Thus Began Your Regret (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3

Edward swept my bangs aside and let out a sigh.

“Sigh… Right. Talking more will just lead to another fight.”

He stopped eating midway, stood up from his seat, and said,

“I’m sorry, but I’ll leave first.”

With that, he strode briskly out of the dining room. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, it seemed he was heading to his room.

But not long after, I heard heavy footsteps coming back down.

Louisa, who had been sitting alone and motionless at the table, abruptly stood up and opened the door.

In the hallway stood Edward, fully dressed for going out.

“Ed. Where are you going?”

At the sound of my voice calling him, Edward turned around. He stared at her silently for a moment, then turned his gaze straight ahead and answered,

“The lab.”

Leaving that short reply, Edward opened the front door without hesitation and stepped out.

Thud. The sound of the mansion’s door closing echoed.

Leaning against the dining room’s doorway, Louisa stared blankly at the entrance through which her husband had just left.

She hadn’t asked for much—just the ability to laugh together would have been enough.

Yet the path toward that simple wish felt impossibly distant, blocked by a massive wall.

How could she possibly get over that wall? Would they ever truly be happy together someday?

She buried her face weakly in her hands.

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The autumn rain began to patter softly.

“Ugh, damn it. Failed again. I really can’t do this.”

Jeffrey irritably pulled out his research notebook. Grasping the frayed ribbon of the worn, grimy journal, he flipped it open and picked up his pen, jotting down the results of this latest test.

The scratch of the pen against paper sounded furious, as if he were tearing through the pages. When he finished his angry entry, he tossed both pen and notebook onto the desk and began hurriedly gathering his things.

“I’m leaving now. You should head home too, sir.”

It was late at night; all the other staff had already gone home. Yet Edward remained seated without even glancing back, saying,

“I’ll just run the calculations once more before leaving. Go ahead.”

“What?”

Jeffrey froze mid-motion while packing. He looked utterly incredulous as he asked,

“Sir, didn’t you stay at the lab all night yesterday? Are you really not planning to go home tonight either?”

“I’ll go in once I finish this… No, wait—what’s it to you?”

One of Edward’s eyebrows furrowed fiercely as he shot back the question. Watching him, Jeffrey scoffed sarcastically.

“Oh, right. Of course. It’s none of my business.”

Click. Jeffrey locked his bag, grabbed the coat he’d carelessly tossed aside that morning, and shoved his arms into it. Picking up his umbrella, he said,

“Then I’ll head out first.”

“Fine.”

His footsteps echoed unusually loud in the empty lab as he walked away.

Bang. The moment the door shut, Edward let out a deep sigh and lowered his head. He pressed both hands against his forehead and closed his eyes.

A full day had passed since his argument with Louisa.

Coming to the lab to work—anything to keep from sleeping—had seemed like a good idea at the time.

But now that it was time to leave, things felt different. His mind had grown restless again.

‘Maybe I should’ve just gone home with Jeffrey after all.’

As usual, by now Louisa’s anger would have subsided.

Perhaps she would have greeted him with her usual expression, asking where he’d been as soon as he walked in.

While making these pointless assumptions, Edward inadvertently recalled the very words he’d spoken to Louisa the day before:

[Because there’s no point doing something meaningless.]

“Ha.”

Annoyed by his own words, he gave a dry chuckle and muttered to himself,

“Right. What’s the point of chewing it over now?”

After all, staying at the lab meant everything else was merely speculation.

Edward picked up the notebook before him and forced his mind blank.

He couldn’t afford to waste time. Piles of work sat right in front of him, and putting off today’s tasks would only mean more tomorrow.

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The sound of raindrops hitting the window grew noticeably louder.

“Damn it.”

Edward slumped back against the chair and tilted his head backward.

Another failure. Feeling utterly drained, all strength left his body, and he closed his eyes.

His limbs felt so heavy he thought he might fall asleep right then and there. Half-lost in drowsiness, he muttered unconsciously,

“I hope I’m not really going to fail to finish it…”

Startled by his own muttering, he snapped his head up and slapped his cheek hard enough to make a sharp sound. He spoke firmly to himself,

“What nonsense. You can’t afford to fail.”

You must succeed. That’s your job. Edward Allen.

He gently rubbed his stinging cheek. At least he was wide awake now.

Rumble! Crash!

After repeating “I must do it” to himself a few more times, he suddenly looked toward the window at the sound of thunder.

Staring blankly at the lightning flashing outside, Edward suddenly thought of Louisa.

‘Now that I think about it, was she really watching out the window like that?’

A few days ago, his wife had stubbornly waited for him late into the night—not even in their bedroom, but in the drawing room—claiming she was expecting his return.

If she were truly worried, she could’ve simply sent a telegram as usual. She knew waiting wouldn’t make him arrive any sooner, yet she always watched for him along the path home.

“She wouldn’t be doing that again today, would she?”

Maybe she had even done it yesterday. After all, she never listened to a word he said.

His gaze briefly fell on his messy desk. If he slept here, he might get at least another hour of rest.

After staring blankly at his desk for a while, he ruffled his hair in frustration and slapped his cheeks a few more times to fully wake himself.

“…Anyway, I definitely won’t get proper sleep if I stay here.”

He grabbed his coat to leave.

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Torrents of rain streamed down the car windows.

The crimson glow of gas lamps flickered, rippling through the darkness.

Normally, in weather like this, he’d cross his arms and close his eyes, opting to sleep rather than even consider driving.

But tonight was different. There was something he needed to confirm.

He calmly pressed the accelerator.

Arriving at the mansion’s front gate, he bypassed the garage and stopped directly under the porch.

Ignoring whether rainwater seeped into the car, he immediately opened the door and stepped out. Striding swiftly to the front entrance, he grasped the doorknob tightly.

Yet Edward froze right there, gripping the knob without moving.

After a deep breath, he carefully pushed the door open.

Click.

The soft glow of gas lamps lit the hallway. He gazed at it briefly with quiet satisfaction, then stepped inside.

Light seeped once again through the drawing room door. His heart sank as he flung it open.

And there she was—just as he’d feared—Louisa sitting in the drawing room, staring blankly out the window.

“…Louisa.”

His voice came out heavy with conflicting emotions.

“What on earth are you doing here?”

At the sound of Edward’s question, Louisa finally turned to look at him. Instead of answering, she murmured something unexpected,

“You’re here.”

“Well, of course I am—it’s my house. But what are you doing here?”

Edward pressed her, but Louisa just stared at him in silence.

“Louisa. I’m exhausted right now. Please, don’t make me worry—just answer me straight when I ask something.”

“I was waiting for you.”

She bit her lip tightly, then pressed a hand firmly against her chest. After a slow, deep breath, Louisa spoke,

“The weather is so awful, and you left without a word… I simply couldn’t sleep.”

“I’ve told you countless times—even just the other day—to stop wasting your time like this. I’m busy right now—”

He began waving his hands about to continue, but suddenly stopped, shook his head, and changed his tone.

“No, forget it. I never really expected you to quietly go to bed like I asked anyway. Next time, if you’re that worried, just send a telegram.”

“A telegram?”

Louisa looked at him with utter confusion. Her lips parted slightly, as if she had something more to say.

But right now, Edward desperately needed rest. Rubbing his temple with one hand, he spoke first,

“Yes. So please, just go to bed now. I’m coming in too.”

“Ed.”

Her voice, trembling with vulnerability, called his name.

But Edward turned his back on her right then. He already knew what she’d say next: “I was just worried… I couldn’t stop thinking about you…”

Louisa couldn’t quite hide the moisture in her voice as she asked,

“Do you… no longer want to talk to me?”

“Yes. I’m tired of this with you. It’s just too hard.”

“Are you… serious?”

“Yes. I mean it. So please, just stop.”

He felt Louisa’s gaze on his back.

He pretended not to notice. Once he reached his room, this would all be over.

“Edward.”

But he couldn’t ignore his wife’s voice calling out to him again. Edward stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Tears rolled down Louisa’s smooth cheeks. Meeting his eyes, she spoke a single sentence,

“Let’s… part ways.”