Love at First Sight? Mr. Harrison Has Been Scheming All Along-Chapter 203: "I Regret It.

In the moments after Leo Linden had suddenly brought up his "dad," Rory Linden had run through countless possibilities in her mind.

’Did one of the other kids at preschool say something?’

’Was it because he saw Sean Harrison the other day? Did that suddenly give him the idea?’

’And so on...’

But she never, ever would have expected this to be the reason.

"Who told you that Mommy has a hard life?"

Rory Linden patted the pillow, signaling for her son to lie down.

"I saw it myself. A few times when I woke up, I saw you sleeping on the floor..."

Leo Linden’s description wasn’t entirely accurate.

A few times, Rory Linden had been so exhausted that she had dozed off on the sofa. She had only intended to rest for a moment before finishing the housework, but when she opened her eyes again, the sun was already up.

He added, "If you were with Dad, you wouldn’t have to go to work, right? You could just play every day!"

Rory Linden didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

A child’s world is simple; the happiest thing they can imagine is "getting to play every day."

Lying on the pillow, Leo Linden looked at Rory Linden, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Rory Linden pulled the blanket up over her son’s belly, gently patting him to lull him to sleep.

"Mommy’s work is a little tiring, but Mommy loves it. Many patients who are gravely ill get healthy again after Mommy helps with their surgeries, and then they can be with their families and friends."

"Mommy studied so hard precisely so that one day, she could become a very good surgeon."

"Mommy doesn’t feel like it’s a hardship. Mommy just feels like I don’t get to spend enough time with you, and I’m sorry for that."

...

Leo had fallen asleep at some point, his little hand gently clutching the collar of Rory’s shirt.

It was a habit he’d had since he was little.

Rory Linden gently pulled her collar free, bent down to kiss her son’s chubby little face, and then tiptoed away.

-

On Saturday, Ryan Sterling contacted her and came to her house, bringing the nanny he had recommended.

The nanny’s surname was Wagner. She was forty-four years old and had worked for the Sterling Family for nearly twenty years.

She had left for a few years when her daughter started high school, but she returned last year after her daughter went off to college.

Because the Sterling Family had hired a new nanny, her only job was to come and clean for Ryan Sterling every day. The hours weren’t long, so naturally, the pay wasn’t high.

She was more than willing to work at Rory Linden’s home, as it meant extra income and a place to live.

After settling on the terms, Rory Linden asked Sherry Walsh to help draft a contract remotely.

They printed it out in duplicate, and both parties kept a copy.

Since Rory Linden had just started at the hospital and hadn’t taken on her own patients yet, she didn’t need to do rounds on the weekend and had the whole weekend off.

That Sunday, Auntie Wagner brought her things and officially moved in.

She even made lunch and dinner.

And Leo quite liked her cooking, too.

Because of this, Rory Linden made a point to text Ryan Sterling and thank him.

-

On Monday, Rory Linden spent the whole day in the outpatient clinic and admitted several patients, so she got off work a little later than usual.

She contacted Auntie Wagner via WeChat, and only felt relieved after confirming that she had brought Leo Linden home safely.

Once all her work was done, Rory Linden packed up and left the hospital.

Just as she walked out of the inpatient department, she saw a man standing under a streetlight.

It was evening, and the sky had not yet fully darkened; a final glow of dusk lingered in the sapphire-blue expanse.

It was only early June, but it already felt like the height of summer, with daytime temperatures reaching twenty-seven or twenty-eight degrees.

The man wore a long-sleeved shirt and dress pants, his ink-black suit jacket draped over one arm.

The public hospital was bustling with people coming and going, yet he stood there, inevitably drawing the gazes of passersby.

Rory Linden only glanced once before turning to leave.

"Rory Linden." Sean Harrison came after her. "Just getting off work?"

"..."

Rory Linden acted as if she hadn’t heard.

Because the affiliated hospital was old, the underground parking garage had been built later. The elevators in the inpatient department didn’t go down to it directly; you had to take a side passageway.

She walked in front, and Sean Harrison followed behind.

It wasn’t until she reached her car that Rory Linden finally lost her patience. "President Harrison, could I trouble you to stop following me?"

"I’m sorry. I know you must feel..."

"President Harrison, I don’t. I don’t resent you, I don’t blame you, and I hold no negative feelings toward you whatsoever."

Rory Linden could guess what Sean Harrison was about to say.

She cut him off, making her feelings clear.

’It wasn’t that she’d never felt that way, of course. She just... had let it all go.’

’In those first few years, life had been so hard that just staying afloat had taken every ounce of her energy.’

’If she had also spent that time blaming and resenting someone else, the pain would have been even worse.’

"But I do. I have so many regrets," Sean Harrison said bluntly.

’In truth, he had regretted it long ago. He felt he should have been honest.’

’But then he would convince himself that his actions hadn’t been wrong.’

’Rory Linden would never have minded his illness, and he couldn’t take advantage of her kindness.’

’He had always been torn.’

’But when he found out that Rory Linden had their child, all those problems seemed to simply melt away.’

’The very things he had agonized and hesitated over...’

"Then you can take your time regretting it."

Rory Linden walked to the side of her car but didn’t rush to get in.

She knew she had to make things clear with Sean Harrison, or this entanglement would be endless.

"Rory Linden, back then, I really didn’t expect you to get pregnant. And given my situation, it’s true that at the time, I really didn’t want you to..."

Sean Harrison wanted to explain things clearly to Rory Linden.

’He felt that, at this point, he should tell her the reason.’

’That was the only way things might have a chance of turning around.’

"President Harrison." Rory Linden said seriously, "Perhaps you don’t understand me. The truth is, from the very beginning, I knew you must have had your reasons. You just weren’t willing to tell me."

"..."

"I believe your feelings for me back then were real and that you broke up with me only because you had no other choice. I know there wasn’t some clichéd drama involving a third party."

"..."

"Before I left, I really did want to know the reason, but now, I’ve completely let it go." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Rory Linden told him earnestly.

She said, "I don’t want to see you again. I don’t want to be entangled with you any longer. And my son doesn’t *need* a father. Let’s just leave it at that."

Rory Linden walked around the car, opened the door, and prepared to get in.

Sean Harrison strode over in a few steps and pressed his hand down on the car door.

He pushed the door she had just opened shut again.

"President Harrison, is there something I haven’t made clear?"

Rory Linden wasn’t angry.

’She was keenly aware of the power disparity between them.’

’She was in no position to provoke him.’

Sean Harrison lowered his gaze to her. "You’re so busy with work," he began. "You probably don’t have much time to spend with your son."

"...I make as much time as I can."

Rory Linden thought Sean Harrison was about to criticize her.

’She was about to ask him what right a father who had vanished for years had to criticize her.’

The next second, Sean Harrison spoke:

"Someone needs to be with the child, and you’re so busy." He looked at her. "Don’t worry. I’m free. I have all the time in the world to spend with him."

"Huh?!"

Rory Linden thought she must have misheard.