The Heiress Returns: Too Late For Your Regret

The freezing water of the pool rushed into Adela's nose and throat.

Her lungs burned.

The violent lack of oxygen tore through her brain, shattering the lingering hallucination of the high-end psychiatric ward where she had just died.

She snapped her eyes open, her mind plunging into absolute chaos. The twisted, rippling blue light above her made no sense. Was this a hallucination? The afterlife? The agonizing sting of the lethal injection still ghosted through her veins, but it was quickly being replaced by a different kind of physical panic. The sharp, chemical bite of stinging chlorine flooded her senses, forcing her to recognize her surroundings. This wasn't the sterile white ceiling of the asylum. This was the infinity pool at the Hamptons estate. The sheer impossibility of it crashed over her-she wasn't dead. She had returned to three years ago.

The stinging chlorine confirmed this was not a nightmare from hell.

Instinct took over. She thrashed her arms, kicking her legs to break the surface for a single breath of air.

Through the murky, churning water, she saw her second brother, Preston, dive into the pool.

He did not swim toward her.

Preston kicked hard, swimming in the exact opposite direction.

Adela's stomach dropped.

The familiar, sickening weight of his blatant favoritism hit her harder than the freezing water.

Preston reached Kalyn, who was merely splashing the surface and pretending to choke, and lifted her securely into his arms.

He did not spare a single glance backward at Adela, who was actually sinking.

That absolute, chilling disregard acted like a physical switch in Adela's brain.

She stopped struggling for his attention.

On the pool deck, her fourth brother, Brock, paced frantically, screaming Kalyn's name.

Brock grabbed a life ring and hurled it.

It landed with a heavy splash right next to Adela's head.

"Kalyn! Swim to the ring! Grab it!" Brock yelled, his eyes completely bypassing Adela.

Adela swallowed the burning sensation expanding in her chest.

She closed her eyes for a split second, shutting out the last pathetic shred of hope she ever had for this toxic family.

She turned her body away from them.

Kicking her legs, she swam alone toward the metal ladder at the deep end of the pool.

The icy water stripped away the weak, people-pleasing girl who had died in her past life.

Her numb fingers gripped the cold metal rails.

She pulled herself up.

Her expensive haute couture dress was soaked. It weighed fifty pounds, dragging her backward like a heavy chain.

She bit down on her lower lip until she tasted copper.

The sharp pain forced her muscles to work, and she dragged her heavy body out of the water.

Adela collapsed onto the freezing ceramic tiles.

She rolled onto her side and vomited the pool water she had swallowed.

Behind her, Preston broke the surface of the water, carrying Kalyn in his arms.

Brock immediately rushed forward with a thick cashmere towel, wrapping it tightly around Kalyn's shoulders.

The two tall men hovered over Kalyn, who had barely swallowed a drop of water, asking if she was hurt.

Kalyn leaned into Preston's wet chest, shivering violently and pretending to be terrified.

From beneath the edge of the towel, Kalyn shot a mocking, triumphant look directly at Adela on the floor.

Preston finally finished comforting Kalyn and turned his head.

He looked at Adela's pathetic, soaking wet figure on the tiles.

His eyebrows pulled together in a deep frown, and he opened his mouth, ready to launch into his usual harsh lecture.

Adela did not cry.

She did not explain herself, and she did not scream about how unfair they were being, like she would have in her past life.

She pushed herself off the ground, her face completely blank.

She walked straight past the three of them, leaving the men staring after her in absolute shock.

Adela stood in front of the defogged mirror in her en-suite bathroom.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattering as the residual chill of the pool water seeped deep into her bones. Her lips were tinted a sickly shade of pale blue, and every breath she took felt like inhaling crushed glass.

She stared at her sixteen-year-old face.

There were no scars on her cheeks.

She rubbed a towel aggressively over her wet hair, confirming the physical reality that she had returned to three years ago.

A massive force slammed into the heavy mahogany door of her bedroom.

The door flew open and hit the wall with a loud bang.

Preston marched into the room, bringing a wave of cold air and raw anger with him.

Brock stood right behind him in the doorway, supporting Kalyn, who was still wrapped in the blanket.

Preston pointed a rigid finger directly at Adela's face.

"Why the hell did you lose your mind and push Kalyn into the water?" he demanded.

Adela tossed her damp towel over the back of a chair.

She suppressed a violent shiver, forcing her freezing muscles to lock into place. She looked at him with eyes that held zero emotion.

Preston flinched slightly.

The dead, stranger-like look in her eyes stung his ego, making his voice rise an octave higher.

He started his usual gaslighting routine, lecturing Adela about how she was born jealous and malicious.

Brock chimed in from the door.

"This family gave you everything, and you are completely ungrateful," Brock sneered.

Kalyn reached out from under her blanket and tugged gently on Brock's sleeve.

"Please don't be mad at her," Kalyn said, her voice shaking with fake tears. "My sister just slipped. She didn't push me on purpose."

Hearing Kalyn's pathetic defense only solidified Preston's belief that Adela was a monster.

"Walk over to that door right now and bow your head to apologize to Kalyn," Preston ordered.

Adela turned her back to him.

She walked to her vanity, picked up a jar of moisturizer, and slowly began rubbing the cream into her hands.

Her shoulders were relaxed.

There was no panic, no trembling, none of the fear she used to show.

Preston's jaw clenched. He took three large steps forward, reaching out to snatch the glass jar from her hands.

Before his fingers could graze her skin, Adela placed the jar firmly onto the wooden table.

She turned around and looked straight into Preston's aggressive eyes.

Her voice was flat and steady, cutting right through his loud lecture.

"Yes. I pushed her," Adela said clearly. "Because I hate looking at her."

The words acted like a mute button.

The entire room fell into a dead silence.

The fake tears Kalyn had prepared stopped right in her eyes, making her face look ridiculous.

Preston choked on the rest of his psychological abuse.

The words died in his throat.

He felt a massive wave of frustration, like he had just thrown his hardest punch into a brick wall.

Brock turned red. He pointed at Adela.

"You are completely sick in the head!" Brock yelled.

Adela raised her hand and pointed at the open doorway.

"Since I am guilty, I need to rest," she said. "Get out of my room."

The veins on Preston's forehead bulged against his skin.

He opened his mouth, but he could not find a single angle to attack her from.

Adela walked right up to them, grabbed the heavy door, and slammed it shut in their faces.

She turned the deadbolt with a loud click.

Adela dragged a massive Louis Vuitton trunk out from the back of her walk-in closet.

Her fingers were stiff and numb, trembling slightly as she gripped the leather handles. A cold sweat had begun to form on the back of her neck, mixing with her damp hair, but she forcefully pushed the rising fever down.

She pulled open her velvet jewelry drawer.

She grabbed the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace Preston gave her last year and tossed it into the trunk.

Her face remained blank as she picked up the limited-edition Hermes bracelet from Brock and threw it in.

Every single piece of jewelry, every gift she used to treat like a sacred piece of their love, was now being packed away like garbage.

She zipped the heavy trunk shut.

Without looking back, she grabbed the handle and dragged the heavy luggage out of her room.

Downstairs, the luxurious banquet hall was filled with the sound of a string quartet.

The elite socialites of the Hamptons stood in small groups, holding crystal champagne flutes.

Kalyn stood in the absolute center of the room.

She was wearing a custom Chanel haute couture gown that had originally been tailored for Adela.

Preston stood next to Kalyn, holding a drink, showing off the perfect image of the Franks family to the guests.

Adela appeared at the top of the spiral staircase, dragging the trunk behind her.

The heavy wheels hit the solid wood steps with loud, dull thuds.

The noise caught the attention of everyone in the room.

The conversations died down, and the musicians awkwardly stopped playing.

Adela walked down the stairs wearing a plain black turtleneck sweater and faded jeans.

Her cheap, casual clothes violently clashed with the expensive gowns and tuxedos surrounding her.

Preston saw her outfit, and his face instantly darkened.

He marched up to her, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper.

"Do not embarrass this family in front of these people," Preston warned.

Adela ignored him completely.

She walked right past him and headed straight for Kalyn.

Kalyn took a step backward, pretending to be terrified of Adela.

The wealthy guests started whispering, their eyes darting between the real and fake daughters.

Adela stopped in front of Kalyn and shoved the massive trunk forward.

The heavy luggage hit Kalyn's shins, forcing her to stop backing away.

Kalyn looked down at the trunk, her eyes wide.

"Sister, what is this?" Kalyn asked softly.

Adela looked around at the guests who were leaning in to listen.

She raised her voice so the entire room could hear.

"This is my apology gift for scaring you at the pool this afternoon," Adela announced clearly.

Preston let out a cold laugh.

"Do you think throwing some random junk at her makes up for what you did?" he sneered.

Adela did not argue.

She bent down and grabbed the zipper of the trunk, pulling it open.

The lid popped up.

The crystal chandeliers reflected off the diamonds, the haute couture jewelry, and the limited-edition bags packed inside.

The wealthy women in the crowd immediately recognized the priceless, discontinued items and gasped out loud.

Preston stared into the trunk.

His pupils shrank.

He recognized every single item. It was everything he and his brothers had given Adela over the last three years.