Chapter 231 Douglas's Perspective: The Road to Love (2)

Even though their chats were pretty surface-level, Douglas thought he might have a shot at getting closer to Regina.

But he wasn't thinking about romance.

He figured just being able to show up in front of her without any pretense would be enough.

Then, out of nowhere, Regina had a drowning accident in her junior year that totally threw a wrench in his plans.

She was underwater too long, and it messed with her brain, causing her to lose her memory.

She didn't remember him at all.

Her social media went dark, and her phone number was disconnected.

She got a new account, a new number, and just forgot about him.

It was like starting from scratch.

In her senior year, right before graduation, it looked like she had a falling out with Philip.

Miranda's posts made it clear Regina was pretty down.

During that time, Douglas started hanging around Normon University more often.

Although it was a long flight from Oriant City to Normon City, he was happy to make the journey and kept going back and forth.

But just watching her from a distance wasn't doing much.

He wanted to make her happier.

So, he brainstormed some ideas.

What could he do?

By then, Douglas had been doing voice acting for over a year.

He'd even done a radio drama.

When the radio drama aired, it blew up, and Miranda, a new fan, kept talking about Dougal in her posts.

In one of Miranda's posts about "Dougal," Regina was mentioned too.

Miranda wrote, "Been listening to Dougal's radio drama with Regina, it's amazing! Regina's listened to it three times!"

After finding this out, Douglas went on to voice three more radio dramas.

One of them was "Loving You for a Long Time," which Regina listened to during her sleepless nights.

Her senior year was rough.

First, things with Philip were rocky, then Tasha's health took a nosedive, landing her in a coma and the hospital, almost dying. Then, an internship at the State Department got messed up by Melissa and Sandra.

Regina's health started to go downhill; she couldn't sleep, lost her appetite, and dropped nearly ten pounds in a month.

Dougal's voice was what got her through it.

After Regina married Douglas, she often thought his voice sounded like Dougal's, but the possibility that they were one and the same seemed too fantastical to be true.

After graduation, Regina moved back to Oriant City from Normon City, and things with Philip started to get better.

Douglas saw all of this.

His quiet efforts to get closer began to fade away.

Philip was a regular at the Peace Club, and Douglas started going there too.

Douglas used to have a pretty set routine and didn't drink much, but he ended up getting drunk there a few times.

Even Charles and the others started to think that Douglas, who usually had it all together, was dealing with something he couldn't handle.

But every time Douglas got wasted, he'd act like nothing happened the next day, diving back into work like a machine.

He and Philip never really crossed paths.

Except for that one time, when he overheard Philip's buddies talking trash about Regina in the restroom.

He lost it and threw a punch, almost tearing the place apart.

His fist nearly connected with Philip, but he pulled back at the last second.

He didn't want to break her heart over Philip.

After that, Charles and the gang started to catch on that he had a thing for someone.

They were stunned. Especially Charles, who couldn't wrap his head around it.

He'd known Douglas forever and couldn't believe there was anything Douglas couldn't get.

Money, power, love—you name it.

Douglas seemed so high up that everyone thought he could have whatever he wanted.

Michael got curious and asked, "What kind of woman has you so hooked?"

What kind?

Douglas couldn't put it into words; he just knew that what he wanted was the best thing in the world.

Josh chimed in, "If you like her, go for it. How do you know it's impossible if you don't try?"

Try?

Douglas had felt that urge more than once.

This time, it was even stronger.

Charles sighed, "Yeah, if you don't try, how do you know it's impossible? You know Regina, right?"

Charles mentioning Regina made Douglas go silent.

Charles, not noticing, kept talking, "She's been with Philip the longest. I heard she came from a poor family, but now people are saying she's about to marry Philip? It's tough for an ordinary and dull girl to marry Philip, right? She made the impossible happen!"

'Regina was never ordinary or dull,' Douglas thought to himself, wondering if they were really getting married.

If they were, how could he mess with her happiness?

Douglas kept guessing, losing sleep over it.

Three days later, he saw Regina post a picture on her rarely used Twitter account.

It was a picture of two hands tightly intertwined.

The caption read: [He said he wants to get married!]

He thought, 'She must be happy right now.

'She could finally become Philip's bride.'

Regina started to have new hopes for her relationship with Philip.

Douglas thought he might have to keep his feelings hidden forever.

Time went by.

At a certain banquet, Douglas saw Regina again.

It was one of their rare "encounters."

That day, she was there as Philip's date.

Philip rarely brought Regina to such formal events.

She held his arm, smiling happily and gracefully; they looked perfect together.

At that moment, Douglas lost the nerve to face her again.

Charles and the guys were super anxious, always pushing him to go after her.

But she kept moving forward, following Philip without looking back.

The turning point came that night.

Philip left the banquet, probably ticked off by something William said, and headed straight to the Peace Club.

Regina, worried he'd drink too much, followed him.

Later, Douglas saw her come out of Philip's private room with red eyes.

She staggered towards the exit, looking lost and confused.

Then, Douglas saw Regina coming his way.

Every step she took felt like it was stomping on his heart.

When she bumped into his arms, Douglas felt like he was holding the whole world.

It was a stormy winter night.

Big raindrops pounded against the glass, making a loud noise.

He watched her beneath him, like a small boat tossed in the ocean.

Douglas couldn't remember how he walked out of the Seasons Hotel.

The images in his mind were fragmented and hard to piece together.

He sat in the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel so tight his fingers turned white. He slammed the gas pedal, and the silver sports car roared like a beast waking up.

The car sped down the empty night roads, the street scenes blurring into streaks of light.

In the rush, Douglas felt completely cut off from the world, with only one thought: escape.

But as his rationality returned, he realized the madness of what had just happened.

The clarity made him sweat, a chill following.

He was crazy.

He must be crazy.

He was damned.

After that, Douglas felt trapped in an endless nightmare, the scenes of that night replaying in his mind.

The memories were like a sharp knife, tormenting him, each cut causing immense pain.

Douglas didn't know how to find a way out of this mess.

He didn't know how he could still cling to the hope of a happy ending after what he'd done.

He thought about confessing.

But during those days, Tasha's condition worsened again.

Regina was busy running between work and the hospital, like a spinning top.

If he brought it up now, it would surely break her.

Douglas anxiously held back for a few more days.

Until one day, the manager of the Oriant City blind date club called.

Later, they got married, and he never expected it to go so smoothly.

After marriage, Douglas always carried the heavy burden of guilt, the experience at the Seasons Hotel like a ticking time bomb inside him, ready to explode at any moment.

When Philip first confronted him, he appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he was shattered.

And when Philip finally revealed the truth to her, Douglas felt a sense of relief.

Finally, the truth was out.

Finally, she knew everything.

Because of this, they were like strangers, barely seeing or talking to each other.

Douglas felt like he was on death row, completely despondent.

He never thought she'd forgive him one day.

After all the ups and downs, their bond grew stronger.

Lily and Matt's arrival brought new hope into their lives.

Douglas thought they could live happily ever after, but fate had other plans for Regina.

Regina was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

At first, she hid her illness, afraid Douglas would notice.

But when he found out, she pretended to be okay, forcing a smile.

However, her physical changes became more and more obvious.

Her headaches got worse, her body weakened, and she started forgetting things.

One time, during an episode, she ran out alone in the middle of the night.

She stood dazed on a busy street.

For a moment, she truly lost her memory.

She didn't remember who she was or why she was there.

Douglas chased after her.

Regina was soaking wet, dirty, and had somehow lost one of her shoes.

It was the most helpless and miserable moment of her life.

Regina looked at the anxious, red-eyed, and sweaty Douglas in front of her, and her empty eyes gradually focused.

"I'm sorry," she cried in panic, like a clueless child, "I don't know why I ran out, or why I'm standing here."

"I'm so scared, I'm so scared of forgetting you, forgetting our children."

She cried harder and harder, eventually sobbing uncontrollably.

Douglas had never seen her so broken.

His heart ached, but he said nothing, just quietly held her waist and hugged her tightly.

This warm embrace gave her enough sense of security.

On the way home, seeing her still gloomy, Douglas bought her favorite cheesecake and a bouquet of fresh flowers from a flower shop.

"Mrs. Semona, let's leave today's unhappiness behind."

He told her, "It's okay, I'll always be with you. You can forget me, but you'll never be lost from my world. This won't happen again."

Regina's tense emotions finally eased, and she gave him a knowing smile.

As the surgery date approached, the family grew more anxious.

Seeing their worry, he calmly said, "It will be okay."

He had prepared for the best and the worst.

He thought, 'It will be okay.

'As long as she could live well, it doesn't matter if she forgets me again.

'Even if she passes away before me one day, I would fulfill my duties, raising Matt and Lily to adulthood, and then go find her without any regrets.'

But Regina was brave and determined, enduring all the hardships. Even in her worst days, her love for him remained unwavering.

She would always look at him, like a broken record, repeatedly saying, "This is my dearest Mr. Semona, my most beloved husband. I will love him well for the rest of my life."

He would always respond passionately, "I love you too, Mrs. Semona."