My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

That evening, Veronica arrived home to find Sabrina already sound asleep in her room.

After her nighttime routine, Veronica slipped under the covers, and immediately felt Sabrina unconsciously seek the comfort of her embrace, murmuring drowsily, "Mom, you're back?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Go back to sleep," Veronica whispered softly.

No response followed as Sabrina had already drifted back into her dreams.

Morning arrived with separate agendas. Dario departed to explore a potential business alliance, while Veronica headed to Dennis Group accompanied by a team of engineers.

The morning hours flew by as Veronica engaged in deep technical discussions with the engineering team. Her explanations were precise, her knowledge evident as she walked them through complex concepts with ease.

As she neared the conclusion of her explanation, she suddenly became aware of Cullen standing at a slight distance, his attention fully captured by her words. She faltered momentarily, then deliberately shifted her gaze away and addressed the group.

"If you're interested in diving deeper into what I've just explained, there are several exceptional academic papers on the subject. Would you like the references?"

"Definitely, that would be great," came the enthusiastic response.

Veronica proceeded to enumerate the titles and authors with practiced precision. When she finished and reached for her tablet, her eyes inadvertently met Niall's observant gaze.

Cullen noticed Niall's presence and approached her. "When did you arrive?" he asked, his tone casual.

Veronica deliberately avoided looking in their direction.

Niall glanced briefly at Veronica before turning to Cullen with a subtle smile. "Just now," she replied.

In truth, she had been standing there for several minutes. When she'd arrived, she'd witnessed Cullen standing among his team, intently focused on Veronica as she elucidated a technical principle. Though she could only see his profile partially obscured, there was no mistaking the admiration that shadowed his expression as he watched Veronica speak.

At that recollection, Niall's smile diminished slightly.

Never before had she seen Cullen regard Veronica with such evident appreciation. Yet she reminded herself not to read too much into a simple professional interaction.

Later that afternoon, business matters brought Niall back to Dennis Group. This time, she proceeded directly to Cullen's office only to find it vacant.

About to take a seat, her attention was drawn to several books arranged on his desk. Closer inspection revealed them to be AI journals. Casually lifting one, she thumbed through the pages until a marked article caught her eye. The title made her pause with sudden realization.

It was one of the exact articles Veronica had recommended that morning.

Remembering how Cullen had stood so attentively beside Veronica earlier, absorbing every word, Niall's lips pressed into a thin line. A suspicion formed in her mind, prompting her to pick up several other journals to examine them.

As expected, they too contained markings. She recognized Cullen's distinctive annotation style immediately—the particular notes and symbols he typically used when studying material with interest.

The office door swung open unexpectedly, startling her. She looked up to find herself meeting Bradley's gaze.

He smiled politely. "Ms. Crystal? Mr. Dennis is still in his meeting. It'll probably be another thirty minutes—"

"I understand," Niall interrupted before he could finish.

Bradley noticed the journal in her hands and commented, "Oh, those are the ones the boss asked me to rush out and purchase this morning. Are you interested in them too?"

"He had them rushed in?" she questioned, her voice carefully neutral.

"Yes, right after the morning session."

Niall lowered her eyes at this revelation.

Preoccupied with retrieving documents, Bradley failed to notice her change in expression. "I should get going—"

"Of course, don't let me keep you. I'm fine here."

"I'll have someone bring you coffee shortly." With that, Bradley gathered the documents and hastily departed.

Niall carefully returned the journal to its place and moved to sit on the sofa, her composure maintained despite the turmoil of her thoughts.

Though Bradley had indicated a thirty-minute wait, barely five minutes passed before Cullen returned from the conference room.

Seeing him, Niall manufactured a smile. "That was quick."

"Bradley mentioned you were waiting," Cullen explained. "The remaining agenda items weren't urgent, so I excused myself."

As he spoke, his eyes briefly flickered toward the journals on his desk before returning to settle beside Niall on the sofa.

She caught the momentary shift in his attention, and her smile faltered imperceptibly.

Just moments before, she had assumed he'd expedited his return solely for her sake. Now, she questioned whether that assumption had been entirely accurate.