Chapter 169 Regret Runs Deep

Dominic gave a bitter, self-mocking smile.

Seeing how much pain Dominic was in, Wade’s heart softened. He let go of his curiosity and tried to comfort him. “Dominic, you don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready. I won’t push you. Just tell me when you feel like it.”

“No, Wade. I want to, because we’re in the same situation. I never understood before why you felt guilty about Tilda, who’s supposed to be our enemy,” Dominic said.

“Even if she’s related to us by blood, she still betrayed our family. You hated her as much as I did.”

He took a shaky breath and continued, “But lately, I get it, but it’s too late now.”

Dominic felt like he would go crazy if he kept his emotions all bottled up. He had been holding in his emotions and suffering alone all this time. After waking up from his coma, he remembered everything.

The pain in his chest felt like it could explode. He had barely survived a long, difficult day. Even now, back at home, his chest ached with guilt and regret.

The sharp pain from before was gone. Now it was a slow, heavy ache that made life feel endlessly hard.

He remembered the day Tilda cut him off–the day she asked him to go to hell. Then he remembered how quickly she found someone new to take his place as her mentee.

All the promises, memories, and words they shared flashed through his mind. Each memory stabbed into his soul like an invisible knife. It felt like he was dying over and over again, but without shedding a single drop of blood.

Dominic knew if he didn’t let it out, the pain would get worse. He sometimes even wished he could kill himself. That way, he could escape the guilt and despair that wrapped around him like poison.

Once Dominic finally told Wade everything, a bit of that frustration inside him finally lifted–even if it was just a little.

Wade, on the other hand, was completely stunned. He stared at Dominic in disbelief. It took him a long time to process what he’d just heard.

“Dominic, I can’t believe it. You were her mentee, and you even had another hidden identity?” Wade said. “My gosh, fate is playing some horrible joke on us.”

Dominic let out a hollow laugh. “You think I don’t know? The day I went to meet my mentor, I was excited, only to find out it was Tilda, one person I hated most. I honestly thought the universe was playing a cruel joke on me. It wanted to punish me and make me suffer as much as possible.”

He sighed deeply, sounding worn out. “Now, I’ve been punished for real. I regret everything. I even wanted to go to work today to keep myself busy so no one at home would worry about me. But I just don’t have the strength anymore; I’m so tired. I just want to sleep and forget about all this pain.”

Dominic closed his eyes, looking totally exhausted.

Wade gave Dominic’s shoulder a comforting pat. “Dominic, to be honest… I…” Wade then shared his story with Tilda.

When Dominic heard it, he felt even worse.

The room was heavy with sadness. None of them could breathe.

“Dominic, do you feel guilty about Tilda just because she was your mentor?” Wade finally asked.

Dominic hesitated. “I can’t lie. If Tilda hadn’t been Queen, I don’t think I’d ever have forgiven her. I probably would have spent my whole life trying to kill her.”

That’s why, when Tilda accused him, he couldn’t even defend himself.

“W–we’ve been so cruel to her,” Wade said quietly. “Dominic, she’s our real sister. Mom and Dad’s daughter. What have we done?”

Wade spoke what was hidden in the depths of his heart. He had asked himself this question many times. Wade even said it to Tilda but never to the rest of the family. He didn’t think anyone would understand why he felt guilty.

After all, the family felt they had done plenty for Tilda. They gave her a comfortable life, never stopped looking for her, brought her home, and treated her as their real daughter. What more could she possibly want?

Wade used to think that, too. He sided with Kyla, treated Tilda unfairly, and bullied her. He considered Tilda a beggar who cheated them out of their money. He didn’t care about Tilda.

If Tilda had been just an ordinary girl, without all those hidden identities, Wade would never have looked at her twice. And that’s not how a brother should treat a sister who went missing for 19 years and really needed her family.

“Yeah, we have been too cruel to her,” Dominic admitted quietly.

Dominic realized how badly they’d messed up. They were impressed by Tilda’s talents and the things that made her special. They never really saw her as their little sister.

Tilda gave up everything. She hid her identity and came home with nothing but a clean slate. Deep down, she must have hoped that they would welcome her as family. They would cherish her, protect her, and love her as their own.

But instead…