Is I Regret Almost Everything Worth Reading?

On the evening of her wedding anniversary, Diana walks into her own home carrying groceries and hope, only to realise she has already been replaced. Replaced by her daughter’s school teacher – Lauren Johnson. “You threw her a birthday party in my house?” Diana asked, her voice shaking. “On our wedding anniversary?” She’s rejected not only by her husband, but by her own daughter too. “Miss Lauren, can you please be my Mommy?” Selena cried. “I hate her!” She pointed at her mother, her little eight-years-old voice betraying her age. Every sacrifice finally reveals itself for what it was: slow erasure. When Diana places a file in Henry’s hand and says, “Sign this,” she is done begging. She walks away quietly. Only then does the house feel empty. “Where’s Mommy?” Selena asks as they returns not able to find Diana anywhere in the house. What happens when Henry discovers the document he signed was actually their divorce paper? Will he be able to cope with Diana gone? How about Selena – their daughter, what becomes of her?

Seven years into her marriage, Maria was diagnosed with brain cancer. For her husband Richard and son Jonathan, she bet on a 50-50 percent chance of survival. Enter Eleanor, her husband's old flame and one true love. It was then that Maria realized the painful truth: her marriage to Richard was nothing but a scam. When Eleanor appeared, everything changed. Richard made her his secretary at work, while his best friend addressed her as Mrs. Shaw—a title that should belong to Maria. Even Jonathan came to believe that Eleanor would make a better mother. Maria gave up entirely. In a final act of despair, she severed all ties with Richard and Jonathan before vanishing into thin air. When Richard and Jonathan finally saw Maria's cancer diagnosis, they were filled with regret. They traced her overseas and groveled at her feet, begging for her forgiveness just so she would look their way—but she didn't spare them a glance. Who needs a heartless husband and an ungrateful son?

After the SAT, I come across a post online. Someone posts, "If you could make a choice all over again, which major would you choose this time?" The comments are filled with people wishing they had chosen a different major. They all have their own regrets. One response stands out from the rest. "I would choose literature. That way, he and I wouldn't have missed out on the four years we should have spent together because of that unwanted baggage." I chuckle and am about to scroll past when I suddenly notice the profile picture and username. They are identical to those of my childhood sweetheart, Winter Andersen. I click into the profile. Everything matches her current account exactly, except that the age is ten years older. My heart sinks to my stomach. This has to be her ten years in the future. No wonder I am the only one celebrating when we are admitted to the same major. No wonder she zones out for so long after seeing my best friend, Simon Brown, receive his acceptance letter from the literature department. It turns out I am the unwanted baggage responsible for so many of her regrets and disappointments. Since that is the case, I quietly press "Accept" on the admission offer written entirely in a foreign language. I shall end this mistake ten years ahead of schedule.

My parents have always been biased against me, even as a child. They leave me in the countryside while raising my brother themselves. When I'm finally brought to live with them, they neglect me because they don't want my brother to be upset. When my brother says that I'm rude and falsely accuses me of getting people to assault him, my parents believe him without a shadow of doubt. And so, I'm sent to a residential treatment center. Under my parents' tacit permission and my brother's persuasion, the teachers at the center "educate" me inhumanely. In the end, I learn my lesson, as everyone wishes. I die while learning it, too.

How much did I lose for knowing my husband had many girlfriends outside our marriage, yet staying silent out of fear of losing him? Everything! Rose was served divorce papers right after discovering her husband’s affair with her own friend. The betrayal nearly drove her insane, and to make matters worse, she was accused of infidelity herself. She never imagined her lowest moment would be realizing that no one truly cared for her. Consumed by misery, she walked away, until one accident changed her life forever. Now, she has no intention of ever going back. But years later, her husband wants her back. Will Rose give him a chance to prove his sincerity, or will she hold firmly to her decision and never return?

‎She begged for years. ‎On her knees, in tears, swallowing every insult just to keep him. Everyone knew it. Everyone laughed at her. And he? He thought she would never stop. ‎ ‎But the last betrayal was different. It didn’t break her, it burned everything she had left for him. This time she didn’t cry, didn’t argue, didn’t even look back. She signed the divorce papers with steady hands and walked away as if he were nothing. ‎ ‎Now the woman who once begged is gone. What’s left is colder, sharper, untouchable. And the man who threw her aside is the one who can’t sleep, can’t move on, can’t forgive himself. ‎ ‎He thought she’d never leave. ‎He was wrong. ‎ When obsession turns into desire, when regret collides with lust, how far will he go to taste the woman who no longer belongs to him? ‎