Too Late to Regret: The Dead Wife Who Owns His Empire Now

Damien Hayes was a workaholic, and as an illegitimate son who had clawed his way to the top, he seemed to care about nothing but Hayes Realty.

For three years of marriage, Lydia Carter had always been waiting for him.

She waited during dates, waited on anniversaries, waited for prenatal checkups, and even waited for the surgical abortion.

What she finally received was a livestream of Damien throwing an extravagant birthday celebration for another woman.

Devastated, she was caught in a chain car accident, convincing Damien that she had died with the wreck.

Yet Lydia survived against all odds and unexpectedly became the sole heir of the world's richest man.

The moment she set foot back on her homeland, she swore she would make Damien taste a pain sharp enough to pierce the heart.

......

After the surgical abortion, Lydia insisted on being discharged despite repeated objections from the medical staff.

Suppressing the chills brought on by the fading anesthesia, she started the car and dialed Damien's number again and again.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

The mechanical female voice echoed from noon until dusk, and each time it played, Lydia's heart sank further.

She couldn't stop worrying that something had happened to Damien.

Three years into the marriage, she had finally become pregnant. She made it through the early stage without incident, only to be struck by the devastating news of fetal demise at the very moment she was filled with joy.

Damien appeared even more shattered than she was, yet he forced himself to hold it together and turned to comfort her.

"Lydia, let's have the abortion first. I don't want your body to suffer any more damage," he said.

Knowing she was terrified of sharp objects, he spoke gently, coaxing her with patience.

"I'll stay with you through the entire procedure. Don't worry. This time, I won't let you down."

Lydia stared at the hands tightly clasped by her husband, and her turbulent emotions finally settled, just a little.

But Damien broke his promise.

He had said that once he finished handling a difficult business negotiation that morning, he would rush straight to the private hospital.

Even when she had no choice but to lie on the operating table, Lydia was still anxiously asking the nurse, "Has my husband arrived? Did he call? Did he say where he is now?"

The nurse tried to soothe her emotions while making the final preparations before surgery.

"Mr. Hayes called. He said he'll be a bit late and asked that you proceed with the abortion first."

Lydia bit down on her lower lip, wanting to delay it just a little longer, but the solemn expressions on the doctors' faces left her unable to say another word.

Curled up as the anesthesia was administered, Lydia clenched her teeth, one hand wrapped tightly around the wedding ring on her ring finger.

Tears slid down uncontrollably, and under the effect of the drugs, her body soon began to tremble beyond her control.

Wave after wave of nausea surged through her. She struggled desperately to regain command over her body, but it was futile.

Just like these three years of marriage, she had tried with all her strength to keep up with Damien.

Yet it felt as though she was always chasing him, and never able to catch up.

The hand gripping the steering wheel was slender, its skin almost translucent, faint pink veins visible beneath. Her arm was far too thin.

Lydia remembered that in the three years after her marriage, she seemed to have been losing weight nonstop, thinning in a way she could neither explain nor control.

In the last power struggle within the Hayes family, Damien's late surge decided the outcome. As the defeated side, the other children of the late Gordon Hayes packed up and moved out in disgrace.

In the vast, hollow mansion, aside from Lydia, only the elderly butler, the driver, and the servants moved in and out each day.

She ate alone at a twelve-seat dining table. When she looked up, there was loneliness. When she looked down, there was silence.

Damien's business empire expanded by the day, and every time he came home, it was always in a rush.

On the rare days he stayed home, he spent them either reading in his study or attending video conferences.

Lydia would leave the door slightly ajar, watching her husband with careful restraint.

Not yet thirty, he had already become a celebrated rising star in the business world of the capital. People used to praise Hayes Realty for its vast foundation; now, they looked at Damien with open envy, because he alone held absolute control over Hayes Realty.

Nearly six-foot-two, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his bespoke suit fit him flawlessly. His long legs rested casually, crossed atop a desk.

Only Lydia knew how unforgettable the face partially hidden behind the screen truly was. Sharp brows, bright eyes, and a clean-lined jaw gave him an icy air whenever his expression fell still.

Back then, nineteen-year-old Lydia had fallen for him at first sight, a feeling that had never truly faded.

Even when their marriage lacked the intimacy it once had, Lydia kept reassuring herself that he was fiercely driven by ambition. Having taken control of the Hayes Group under such difficult circumstances, he had no choice but to work harder to secure his footing.

But as the days repeated themselves, Lydia could no longer remember the last time she and Damien had held hands while watching a movie together.

Her phone kept dialing the number over and over again. Lydia didn't even know when she had drifted off the navigation route and onto the ring expressway.

A call from her best friend, Chloe Bennett, suddenly broke through the screen.

Her voice was urgent. "Lydia, how dare Damien treat you like this?"

Stunned and confused, Lydia tapped into the livestream Chloe had shared.

On the screen, artificial snowflakes drifted down in thick flurries. Cheers and gasps filled the air, accompanied by a flowing organ melody in the background.

Her gaze was locked onto the two faces framed by the camera, while Chloe's furious voice continued ringing in her ears.

"I told you something was off the moment Damien hired a girl in her twenties as a housekeeper for no reason! Ava Quinn said she liked snow, and he actually went all out to create artificial snowfall just for her! Lydia, look closely. Is this man you've loved for all these years really worth you waiting for him every single day?

Today is Ava's birthday. Your husband is celebrating it for her, right in front of everyone. Ask him if he even remembers that you're the one who's supposed to be Mrs. Hayes."

Lydia's breathing grew rapid. There wasn't a single question her best friend had thrown at her that she could answer.

Her entire body felt cold. Tremors spread from her teeth through her limbs, and tears streamed down uncontrollably, blurring her vision.

When the out-of-control truck, headlights blazing, crossed the median from the opposite lane and barreled straight toward her, Lydia had no time to react.

For a single, fleeting moment-Lydia closed her eyes in despair. The hollow emptiness inside her kept expanding, and she even thought that dying like this might not be so bad.

But a deep, seething unwillingness surged violently through every vein in her body.

She couldn't understand how Damien could possibly fall for Ava.

That careless housekeeper would have been fired by Damien months ago if Lydia hadn't repeatedly spoken up for her.

Damien had a nagging sense that something was wrong.

Beneath the swirling snowfall, Ava's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly. She covered her mouth with both hands, too delighted to speak.

She had grown up in the south, petite in build. Her palm-sized face wasn't particularly striking, yet her features came together in a way that uncannily resembled a younger, still-innocent Lydia.

Like a little princess, she spun around in the snow, excitedly grabbing his hand before boldly slipping straight into his arms.

Damien instinctively wanted to push her away. He glanced around, but remembering that it was her birthday, he merely frowned and did nothing.

Those cameras didn't escape his notice, especially after his executive assistant, Miles Hart, had leaned in earlier and whispered, "Several accounts are already livestreaming."

Damien knew that Ava had grown increasingly spoiled and arrogant these past few months, but he was willing to indulge her.

Everything Ava was doing was meant for Lydia to see.

And even if she saw it, what could she possibly do?

Damien thought of the woman at home who always waited quietly for him, quickly forcing a smile the moment he looked her way, and his confidence hardened.

Even if Lydia saw it, she would cry and make a fuss at most. He could placate her with a few perfunctory words, and she would obediently continue being his quiet wife.

And if things had to be dragged into the open, he wasn't afraid either.

When he had been fighting his own brothers for control of Hayes Realty, the Carter family had simply gone along with the tide and married their daughter off to him.

Victor Carter had placed his bet on Damien, and over the past few years, he had made extensive use of Damien's resources to secure connections and projects for Carter Group.

Unfortunately, secrets never stay hidden forever.

On the day they returned from their honeymoon, Victor had drunk too much and, brimming with smug satisfaction, told Damien, "Lydia isn't my biological daughter at all. She was baggage my dead wife brought with her. I was generous enough to raise her, marry her off in style, and I didn't mistreat her in the slightest."

When Victor got drunk, his true colors spilled out. He muttered, "Who knows who her real father is? Probably some lowlife. After all, that dead wife of mine used to sell drinks for a living."

Damien never told Lydia.

Instead, he increasingly saw her as something pitiable. Once her background was exposed, there would be an unbridgeable gap of status between them.

Curled up in his arms, Ava's cheeks flushed red. She blinked innocently, her voice tinged with feigned grievance as she spoke.

"I really love the snow you made for me," she said softly. "But Damien, I wish I could bring Ronan to see it too. He'd be over the moon."

Damien's brow tightened unconsciously. His expression turned cold as he pulled her slightly away and lowered his voice in warning.

"Don't ever say things like that again."

Ava's eyes instantly reddened, but she didn't dare say another word.

She had no idea that what she had just said had struck one of Damien's untouchable nerves.

Ava had gotten pregnant at eighteen and delivered prematurely at seven and a half months. The child she shared with Damien was named Ronan Hayes.

Two years later, she became the housekeeper of the Hayes estate.

Damien had the child sent away to be raised in secret.

It wasn't that Ava didn't want to be with her child, but after weighing her options, she wanted even more to stay by Damien's side.

Watching Damien grow increasingly cold and indifferent toward Lydia, Ava became more convinced that she had made a brilliant move.

There had been no snow in Crownford this year.

When Damien asked her what she wanted as a gift, she casually said she wanted to see a snowfall.

She had imagined a sweet, intimate trip with him to the cold regions. What she got instead was an artificial snowstorm falling from the sky.

She nestled back into Damien's arms and coaxed him gently, "I really love this gift. Tonight... I've prepared a gift for you too."

The unique nightdress clung and concealed in all the right places. She was certain Damien would like it.

At that moment, Miles hurried over with a grave expression and whispered a few words into Damien's ear.

Damien's expression changed abruptly. "How is that possible? What was she doing on the ring expressway?"

Ava leaned in and saw the image on Miles's phone clearly.

A nine-vehicle pileup had occurred on the ring expressway. A truck from the opposite lane had smashed into the leading sports car, shattering it completely. The vehicle had already burned down to nothing but a charred frame.

Ava vaguely remembered that today was the day Lydia was supposed to undergo the abortion.

The hospital had called many times, and Damien had ordered every call to be turned away.

At the time, she had clung to him in tears, and he had softened his voice to comfort her. "I'm not going. The most important thing today is spending your birthday with you."

Now, Damien took several calls in quick succession, his expression growing more severe with each one.

He pushed past everyone, got into the car, and started the engine immediately.

Ava tried to chase after him, but Miles stopped her. His own expression looked grim as well.

"Mrs. Hayes... may be dead."

The scene was horrific beyond words. Police officers filled the area, lights flashing everywhere.

The police couldn't even tell what the vehicle had originally looked like from the wreckage.

Only a few personal belongings left inside allowed them to confirm that there had been a single fatality, the body completely carbonized by the flames.

Nothing remained intact.

Damien had imagined the ending between himself and Lydia countless times, but never like this.

Even rescue efforts had become meaningless.

He watched helplessly as the rescue workers carefully recovered what little they could that belonged to Lydia.

His body trembled uncontrollably as he belatedly pulled his phone from his coat pocket.

He mechanically returned the countless missed calls. There was no response.

An earlier number, however, went through.

It was the hospital. "Mr. Hayes? Your wife's surgical abortion went smoothly today, but she insisted on being discharged. We tried calling you many times, but you didn't answer..."

Damien gradually stopped hearing the voice on the other end. The hand gripping the phone only grew colder and colder.

He remembered how Lydia had carefully asked him the night before, and how he had readily promised to go to the hospital with her.

She had a severe fear of sharp objects. Even a simple injection would leave her ashen as if half her life had been drained away.

Damien didn't dare imagine how she must have faced those moments alone on the operating table.

He took a deep breath, straightened himself, and faced Ethan Reeves, an acquaintance who was walking toward him, the officer in charge of the accident.

"My condolences."

They shook hands. Ethan briefly explained what had happened, then, perhaps unsettled by Damien's expression, gave his shoulder an awkward pat before walking away.

Damien's other private phone kept vibrating.

Ava's number appeared on the screen again and again.

He didn't want to answer.

At that moment, all he wanted was a brief stretch of silence.

Memories rushed through his mind, carrying him back through the four brief years he had shared with Lydia. One year of dating, three years of marriage.

There had been sweetness once. Lydia's flawless face had been etched into his heart from the very first moment their eyes met.

Ava had only ever been a resemblance. A substitute.

When had she gradually stopped mattering so much? Even Damien couldn't say.

He had grown accustomed to her waiting. No matter what he did, she was always there.

After signing every accident report, he pulled his coat tighter and got back into the car, driving away at full speed.

The wind howled past. His mind was completely blank.

Inside the estate, Ava sat restlessly. The moment he pushed the door open and stepped inside, she stood up at once.

"Mrs. Hayes, what happened to her...?"

He saw anticipation in Ava's eyes, undisguised and unmistakable. A wave of nausea rose in his chest.

His expression remained indifferent as he replied flatly, "She's dead. The car burned out. Nothing was left."

"What about the Carter family..."

Damien pushed past her impatiently, speaking quickly as he headed toward the study.

"Call the Carter family. The funeral will be held in three days. Tomorrow, you'll handle the paperwork for her death certificate. And one more thing." He paused mid-step. "Have someone pack up all her belongings. Throw them away... no, put them in storage for now."

The obituary for his late wife was released in the middle of the night.

Miles's carefully chosen words vividly portrayed the grief and agony of a devoted couple torn apart by death.

All information about the extravagant birthday celebration for Ava had already been erased from the internet.

As if, from the very beginning, Damien had been a man deeply devoted to his wife, Lydia.

On the day of the funeral, the heaviest snowfall in a decade fell over Crownford.

It was as though the snow meant to bury all filth deep underground, just as the Hayes Estate looked cold and mournful from the outside.

Inside, fires burned warmly. Ava held Ronan close, smiling as she ate the nutritional food served by the servants.

Upstairs in the study, Damien removed his wedding ring and casually tossed it deep into the wardrobe.