Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Yancey stumbled home in a daze, and even before entering the house, he could already hear Lily's crying.

"What does she want from me? How long does she plan to torment me? I've had enough! I'm going to fight her to the end!"

Lily had been mentally stretched to her limit these days. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was people laughing at her.

Her husband, Andrew, had gotten involved with her own sister, and now, everyone was treating her like a joke. Andrew couldn't stand her constant meltdowns at home and simply stopped coming back. Lily tried to complain to Jordan, but after going too many times, the Hendersons stopped letting her in.

Lily was left to argue daily with Yelena, shouting and screaming like a madwoman.

As Yancey stepped into the living room, completely drenched, he was struck by an ashtray thrown by Lily. He didn't even feel the pain. He merely stumbled back a few steps and stared blankly at the blood dripping onto the floor.

Lily was startled and rushed over in a panic. "Yancey, are you alright?"

Yancey raised a hand to cover the wound in a daze.

He suddenly remembered the day Yelena and Andrew got together. He suspected Grace was behind it but later convinced himself she truly loved him and couldn't have done such a thing. So, he let it go. But looking at the chaos around him now, he suddenly started laughing.

Grace held some of the world's most difficult certifications. That woman was no fool. Back when she pursued him, her acting had been eerily convincing. Clearly, she was incredibly capable.

At the time, Lily had tormented Grace and tried to marry her off to her brother, Hendricks Parker. Soon after, Lily's perfect marriage fell apart, and Hendricks ended up in trouble too.

One by one, piece by piece, once it all clicked in his mind, Yancey began to laugh uncontrollably.

Lily was scared by his sudden laughter, thinking the blow to his head had made him stupid. "Yancey, don't scare me like this. I'll take you to the hospital right now."

Her voice trembled with fear as she tried to pull him toward the door. But Yancey stood still and casually wiped the blood from his forehead. "I'm fine, Mom."

Lily's eyes immediately turned red. "It's all my fault. Sheesh, Yelena is coming over again soon. I really can't stand her!"

Yancey leaned in slightly and placed both hands gently on her shoulders. "I'll take care of it."

This was completely out of character for him. He had always been lazy, used to a pampered life where everything was done for him. Lily felt that her son had

changed, yet she couldn't quite say how.noveldrama

Yancey turned and walked straight out.

Lily, still worried, tugged on his arm. "Yancey, are you really okay?"

He smiled again. But with blood still smeared on his face, the grin looked eerie and menacing. "I'm fine, really."

He slowly stepped outside, smoked several cigarettes, and sure enough, saw Yelena approaching the front door.

Yelena had been very pleased with herself lately. She had blackmailed millions of dollars out of Andrew but still wasn't quite satisfied. She wanted to take Lily's place and become the lady of the house.

She was just about to go in when she saw Yancey standing nearby, drenched and dripping. Startled, she almost cursed out loud but managed to hold it in. "Yancey, what are you doing out here?"

Yancey flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out."Aunt Yelena, I need to talk to you about something. Come with me. We'll talk over there."

Yelena had always had a decent relationship with Yancey. Even with all the chaos she had stirred up lately, he had never made things difficult for her. So, she didn' hesitate and followed him.

"Yancey, don't blame me for being ruthless. People are selfish by nature. I just want a better life, that's all. Don't worry, once your mom is out of the picture, I'll treat you like my own son. You're the only son your father has left. This family will still be yours in the end.

"I may have money now, but people still see me as a homewrecker. I want a proper title. Is that too much to ask?"

She thought her speech would move Yancey, and they walked all the way to a secluded corner of the yard where there were no surveillance cameras. There was only a large pond.

Yancey stopped, turned around, and looked at her calmly.

Yelena placed her hands on her hips, preparing to sweet-talk him again. However, Yancey suddenly grabbed her hair and shoved her head into the pond.

She didn't even have time to scream. The shock left her gasping, but when she opened her mouth, water rushed into her nose and throat. She couldn't cry for help at all.

Yancey held her down with tremendous strength, forcing her head underwater. She struggled for five minutes before going limp.

When he let go, she collapsed to the ground, her face twisted in agony. Clearly, her final moments had been filled with pain.

He lit another cigarette, his eyes filled with hatred. "No, it's not unreasonable. But you can't be too greedy."

One should know when to stop.

He slowly smoked the entire cigarette. Suddenly, Lily's scream rang out from behind him.

She decided to follow along as she felt uneasy, only to witness the entire scène. Yes, she hated Yelena and wished her dead. But now that she was actually dead, Lily panicked. "Yancey, what... What did you do?"

Her voice shook. To her, her son had always been obedient and well-behaved. Sure, he made small mistakes now and then, but they were nothing serious. But now... he had killed someone.

She was right-Yancey really had changed.

Lily was overwhelmed with fear and staggered backward. She wanted to call the police, but this was her only son.

She clenched her teeth and finally gave in. "We'll just say she accidentally slipped and fell into the pond."

With a cigarette still between his fingers, Yancey slowly walked past her, leaving a cold and cruel air in his wake.

Lily bit her lip, her eyes red with emotion. She quickly called people to clean up the mess, then chased after him. "Yancey, if something's bothering you, you have to tell me, okay?"

Yancey stopped walking. He looked down at the cigarette that had burned all the way to his fingertips. It had blistered his skin, but he barely felt a thing.

He chuckled and said quietly, "I just don't want to be treated like a fool anymore."