Chapter 204 Peeked at Her Secret
Regina squeezed her eyes shut, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. A tear slipped out, soaking into Douglas's shirt.
She kept apologizing silently in her mind. She felt like she was letting him down.
Days had gone by, and Regina still couldn't bring herself to think about what would happen when he found out the truth.
Regina and Douglas had been at Semona Estate for a week now.
At first, Douglas worried Regina might find Semona Estate too crowded and noisy. Just having Nancy and Nicole around was enough to make his ears ring.
But to his surprise, Regina, usually so reserved, actually enjoyed the noisy, lively atmosphere.
Regina wasn't born cold-hearted; her tough childhood had forced her to put on a cold front to protect herself.
No one knew who said what to Nancy, but she came running to Douglas, grabbing his pant leg and asking in her sweet, childlike voice, "Uncle, when do I get your gift?"
Douglas raised an eyebrow at her. "What gift?"
"Wedding favors, Douglas," Nicole quickly chimed in from the side.
"Yeah, Douglas, when do we get your wedding favors?" Taking Nancy's cue, everyone started to gang up on Douglas.
"You're married, the baby is almost here, and you haven't had a wedding yet!"
"That's a bit against the rules. Grandpa, who values traditions so much, frowns whenever he talks about it, feeling that Regina is being wronged. He was grumbling about it behind your back again this morning."
"Besides, a romantic wedding is every woman's dream! Douglas, don't keep Regina waiting."
Regina didn't expect everyone to bring up this topic all of a sudden.
She thought everyone was blaming Douglas, so she quickly explained for him, "We both decided not to have a wedding at first. Now, it's because I'm pregnant, and it's not very convenient..."
Before Regina could finish, Douglas wrapped his arm around her waist and asked, "Regina, how about next summer?"
Regina's due date was in March, so having the wedding in the summer seemed quite appropriate to everyone.
Mainly because Regina was in great shape during her pregnancy. Her skin was as smooth, and except for her big belly, her limbs were still slender and well-proportioned.
With such an appearance, she would surely amaze everyone as a bride. But Regina was thinking, 'Next summer? I might not be able to wait that long.'
Regina looked up and met Douglas's eyes. He looked at her with a gaze that seemed to sparkle like stars, and in that instant, Regina's heart was captivated. Yet, she steeled herself, striving to regain her composure.
She said, "Next summer won't work."
"Then when do you want it?" Anytime was fine with him.
Although Douglas rarely mentioned the wedding in front of Regina, he had been planning it all along. The wedding location had been changed several times, and there were more than a dozen versions of the wedding site design. He had been meticulously checking every detail of the wedding.
But just when he was eagerly waiting for an answer, he heard Regina calmly say, "I don't want a wedding anymore, is that okay?"
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but enough for everyone to hear.
Instantly, the previously noisy vibe became eerily silent, and everyone stared at Regina in confusion.
Not wanting a wedding sounded pretty unbelievable. After all, their relationship was rock solid.
Douglas just raised his hand, touched her face gently, and asked, "Can you tell me why you don't want a wedding?"
Regina's lips moved, but she couldn't come up with a good excuse right away.
Douglas didn't push her. He just said, "No rush. Take your time to think of a reason."
Even though he had poured his heart into planning this wedding, if Regina didn't want it, he wouldn't force her. He just needed a reason that made sense.
Hearing his words, Regina felt heartbroken.
The next day, Regina left Semona Estate with Douglas. They didn't go straight home but headed to the cemetery instead.
After a long, gloomy winter, a long-awaited ray of sunshine finally broke through.
Regina stood in front of the tombstone, looking at the black-and-white photo on it.
In the photo, Melissa was smiling brightly, different from how Regina remembered her.
In Regina's memory, Melissa always maintained a gentle and elegant demeanor. Even her smiles seemed like standard templates, not really from the heart.
Of course, Regina had hardly seen Melissa smile at her. More often, she was choking back tears, saying sorry.
Regina's belly was already big, and it was very difficult for her to bend down and place the bouquet of flower in front of the tombstone.
Douglas did all this for her.
Regina stood in front of the tombstone for a long time, saying a final brief goodbye to Melissa in her mind.
She had really needed Melissa and really resented her. But now, no matter what Melissa said or did, it wouldn't stir any emotions in her heart.
Until she heard that Melissa had cancer, and then the news of Melissa's death, Regina's calm heart was once again rippled.
Regina wondered if Melissa had any regrets facing death.
By the time they returned from the cemetery, it was already evening.
Regina felt a bit sleepy, so she went to the room to rest. She had no appetite and didn't even eat dinner. Douglas didn't force her to eat, just had the chef prepare food at all times so she could eat whenever she was hungry.
"Mr. Semona, aren't you eating either?" the servant asked as Douglas was heading to the study.
Douglas responded with a hum.
He had some urgent work to deal with. He sat in front of the computer for another hour.
Halfway through his work, he realized he couldn't find a document he usually needed. He instinctively walked out of the room and headed to the other study next door.
This villa had two studies, one of which was specifically prepared for Regina.
Regina had been reading in the study for the past few days, and Douglas would go there to accompany her whenever he had time.
Sometimes he would bring his computer, sometimes a few documents and materials. So the document he was looking for should be in the study Regina used.
Douglas searched the study but didn't find it immediately.
His eyes scanned the bookshelf, the desk, and finally landed on a drawer under the desk.
He pulled the drawer open. Inside, there was only a red hairband and a notebook.
The notebook had a soft leather cover, a tender green color, with a delicate lock, looking like a diary.
Douglas knew Regina had a habit of keeping a diary since she was a child. He had discreetly peeked at the secrets in her diary.
Douglas stared at the delicate notebook for a long time, then bent down and picked it up.
