom, didn't you sleep at all?"

Veronica responded absently, "You can sleep first. Don't worry about me."

Sabrina stared at her mother in disbelief.

She had already slept through the night and woken up, yet Veronica remained exactly where she'd been the evening before, still glued to her laptop.

"Aren't you tired, Mom?" Sabrina asked with concern.

Veronica merely hummed a vague acknowledgment.

Noticing her mother's furrowed brow, Sabrina worried she was being disruptive. She'd originally wanted to ask if Veronica was hungry, but she held back. Instead, she quietly padded away to wash up by herself.