Too Late for Regret (Annalise and Roger) novel Chapter 144

Seth’s POV

I don’t know when Holden got here, but he’s right. Tiffany would show up once a month, with Gretchen in tow. They would get furious if we were going on dates or had women over. She would get hostile and confront them. We would tell her to go home, but she would always whine about how dangerous it was on the road so late at night. We learned quickly to lock our doors when they would spend the night before returning home the next day. We spoke to Naomi about it, but she always laughed off Tiffany’s behavior, saying she missed us.

It was hard looking at her now. Her once beautiful face is ruined. I already know that there is nothing that can be done to fix it. There’s too much damage. I know that her parents want to help her. They always bent over backward for her. They were much tougher on Holden than they were on Tiffany. Seeing Tiffany trying to lie again was frustrating. She knew Ana wanted to know why she did it, and that was why she refused to give her the truth. Ana, turning to leave, only made Tiffany kick out some lies she thought Ana would believe to prolong this.

“Holden, stop trying to suck up. You don’t know anything, you’re just assuming. You and Seth both used us and dropped us like we didn’t even matter. Did you really expect us to just take it? You know me better than that. You two looked down on us for having s*x with you, yet you were doing the exact same thing. You two couldn’t keep it in your pants at college. It’s a wonder you graduated at all. Mom was the one who encouraged me to go there to meet up with Seth. So stop pretending you’re surprised I showed up. It’s no secret I wanted Seth, I still do, but everything is ruined now,” Tiffany stated.

“I told you the same day we had s*x that I didn’t want anything more to do with you. It was a mistake from the start. You kept me from noticing that Ana had left. You and Gretchen kept acting like you saw her, only to finally admit you lied. Knowing what you two did to her still turns my stomach. How did two teenage girls become so vicious? You planned it out just to hurt Ana. I still don’t understand why? What was the purpose of what you did that day?” I asked.

“They just wanted to hurt me, Seth. That was the reason. Tiffany and Gretchen wanted me to stay away from Holden. It worked. I backed off. I waited to see what he would do. I wanted to see if he would do what he told Gretchen he would do. I broke off the engagement when he left the country. I didn’t owe him anything else, and I blocked him. It’s why I chose Roger. He seemed like a gentleman, someone who wouldn’t betray me. I guess I was wrong about him, too. But going through it all, I found Charlie, and everything I went through to get to him was worth it,” Ana said. She walked back over to her husband, and he quickly wrapped his arms around her.

Charlie still didn’t like Holden being around Ana. But we knew she was done with Holden. She could speak about him without getting emotional these days. That let us all know she was over him. I think Holden noticed that today, for the first time. She was standing near him, but she didn’t even glance his way. Charlie has been good for her. She is much more confident now than she has ever been. I’m glad to see that she’s out of her shell. Charlie brings out the best in my sister.

I’m just as proud of her as our parents are. We have a lot to make up for, as we failed her. The guilt I feel for pushing her so hard to marry Holden is overwhelming. At the time, I thought I was doing what she wanted. She had always liked him. I thought that making it necessary to marry would keep her from feeling embarrassed. She would appreciate my involvement in helping her get her happy ending one day. I did it out of love and concern for her reputation. I didn’t want her looking like she wasn’t good enough to marry in front of the whole city. I didn’t have the necessary information I needed at the time to make an informed decision. Otherwise, I would never have pushed her so hard.

I’m still disappointed in him for hurting my sister, but I know that I’m not much better. Holden had been drinking that day. So he made bad decisions without considering the consequences. I made one too, but Tiffany knew what she was doing to me. She knew what would happen once she got her hands on me. The moment she dropped to her knees, it was over for me. I didn’t have the capacity to think it through at that moment. I never wanted her before, and I didn’t want her after that either, but she caught me off guard that day. I made sure I kept my distance from her after that, but she never stopped trying to get into my bed.

She was telling the truth. She wanted me to see it in her eyes. I couldn’t be bothered to look for someone to do it. I assumed that between Tiffany and the bodyguard Ana had, she would be safe. In reality, I let Holden talk me into it. We didn’t want to waste time looking for someone when Tiffany was right there in front of us. I knew we had bad blood since I started to avoid her. I knew it was a bad idea because Tiffany had always picked on Ana, even in front of us. She made no secret of her dislike for Ana. Yet I went along with it because it was convenient. My neglect resulted in my sister paying the price for it.

“We asked you to do it, and you agreed. You should have told us that you weren’t going to do it. I thought you had matured. We both believed that you would, at the very least, tell us if there was a problem. She should have been off limits at the school, and you knew that. So I would like to know why that didn’t happen. I know Ana, and she would never cross anyone. No one targeted her while we were in high school. So, why did it happen all of a sudden? You had to have done something. I refuse to believe that the whole student body suddenly didn’t care if they crossed the Caldwell family. It’s inconceivable. You’re done for; you are not avoiding prison. You should just admit whatever you did before I ask around. They won’t hesitate to tell now that you’re going to prison for the rest of your life,” Holden suggested.

That’s a good idea, but after his last point about the kids at school knowing better than to cross her, I didn’t want to hear from her again. The guilt I was feeling was overwhelming. Tiffany enjoyed making sure that I knew it was all my fault. I couldn’t blame Holden; as neither of us expected her to go after Ana like she had.

“Go ahead and call your friends, Holden. I’m tired of looking at you all. You act like you would have done anything for her when that isn’t the truth, is it? Ask Ana, she knows. You ignored all the signs. She did a one–eighty, yet none of you cared enough to sit down and talk to her. You two were busy with college. Your parents were too busy with work. She went from always hanging out with your family to isolating in her room. You blame me for everything, but who turned their backs on her first? Huh? Radio silence, of course. You’d all like to blame me for every single thing that happened when you’re just as guilty as I am. You make sure she knew what a disappointment she was to you because of her weight gain. You let me pick on her in front of you, and you even joined in on it. So, let’s be honest, every single one of you bears just as much blame as I do. Maybe even more, as you watched her change, and never once cared enough to ask why,” Tiffany answered.