CEO's Regret After I Divorced

Chapter 389 EPILOGUE PART2

Author’s POV

"Mommy!" Rancy threw herself into Serena’s arms first, her voice filled with grievance and unease. "You had so much blood yesterday, I was so scared."

Serena knelt down at once, hugging her daughter tightly, tears threatening to fall again. Now that her memories had returned, that word "Mommy" sounded different than before. This wasn’t just a child she’d taken care of for over two years—this was the little life she’d carried for ten months, the one she’d looked forward to so much before she lost her memory, the continuation of her and Ryan’s love.

She kissed Rancy’s forehead, her voice soft enough to melt.

"I’m sorry I scared you, baby. Mommy won’t do it again."

Rancy nodded, then turned to look at Ryan in the bed. The little girl clearly didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she knew this uncle had protected her mommy last night. Her gaze toward him was no longer just innocent unfamiliarity; instead, there was a hint of the natural sensitivity and longing that children have.

Ryan held out his hand. The usually calm man’s fingers were trembling slightly.

"Rancy," he called her name softly, as if he’d practiced it a thousand times in his heart, "come here."

The little girl blinked, looked at Serena first, as if asking for permission.

Serena’s nose tightened, and she gently stroked Rancy’s hair. "Go on, baby."

Rancy slowly walked over, stood by the bed, and tilted her head to look at Ryan. "Are you hurt?"

Ryan’s throat felt suddenly blocked. After two seconds, he let out a low "Hmm."

"Does it hurt?" she asked seriously.

Ryan looked into her eyes—eyes that were identical to his own—and the long-dormant part of his heart was finally filled with a hot, unfamiliar emotion. He’d imagined this moment countless times: if he ever confirmed that this child was his daughter, how would he react? Excitement, shock, joy, or anger at missing the first two years of her life?

But in this moment, all those complex emotions melted into the simplest, softest one—tenderness.

"A little," he said quietly. "But it’s better now."

Rancy thought for a moment, held up the rabbit in her hand, and held it out to him seriously. "Then you hold Hoppy. Hoppy makes people brave."

The room fell silent for a moment. Then, even Ethan, who was always the most restrained, had to look away to hide the wetness in his eyes.

Ryan looked at the plush rabbit, and a small smile slowly spread across his lips, while his eyes quietly reddened. He reached out to take it, his voice low. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome," the little girl said in her soft voice, then added seriously, "You protected Mommy yesterday, so you’re a good guy."

When those words fell, Serena finally couldn’t hold back any longer, and tears streamed down her face.

Ryan looked at her, his eyes filled with the same surging emotion. Neither of them spoke, but in that moment, words were the most powerless thing. Fate had made them take such a long detour—losing each other, hurting each other, making up for it—but in the end, they’d slowly found their way back to each other and their family.

Vivian stood beside them, looked at Ryan, then at Rancy, and suddenly seemed to realize something. She opened her eyes wide and asked, "Then... is Rancy going to be my little sister too?"

The atmosphere in the room had been filled with sadness and warmth, but her straightforward, childlike question made even Zoe laugh.

Ryan waved Vivian over.

The little girl rushed over at once, carefully avoiding his injury, and leaned on the bed to look at him.

Ryan reached out to stroke her head, his eyes softening.

"She’s always been your little sister," he said.

Vivian froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up with joy. She turned to hug Rancy. "I knew it! I knew we were special friends!"

Rancy didn’t fully understand what "little sister" meant, but she clearly liked Vivian. She giggled and hugged her back at once. The two little girls hugged by the bed, laughing without a care in the world—like the brightest ray of spring light, chasing away all the remaining pain in the room.

A few days later, Cedric’s trial officially began.

With irrefutable evidence, the trial proceeded quickly. Deliberately staging the car accident three years ago, forging identity documents, tampering with medical records, bribing testing personnel, and this time, the intentional rear-end collision that was clearly attempted murder—each charge was enough to ensure he would never have a chance to turn things around.

On the day of the verdict, Serena didn’t go to the courtroom.

She sat in the waiting area outside the hospital room, holding a cup of cold water, her expression calmer than ever. She’d thought she would hate him, be angry, want to ask Cedric face-to-face why he’d turned love into something so twisted and terrifying. But when everything finally settled, all she felt was a tired, clear sense of relief.

Some people are obsessed with possession, and in the end, they are destroyed by the obsession they themselves nurtured.

Cedric hadn’t lost to Ryan, or to the Quinn family.

He’d lost to himself.

And she didn’t want this name to occupy any more of her life.

When the court’s decision came, Ryan was in the room with the two children, putting together a puzzle. Ethan pushed the door open, briefly explained the verdict, and the room fell silent for a few seconds. Then Ryan just nodded faintly, saying nothing more.

Serena, however, stood quietly for a moment, then walked to the window, looked at the bright, almost dazzling clear sky outside, and let out a long breath.

The heavy weight that had been pressing on her for three years was finally lifted.

On the day Ryan was discharged from the hospital, the entire Quinn family came.

The sun was warm at the hospital gate, and the wind was gentle. Liam and Hazel stood at the front of the crowd. They’d been reminding each other all the way, "Don’t cry, don’t scare the kids," but when they really saw Serena walking toward them with Rancy in her hand, Hazel was the first to tear up.

"Mom..." Serena’s voice caught as she spoke.

In the next second, Hazel pulled her tightly into her arms, tears soaking her shoulders at once. "Welcome home, welcome home..." she repeated over and over, as if no other words could hold the pain and joy of the past three years.

Liam stood beside them, his eyes also red, but he still reached out to stroke his daughter’s head, trying to maintain the last bit of dignity as the head of the family. "No one will ever take you away from home again."

Serena closed her eyes, tears falling silently.

This was her real home.