My Ex Husband's Greatest Regret

Chapter 4

Caroline's pov

I dressed with trembling hands, choosing the only simple but elegant black dress that remained intact in my closet. I suspected Cerene had shredded the others...her jasmine perfume still lingered faintly in the air.

She couldn't even try to cover her tracks.

I called for the driver Peter occasionally allowed me to use and left the house, my heart heavy with the weight of betrayal. The city lights blurred past as the car moved through the evening streets. I stared out the window, replaying Peter’s cruel words.

I tucked the baby's death certificate closely, tucked in my purse. If I had to make an entrance, had to give them a gift as well....

Suddenly, the driver slowed down. “Ma’am, there’s a car ahead. It looks like an accident. Should we stop?”

I leaned forward, my instincts kicking in. “Yes, stop the car. We have to check.”

The scene was devastating. A black vehicle had veered off the road.

The driver, a middle-aged man, was slumped unconscious over the steering wheel, his head badly impacted from the crash.

My stomach twisted, but my eyes quickly found the passenger...an elderly woman in her seventies, frail and struggling for breath in the backseat, blood trickling from a head wound. She was fighting for her life, gasping weakly.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, rushing to her side without hesitation. “Hold on, ma’am. I’m here. Help is coming.” I shouted for my driver to call emergency services immediately, then carefully supported the woman’s head, trying to stem the bleeding with whatever cloth I could find. “Stay with me. Please don’t leave me too. I’ve already lost too much today.”

The old woman’s eyes fluttered but didn’t open fully. I quickly checked her purse for any identification or emergency contacts....anything to reach her loved ones. There was nothing. No phone with obvious family numbers, no notes. Only a small tag with a name: *Mrs. Margaret Harrington*.

“I have no idea who you are,” I murmured softly, my voice filled with compassion, “but I won’t leave you here like this. You’re coming with me.”

My driver and I carefully moved her and the injured driver into our car once the immediate dangers were secured, and we sped toward the nearest hospital, sirens from the approaching ambulance growing louder behind us.

At the hospital, I stayed by Mrs. Harrington’s side as the medical team worked urgently. I waited anxiously in the corridor.

I didn’t care about the birthday party or Peter’s endless calls. I knew he only wanted to humiliate me if I showed up.

Just as I prepared to leave, assuring myself the woman was in good hands, a nurse approached. “She’s awake and asking specifically for you, ma’am. She won’t speak to anyone else.”

I entered the private room, surprised to find the elderly woman alert, her eyes sharp despite her frailty. Mrs. Margaret Harrington reached out a weak hand.

“You… you saved me,” Margaret whispered, her voice frail but filled with gratitude. “My driver… he didn’t make it. But you stopped. You helped an old stranger. I have no children. My husband passed years ago. There’s no one left. Let me thank you properly.”

I shook my head, tears welling up. “I don’t need anything, Mrs. Harrington. I just did what anyone should have done. Please rest and recover.”

But Margaret was insistent, her plea genuine and powerful. “I have a vast empire… properties, businesses, investments. A fortress built over decades. It will all go to waste without someone worthy. You have a good heart, child. I see it in your eyes, even through your pain. Accept it. Own it.”

After much back and forth, seeing the woman’s sincere desperation and kindness, I finally accepted.

That same evening, in the hospital room with lawyers present, people she called after I agreed to her offer.

Margaret legally transferred everything to me.

The weight of it was almost dizzying.

Before I could fully process it, Margaret slipped a rare gold bracelet onto my wrist.

It was custom-made, gleaming with intricate designs reserved only for the Harrington name.

“Is that the famous Harrington symbol? I hear there is only one in the world.“ I Stammered.

“This belongs to you now. Wear it with pride. It opens doors and commands respect.”

“No it's too much, I honestly don't deserve it.“ I said , I didn't feel I needed anything. infact, I didn't want any wealth or luxury, I had faced so much pain lately.

“You are like my daughter now, please I insist. look at me, an old woman who may die lonely any second. At least make me happy by staying by my side and let me shower you with everything I have.“ She said stubbonly, I knew there was no way of convincing her otherwise.

I stayed with Mrs Harrington sitting by her bed and sharing a quiet conversation.

She listened intently as I, overwhelmed, opened up about my pathetic little life and how it had been overshadowed by loss, neglect, and humiliation.

Tears flowed as I described Peter’s cruelty, Cerene’s place in our lives, the baby I had buried alone.

Margaret’s eyes hardened with wisdom. “Never let your enemies win, my dear. Especially not a husband who misbehaves so terribly. Show him your true power. Crush him if you must. You are no longer the woman he can push aside. You are Caroline Harrington now… in wealth, in strength, and in spirit. Use it. The only way to defeat a powerful man is with more power than he has.”

I held back my tears, I had no idea my life would come to such a twist.

Just hours ago, I was watching my husband walk out with my sister and now I had the means to fight back.

“The only thing more powerful than the Lockwood name is the Harrington name.”

A deep, husky voice echoed from the doorway.

I gasped as I saw Alexander standing there in a sharp suit. He had found out everything I was going through and was clearly determined to stand by me.

His eyes went straight to Mrs. Harrington. Her eyes lit up instantly.

“There is my favorite doctor… Why don’t you escort my lovely daughter here to her birthday celebration…” Mrs. Harrington winked at Alexander.

I blinked several times, my jaw dropping in shock.

“Alex…” My cheeks blushed pink.

He crossed the room in long strides and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“We are getting late… Don’t you want your husband to choke on his own game?”