Regret

Are you sure you want to go there? There will be a lot of people, including his whole family." Emilia asked the same question for the fourth time in the past hour. A sigh escaped Anthea's soft lips as she put down her iPad before looking up at Emilia. She was looking at her with a worried expression, making Anthea force a smile.

"Emi, I will be fine; trust me. You know, I have been waiting for this exact moment for five years. Now it's finally here." Anthea tried her best to ease her cousin's worry while getting up from the sofa and walking towards where Emilia was standing.

"I know, Thea. I trust you, but I don't trust that scumbag or his family. What if they do something to hurt you?" Emilia couldn't help but think about the worst possibilities. Her heart felt restless just thinking about the situation Anthea would be in if she really attended that damn New York City's elite society's party. Anthea had already suffered enough throughout her life; she didn't want her to suffer anymore. That bastard Rayan Allen should rot in hell for hurting her cousin.

"Just trust me, Emi. Everything will be fine. You know, it's the perfect time to let those despicable people know that I'm back. They can't hurt me anymore." Anthea held Emilia's hands in hers before giving them a light squeeze. She looked at her with a firm gaze, making her sigh.

"Besides, Silas will be there too." She added it with a smile. Finally, Emilia gave in and nodded her head with a smile. Of course, she trusted Silas with Anthea. He's the only one whom she could trust with Anthea.

"Alright, you can go if Silas is with you." Emilia grinned, making Anthea chuckle.

"Finally, you smiled. I was sick of that grim look on your face, Emi. You look awful when you are upset, so don't be upset, okay?" Anthea said with a smile while walking back towards the sofa.

"I wasn't upset, just a little worried." Emilia scoffed, making Anthea roll her eyes as she sat back in her previous seat. Seeing her not respond further, Emilia followed her before sitting opposite her.

"So what's your next plan for your beloved ex-husband and former in-laws?" Emilia asked mockingly while peeking at Anthea's iPad. 

"For now, let me just surprise them with my presence," Anthea responded lazily without moving her eyes from her iPad where she was checking out some pictures. Emilia smirked without responding. She also glanced at the iPad alongside Anthea who swiped a few pictures one by one, her blue eyes solely fixed on the screen, noticing every single detail of every single picture. While swiping, a beautiful-looking woman's picture showed up on the screen making Anthea pause. Her fingers stuck in mid-air as she stared down at the picture of a familiar couple. 

"Isn't that Aurelia Jones? Your ex-husband's fiancee?" Emilia asked as her eyes slightly widened while glancing at the beautiful woman. When she didn't hear any response from Anthea, she quietly glanced in her direction, only to find her expression completely blank as she stared at the picture.

"Yes." She responded dryly, pretending to be unfazed. Emilia bit her lips while staring at the picture. A disgusted expression took over her face just by looking at the couple. 

On the other hand, as  Anthea's eyes remained completely focused on the picture, she felt pure hatred bubbling up inside her chest. In the picture, Aurelia was holding Rayan's arms while entering a famous jewellery shop. They were probably there to pick up their wedding ring. As usual, Rayan Allen was dressed in his expensive suits, while the hateful woman was dressed elegantly, and her long blonde hair was put in an elegant bun. She was wearing a pair of black sunglasses, which covered her beautiful hazel eyes. Hazel! Anthea clenched her fist as the word crossed her head. She remembered the day when she first heard Rayan call that woman by that name. He gave her that nickname because of her eyes. Anthea clenched her fists before shutting her eyes. She was almost losing control just by seeing the despicable cheating couple. She needed to get a grip on herself. If she still behaved like this just by seeing their picture, then what would she do after finally facing them? She couldn't let her emotions overtake her and ruin her years of hard work. Anthea took a deep breath before opening her eyes.

"Are you alright, Thea?" Emilia, who was silently observing her, finally asked, worried.

"Yeah. Just seeing these two despicable people makes my blood boil." Anthea nodded before answering. She closed her iPad before getting up from her seat.

"It's alright. They will soon be paying for their sins. Just wait for a while, Thea." Emilia tried to assure her while following her behind. Anthea nodded while grabbing her things from her desk.

"Are we leaving?" Emilia asked while checking her wristwatch for the time.

"Yes. I need to meet someone." Anthea replied while grabbing her phone and car keys.

"Who?" Emila asked while also grabbing her phone from Anthea's desk.

"Clark," Anthea answered after a moment of pause, making Emilia's eyes widen.

"Did you get any updates? Wait, did he find her?" Emilia questioned, impatience dripping from her voice. The usual nonchalant mask on Anthea's face finally fell as her eyes flashed with sudden pain. She took a heavy breath before shaking her head and making Emilia's face fall.

"I'm sorry!" Emilia apologised before biting her tongue. She shouldn't have nagged her like that.

"It's fine. We will find her soon. I have to find her." Anthea quickly masked her emotion before forcing a smile. Emilia nodded before smiling back, not daring to push the topic any further, knowing it was the most sensitive topic for her. Without further conversation, they both walked out of Anthea's cabin.

Anthea's mind wandered back to the day she committed the second-gravest mistake of her life. The first one was to trust Rayan Allen, which almost ruined her life, but her second mistake made her lose the most important thing of her life. Anthea's heart filled with uncontrollable pain as she thought about the day. If only she could go back in time and stop herself from doing what she did. If only!