Delayed Regrets: He Regretted Only After Her Death-Chapter 178: Sending Them Home

The first time Daisy asked him, he was indifferent.

It almost made Daisy lose her mother, turning Daisy’s world upside down.

That was the unerasable pain he caused Daisy.

This time when Daisy asked him, his heart twisted like a knife, but he had no choice but to face the issue.

He picked up that baked cheese escargot.

He had personally prepared it for Daisy, marinated with her favorite ingredients, covered with cheese, and put into the oven.

Baked for twelve minutes.

No longer, no shorter.

Too long, and the snail meat would be tough; too little, and the aroma wouldn’t be released.

He studied thoroughly everything Daisy liked to eat.

This was also the first dish Daisy put in his bowl.

He picked it up and tasted it.

This taste, he had tried many times while making the dish, fearing the texture wouldn’t be right, and Daisy wouldn’t like it.

But because it was the first dish Daisy served him, the taste suddenly became different.

It turned into the most delicious dish in the world.

As if a strong stream of power was injected into his heart.

That force was called the father-daughter bond.

From when Daisy was in Tiana Linden’s womb until she grew this big, he never fulfilled a single day of his responsibilities as a father.

When she was born, he wasn’t by Tiana’s side, didn’t buy her a piece of clothing, didn’t prepare milk formula even once, and even allowed her to lose hearing in one ear due to encephalitis caused by a high fever.

He was the most despicable father in the world.

The taste of cheese still lingered in his mouth.

Perhaps every time he tasted cheese in the future, he would think of this moment when Daisy was closest to him.

He savored this complex bittersweet taste in his heart, looking at Daisy, and said gently, "Thank you, Daisy, you should eat, and after we eat, let’s check on how your mom is feeling. Once her cold is gone, I’ll take you both back to Veridia."

Daisy thought she heard it wrong.

She opened her big, round black eyes, not even blinking, looking at him full of doubt and expectation.

"What did you just say?"

Aiden Grant served Daisy a helping of baked cheese escargot, a slice of pan-fried deep-sea snowfish, and a piece of baby pumpkin to ensure she had a balanced diet.

After serving the food, he looked at her with eyes full of tenderness and complexity.

Those big, bright eyes were full of anticipation.

For the first time, his daughter had expectations from him.

How could he let his daughter down?

Even though Daisy never recognized him as her father.

He reached out and patted Daisy’s head this time, Daisy didn’t dodge, once again injecting a tremendous power into his heart, making him more determined that he couldn’t hurt Daisy so deeply again.

He just wanted to see smiles on Daisy and Tiana’s faces.

"Daddy said, in a while will go see mom, make sure she eats more and gets better soon."

"Once she’s recovered from this cold, Daddy will take you both back to Veridia, back to reunite with your Mr. Chaucer."

Uttering this last sentence was like brutally stabbing a knife into his chest.

An invisible blade, sharp, cold, and icy.

Aiden’s whole body almost froze.

It wasn’t until he saw his daughter in front of him, pause for a moment, then smile after confirming the answer, that he found a trace of solace.

As long as he could see his daughter’s smile, it was all worth it.

Daisy seemed afraid of being deceived.

He wasn’t above deceiving her before.

So just as she got happy, she froze again, looking at him full of worry, "Are you really telling the truth, you’re not lying to me, right?"

Aiden nodded.

Seeing that she was still somewhat worried, he made a vow gesture, "I’m telling the truth, once your mom recovers, I’ll take you both back to Veridia. If I break my word, may I die a horrible death!"

At this, Daisy finally revealed a smile again.

Then she buried her head, eating the food in big mouthfuls.

Aiden served her baked cheese escargot, that piece of pan-fried deep-sea snowfish, and the baby pumpkin, all finished in a few big bites.

After finishing, she happily continued eating the remaining baked cheese escargot.

While eating, she looked at Aiden full of contentment and joy, and said, "Thank you!"

This address turned into a "Thank you!"

No longer the deep resentment with "that person".

However, Aiden was still not happy.

In Daisy’s heart, the first choice for a father would always be Hector Chaucer, even Leo Sutton, but never him.

However, at this moment, he saw the joyful smile on his daughter’s face.

That was enough!

After the meal, Daisy hopped along joyfully to Tiana Linden’s side.

This was the first time since Aiden brought Daisy to this little island that he saw her as happy as a little bird.

Tiana was drinking porridge.

That bowl of vegetable and lean meat porridge was cooked by Aiden himself.

Seeing the father and daughter approaching, she was a bit surprised.

Why was Daisy so happy today?

Soon, Daisy ran over with a radiant smile, "Mom, we can go back to Veridia, back to Dad!"

A puzzled look fell on Aiden.

Aiden felt a dull pain in his heart but remained calm on the surface, "Get better soon, once this cold is over, I’ll take you and Daisy back."

Tiana hadn’t said a word when Mrs. Walsh was shocked, "Mr. Grant, you must be joking, right?"

Since coming to this island, she and Mr. Carter had pleaded with him many times to let Tiana and Mr. Chaucer be together.

But his attitude had always been unwavering.

Why the sudden change of heart, willing to fulfill them now?

Tiana didn’t ask a thing; she observed Aiden’s reactions, seeing that even though his face was calm, he was clenching his fists tightly.

The knuckles faintly white from the grip.

Veins bulging on the back of his hand, each one carrying his repressed and restrained pain.

Perhaps he was telling the truth.

So she didn’t ask.

Aiden told Mrs. Walsh, "Mrs. Walsh, in the coming days, please prepare more nutritious meals for Tiana, and once she’s better, we’ll set off for Veridia. This island is a small one, without an airport, so we can only return the way we came, by sea."

Upon hearing this, Tiana immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Walsh was overjoyed and quickly went to share the good news with Mr. Carter.

The bedroom was left with Aiden, Tiana, and Daisy, forming a family of three.

Tiana looked at him and asked, "Why did you suddenly have a change of heart?"

There’s no reason.

It’s just that he loved her and Daisy too deeply, unwilling to see them suffer so much.

In her sleep, she worried over Hector Chaucer’s safety, calling his name; his heart twisted like a knife with each call, deeply understanding that forcefully picking a melon doesn’t make it sweet.

On this island, there was the snow Tiana loved most.

For half the year, you could see snowflakes, build snowmen, and have snowball fights with Daisy.

But neither she nor Daisy was happy.

If they weren’t happy, how could he be?

Aiden took the porridge bowl from Tiana Linden’s hands, picked up the spoon, scooped up some porridge, and brought it to her lips, "Finish the porridge, get better soon."

It was the first time Tiana Linden had come to the island and eaten the porridge he fed her. With a complex feeling, she said, "Thank you!"

Perhaps the only words left between them were these.

Aiden held the spoon tightly, remained silent, "..."

...

It was already February.

The island remained as it was when they arrived, with perennial snow.

There hadn’t been snow for over half a month.

That night, Tiana’s fever subsided. Aiden watched by the sickbed for more than four hours, and when she didn’t have a fever again, he went to the window, and it started snowing outside.

The snowflakes fell like goose down, in large flurries, over the expansive snowy ground.

It also filled Aiden’s chest.

"Hector Chaucer... be careful!"

The woman on the bed was having a nightmare again.

In her dream, she called out Hector Chaucer’s name.

Aiden went to the bed and touched her forehead; fortunately, she hadn’t gotten a fever again.

The slender white hand suddenly grabbed his arm, "Hector Chaucer, be careful!"

Sudden awakening.

Another dream.

Tiana wiped the sweat from her forehead and saw Aiden, who was filled with anguish, sitting by the bed.

Aiden withdrew his other hand, brushed her sweat-damp hair away from her cheek, tucked it behind her ear, and asked with concern, "Another nightmare?"

The hand tightly grasped by Tiana remained in her palm.

She did not let go.

In the dream, it was this same arm holding onto a railing, clinging tightly.

It was Hector Chaucer’s hand.

A killer wielding a long machete struck his arm, shoulder, slice after slice.

The cold gleaming blade dripped with one drop after another of fresh red blood, dripping into the vast sea.

In the end, swept into the surging waves, Tiana still couldn’t see Hector Chaucer’s face clearly.

The spray splashed up, and soon the figure was nowhere to be seen.

Tiana was also suddenly startled awake by the nightmare.

Only when Aiden tucked the sweat-damp hair on her right cheek behind her ear for the second time did she realize the arm she was holding wasn’t Hector Chaucer’s.

She quickly let go, "I dreamed Hector Chaucer was killed."

Since coming to this island, she has constantly worried about Hector Chaucer’s safety.

Everyone in the Chaucer Family wants him dead.

The Sixth Chaucer, Samuel Chaucer, is still missing; he might show up one day to contend with Hector Chaucer for the position of Family Head.

Could this dream be an omen?

The sweat on her forehead that Aiden had just wiped off now beaded up again.

She looked at Aiden, as if pleading, "Aiden, can we leave for Veridia sooner?"

Aiden took out a handkerchief, wiping the sweat from her forehead, "Although Hector doesn’t know we’re on this island, I am fully aware of domestic matters every day. I only received news a few hours ago that aside from being anxious to find you, Hector is doing well. You don’t need to worry about him so much."

Tiana still looked worried, "Are you really aware of the situation at home, is Hector Chaucer truly okay?"

The worry in her eyes fell into Aiden’s sight.

The hand gripping the handkerchief clenched tightly.

She had never worried about him like she worried about Hector Chaucer.

Aiden took a deep breath, "I told you, once your cold gets better, we can depart. The shortest sea voyage back to Veridia takes five days, we took seven days last time moving slowly. You are now five or six months pregnant, and we must wait until your cold is better before departing."

This cold might still take ten days or so to completely get better.

As a pregnant woman, she couldn’t take any medicine.

Recovering naturally is slow.

It was driving Tiana incredibly anxious.

"Aiden." Her eyes’ worry hadn’t diminished at all, "Didn’t you say you’re fully aware of domestic matters? Can I please call Hector Chaucer?"

The man’s barely restrained anger could no longer be kept at bay.

His forehead tensed, he gritted his molars.

Tiana continued to plead, "Aiden, I’m begging you. Aren’t you planning to let me return to Veridia? Since you’re willing to let me go, can I please call Hector Chaucer, just to hear his voice..."

"Tiana, enough." Aiden could no longer hold back his anger, tightly clenching his fists, "Don’t be so cruel to me, don’t push further. I’ve already agreed to let you return to Veridia."

What more did she want from him?

Did she want him to witness her deep attachment and worry for Hector Chaucer?

This was too cruel for him.

His clenched fists showed bulging veins, "Rest well."

After speaking, his tall and handsome figure, filled with a chill, opened the door, disappearing into the night.

Returning to his room, Aiden stood by the window, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

The embers burned brighter and brighter.

Aiden’s chest ached, anger surged, and he gripped the cigarette butt tightly.

The hot embers made contact with his skin.

The air carried a burnt smell of flesh.

Aiden’s palm had a piece of flesh burned.

But he felt no pain.

Because the pain in his palm was much lighter than the pain in his chest.

That night, he stood by the window, watching the snow fall outside for another night.

In the morning, the flowerbeds outside the window amassed countless cigarette butts.

Mrs. Walsh came in to clean, the smell of smoke lingered in the room.

Seeing the countless cigarette butts in the flowerbed, Mrs. Walsh tidied up, shaking her head, "Every pitiful person has a hateful side, alas!"

That day, Tiana seemed to have improved significantly from her cold.

No more high fever persisting.

However, the aftermath of the cold, coughing, sore throat, runny nose, dizziness, the aching and feeble feeling, were all present.

At breakfast, Daisy was eager for her mom to get better soon, offering her this and that to eat.

But she had little appetite, only drinking a bowl of Noelle’s millet porridge.

Since sitting at the dining table, Tiana hadn’t spoken to Aiden.

Her first words were asking, "Aiden, about Hector Chaucer..."

Afraid Aiden might get angry soon and change his mind about taking her and Daisy back to Veridia, Tiana hesitated to continue.

Aiden, across the table, with a dark face, clenched the bowl tightly.

The subtle movements Tiana carefully observed, she cautiously asked, "Aiden, you won’t change your mind and decide not to take us back to Veridia, will you?"

Unexpectedly, Aiden pulled out a phone.

Only his phone could call domestic numbers, "Call him, let him know you’re safe."

Tiana immediately grabbed the phone, fearing he’d change his mind, started pressing on the screen to call Hector Chaucer.

A prompt popped up on the screen, asking her to enter the unlock password.

She looked at Aiden, his face was dark, "The password is the date after your college entrance exam, you know it."

The date after the college entrance exam was the day they had their first intimacy.

Tiana remembered.

But she no longer cared about her so-called first night, she quickly unlocked the phone and began to call...