He Regret Before I Marry His Brother

Five years.

She saw him again in the OB-GYN consultation room.

"The fetus is three weeks old. You need to be cautious. Avoid intercourse until after the first trimester."

Noelle Hartwell's tone was calm and detached. She knew Callum Lockridge was standing behind her, but she no longer felt the infatuation or longing she once had. Perhaps this was the gift of time—healing the wounds of a love that had once consumed her.

Though it couldn't erase the scar carved deep into her soul, time had managed to dull the obsession of a foolish heart.

The young girl lying on the examination table turned pale at the words. She seemed too young to be carrying a child. Her large, doe-like eyes welled with tears, tinged with a hint of helplessness, as she looked toward the man in the shadow of the overhead light.

The man stood tall and straight, easily over 6’2”.

He was handsome—the kind of striking, chiseled handsomeness that was impossible to ignore. Even without looking directly at him, his commanding presence and innate elegance were inescapable.

Noelle Hartwell remembered that summer.

The boy had been standing on the rooftop in a white tracksuit.

He wanted to die.

But she had saved him.

That act of saving him cost her the brightest years of her youth, leaving her scarred inside and out. Yet no matter how much she gave, it never earned even a fraction of his love.

He had once told her, "Noelle Hartwell, sleeping with you and loving you are two entirely different things."

Now, five years had passed.

They had cut all ties.

She had returned to Mirage City, and he had found his one true love.

The girl was beautiful, barely twenty, much like the younger version of herself.

No, not exactly.

Unlike her, this girl was cherished, carefully held in Callum Lockridge’s hands, shielded from harm.

And they were having a child...

“Teacher, I’m pregnant, and I... I’m a little scared.”

The girl leaned sweetly into Callum’s arms, her soft voice trembling.

She nervously grabbed his hand and placed it on her still-flat stomach.

Callum’s large hand enveloped her small one as they leaned into each other, love and affection radiating between them.

It was as if Noelle Hartwell didn’t exist.

Callum focused only on comforting the girl in his arms. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here. You don’t need to be afraid.”

He said, I’m here. You don’t need to be afraid.

Noelle lowered her gaze, her thick, dark lashes trembling slightly.

So that’s it, she thought. Callum Lockridge isn’t cold or unfeeling, incapable of speaking sweet words of comfort. He just never wanted to say them to me.

Noelle clenched her hand under the cover of her white coat.

Beneath her sleeve was a butterfly tattoo, a symbol of transformation breaking free from its cocoon.

Underneath the tattoo lay a scar—a burn that would never heal.

Callum carefully supported the girl as they walked out together.

Even the girl couldn’t help but laugh at his overly cautious manner. She playfully punched his chest, her voice soft and coquettish.

“Teacher, it’s just pregnancy, not a ticking time bomb in my belly. You don’t have to be so tense!”

“This child is very important to me.”

Callum smiled, holding her hand as they walked past Noelle.

The girl suddenly paused and turned back, her smile bright and sweet.

“Doctor, can I ask your name? I think we look a little alike. What a coincidence!”

“I...”

Noelle wanted to refuse.

Callum spoke in a cold, clipped tone, as if Noelle were a predator threatening his precious little rabbit.

“She’s not as pretty as you. Let’s go.”

“Teacher!”

Faye blushed deeply, though her lively and outgoing nature soon took over. She eagerly reached out to Noelle, grabbing her hand with an easy familiarity.

“Doctor, I’m Faye Moon. Isn’t that such a silly name? But Teacher always says it’s as cute as I am, and he likes it a lot.”

Callum said he liked Faye’s name.

But years ago, he had told Noelle, “Your name—Noelle Hartwell—it’s supposed to mean a soul of graceful insight, radiating purity and strength like a fountain of life. Do you deserve it? How disgusting. You and your whole family, disgusting!”

Noelle felt a pang in her chest, but her heart had long since gone numb.

Perhaps the lingering taste of unrequited love was this: a sword suspended in midair, uncertain which of them it would wound when it finally fell.

Though if it cut anyone, it would probably be her.

After all, Faye was Callum’s treasured darling.

Noelle smiled faintly, her tone professional yet detached. “Miss Moon, according to regulations, please make sure to register for your maternity handbook as soon as possible. You’ll need materials like your ID and marriage certificate prepared ahead of time.”

The mention of a “marriage certificate” made Faye’s fair, dewy face flicker for the briefest moment. Her expression grew slightly uneasy.

Noelle had no intention of prying. She gestured politely toward the door. “I have other patients waiting. Please see yourselves out.”

Ding.

Without waiting for a response, she pressed the call button for the next patient.

Faye and Callum left the room as inseparable as ever, their affection practically dripping from every interaction.

Noelle let out a long breath.

Callum was no longer the lost boy she once knew.

Now, he was the pride of Mirage City, even the nation—a legendary negotiator who effortlessly navigated every field.

Three years ago, Callum had sealed a foreign trade deal for Mirage City’s government in just a week. The deal had teetered dangerously close to humiliating terms. Back then, the other side—arrogant and openly racist—mocked, “You’re only fit to be our pets! Hahaha...”

But when they were thoroughly crushed at the negotiation table, Callum made one statement to the assembled media from around the world:

“Centuries ago, our emperor marched on Vinterlund and claimed vast lands from your ancestors. Losers are losers, and that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years.”

This was Callum’s audacity, his unshakable pride.

That moment cemented his legendary status. He founded Prospera InfoServices and, within a year, took it public.

Renamed Prospera Holdings, the company specialized in government and corporate negotiations while venturing into chip design, AI development, and cutting-edge 3D medical printing technology.

His wealth skyrocketed, and his name graced three consecutive covers of People Magazine. He broke into the Forbes list, ranking in the top three almost immediately.

Callum was a myth in the world of negotiation.

And Noelle?

She probably didn’t even count as a part of his past anymore.

After work, Noelle received a message from Elliot Whitmore:

Elliot: Heard you’re back in town. Want to grab dinner? My treat.

Noelle: Let’s not. Things are awkward enough between us, and your parents wouldn’t want us meeting up anyway.

After a pause, Elliot replied:

Elliot: Have you seen him?

Noelle ignored the message, turned off her phone, and started her car. She drove toward North Suburb.

After the Hartwell family went bankrupt, her father had taken his own life, her mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and her younger brother disappeared without a trace.

People said he must’ve followed their father’s example, quietly ending his life somewhere no one could find him.

But Noelle didn’t believe it.

Five years had passed. Even while she was stuck in Frosthaven, she never stopped searching for her brother.

This time, returning to Mirage City, she had two goals: to keep searching for her brother and to take care of her ailing mother.

And there was one more thing.

The modest villa her family once owned in North Suburb—it wasn’t much, but it held all her childhood memories.

She’d saved up some money and reached out to a realtor. Now, she planned to take out a loan to buy it back.