Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Chapter 658

Briony kept her head bowed, afraid he might notice something was wrong.

She nodded quietly and lifted another spoonful of soup to her lips.

Stewart stood nearby, watching her. It wasn't until her third bite that he finally noticed something was off.

He quickly crouched down beside her, just in time to see a tear slip from her eye.

The tear landed in the pale soup.

A sharp ache pulsed in Stewart's chest. "Bryn?"

Briony reached up to wipe her eyes. "I'm fine, really..."

Stewart gently took the bowl from her hands and set it on the table.

"Bryn, I'm sorry. I know I put you through so much." He knelt on one knee in front

of her, a heavy sorrow settling over him.

He knew exactly why she was crying.

A simple bowl of soup had opened the floodgates of memory.

For five years, she had started from nothing, learning as she went, raising a newborn with patience and devotion. She gave everything without complaint, only to have it all repaid with his betrayal, and the resentment and blame of that child she'd loved as her own...

Then, after four years apart, even when fate brought them together again, he'd only managed to hurt her all over.

Each wound had etched itself into her heart, leaving scars that never quite faded.

she just didn't want to keep clinging to the

happened-how could anyone ever pretend they

soup, and

complete

ashamed of all the pain he'd

her tears, but Briony turned away before he

moment alone," she said softly, still refusing to meet

hung awkwardly in the

a moment, he swallowed hard

got to his feet and

buried her

sat untouched, cooling as

sharpest pain, but it couldn't erase what had truly happened. When familiar faces or objects returned, the memories came with them, resurfacing with

at least for now, she couldn't genuinely tell her past self

hide Briony's illness

everyone close and trustworthy-except for Julia Hudson-found

Carney Winslow and Gwendolyn White

while Briony, calm and composed, ended up comforting her

for the time being. With Briony's health so fragile,

and round-the-clock care, so Gwendolyn and Carney realized there wasn't much more they could do. They returned to

only Briony and Stewart knew the full

ago and knew little about what his nephew

remained blissfully unaware, thriving under

Gina recorded snippets of Julia's life and

excuse to leave home

a rocking chair in the little courtyard, watching