Cain: A Short Story

Regretfully Yours #3

by Maya Alden

She trusted him with her heart—he repaid her with handcuffs.

When Faith Baker takes a job at Cain Ripley's restaurant in small-town Oregon, sparks fly—and so does the cash drawer. Accused of stealing, Faith is arrested, humiliated, and betrayed by the man she trusted most.

Cain says he’ll drop the charges if she returns the money. Only one she doesn’t have it, because she didn't take it.

As Faith's name is dragged through the mud and her future crumbles, Cain clings to his version of the truth—until a deeper betrayal is uncovered.

But it may be too late; Faith is not the same woman Cain wronged, and forgiveness has a price.

Cain is part of Regretfully Yours, a short story series full of heartbreak, redemption, and heroes who grovel their way to a happily ever after.

Tropes
🩶 Second Chance
🩶 Small Town
🩶 Wrongly Accused
🩶 Other Woman Drama
🩶 Betrayal & Grovel
🩶 Short Story/Novella (35k words)

Trigger This story contains depictions of domestic abuse, including physical violence, emotional manipulation, and references to past trauma and assault. Scenes involving memories of past beatings, gaslighting, and psychological distress are portrayed in the context of the main character’s recovery journey. If these topics trigger, please do not read this book. Your mental health and well-being are important, and I request that you take care of yourself.

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Second Chance Romance, Workplace Romance, Contemporary Romance

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2025

About the author

A top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.

Reviews

[˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆ rach ⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖ · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell was this??!

There is no way the hero is any kind of successful businessman - he’s too stupid. And then the author having to dumb down the heroine in order to make it believable she’d take him back?

No thanks.

I was wondering why this was rated so highly…but then I remembered someone mentioning the author makes sure her ARC readers leave high reviews only. Maybe if they were honest, I wouldn’t have wasted my time!

[Jac K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on a plane to NY; it was a quick easy read and what I needed at the time. BUT it follows the same formula as all her other books, so you’ll need to be in the mood for the h to be served a shit sandwich then forgiving everyone fairly quickly.

IMO, the best part of the book was the first 50%. As usual, the betrayal was a gut punch and Faith’s suffering was top notch. Poor Faith was done wrong by everyone, and I gobbled it down like pudding, BUT then the truth came out, and for me it lost steam because IMHO she breezed over Cain’s “groveling” too quickly, and I hated the way she handled the comeuppance of the guilty parties especially Paula. Both were insufficient and left the redemption arc unbalanced and kept this from being a 4⭐read for me.

And my annoying brain WOULD NOT LET IT GO that it was completely illogical that charges weren’t being filed because stealing 10k is a felony not to mention defamation, malicious prosecution, tampering with evidence, framing someone, aiding and abetting, and accessory before the fact are also against the law, so it wouldn’t matter if Cain declined, the police would still press charges.

Bottom Line- I inhaled the first half, but wasn’t satisfied with Cain’s “amends”, and his and the author’s choices with Paula kinda… sorta ruined it a bit for me. The complete lack of redemption before bygones be bygones was ridiculous. The author spent 95% of the book showing us how selfish and vile she was to all’s forgiven with a time jump and new chapter. What??!! And while Cain was dragging his feet not pressing charges, cutting her off, or holding her accountable for her part in the very serious (especially what could’ve happened at the end of the book) crimes she committed, it made me feel like he was prioritizing Paula over Faith. And I needed him to put Faith first to prove he truly loved her and would have her back. The author tried to dump it all on the OW, but Paula was right in there with her, so that didn’t work for me.

[Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just a propaganda book about how women can become a martyr
🗑️

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah, I’m sorry but they stole $10,000 - in most places a felony - and then filed a false police report - in most places, again, a felony. Charges don’t need to be filed by Cain. They filed a false police report, tampered with evidence and STOLE $10,000. Charges would be filed by the prosecutor for, literally, crimes against the town. Bob stole $400. A crime. Known to the police. Police cannot willingly ignore a crime. That whole family and, apparently, everyone who makes above minimum wage, is toxic and the victim - whoops, heroine - needs to get very far away.

[ayiruh · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 51%

I don’t know if it is where I live but the book released earlier for me. Anyway, the betrayal was betrayal-ing, really hit hard and I felt so much for our main character, Faith, she deserves the world and not Cain.

I am DNFing this one because what even, they literally just found out about her not being the thief a chapter or two ago and he began his grovel but it made me icky, miss girl gives in SO QUICK. Even when he was sending her to jail without proof but for the real culprits he was forgive and forget, make it make sense.

Also, I think the book has an undertone of the idea that strippers were characterless or not doing honest work, which was disgusting. I would have enjoyed it better if we saw more strippers as friends of Faith, who works in a strip club.

Reading about Cain makes me sick, even though he is not that bad but it just takes one really bad thing to make me hate someone and I am at a point in life where I dig green flag dudes only - in fiction, even if the FMC is mean or not a lovely person, the MMC should be perfect.

[⚡️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did it again. I was tempted. I was lured and I’m horrified. On the 25th of June I swore I’d never read another book by this author, because honestly? I was genuinely disturbed by how many times one person can recycle the doormat FMC and abhorrent MMC trope. I truly believed this time would be different. The cover deceived me. Yes, it’s my fault for not reading the blurb but hear me out… actually, no. Don’t.

This plot is straight-up unhinged. HE GETS HER ARRESTED. THE ARREST LEADS TO HER BECOMING HOMELESS. AND SHE STILL TAKES HIM BACK?! Ladies, gentlemen, and theys… this is not normal. Why are books romanticising this behavior?? And if that wasn’t enough, we’re served a side of subtle ‘pick me girl’ energy every time makeup is mentioned. Someone please sit this author down and explain that makeup isn’t the enemy and writing an FMC who proudly only uses lip balm and moisturiser is not the flex she thinks it is. Yes affordability is key to the plot however you can get an entire makeup set for less than $15 (I checked)

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely not. But… if you’re like me and occasionally need to read something so objectively bad that it makes you forget the dumpster fire of your own life and want to be engulfed by the collective rage of generations of women who fought for our rights only for this to get published? Then yes. Absolutely, I recommend it.

Genuinely baffled how dark romance and taboo books get torn apart for their moral failings, but this? This is fine???

[Reina LC · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only kept reading after Basil cause it was a 3 pack book.

But WTAF was that?!?! Without a Pick of evidence a girl is arrested, thrown in jail and then not even a "sorry" after the fact???? Literally gets robbed herself, while being wrongfully locked up/framed without proper rights or anything and cops do... *checks notes* NOTHING??? Hello Lawsuit?????
MMC presses charges and goes full asshole on his hard working "girlfriend", THAT HE WAS FUCKING WITH ALL NIGHT, LITERALLY WAS HER ALIBI. But when it turns out his leech sister and her gross friend actually stole the money AND SPENT IT ON MAKEUP AND SHOES, he's like "Oh, let them go. It's fine. Be lenient and shit."

HOLY fucking shit bro. FMC needed to make her cash and dash. I'm choosing to pretend she got a lawyer, sued the pants off of all them and made off into the sunset.

[Pinky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence (graphic emotional and physical), PTSD, physical assault, emotional manipulation, psychological trauma, gaslighting, long-term impact of abuse, struggles with foster care, wrongful imprisonment, homelessness, poverty, character with Alzheimers, slut-shaming, crude sexual remarks, orphan, sexual harassment and assault (FMC’s ex likely raped her, she is also harassed at work), power imblanace

This is the third book in the Regretfully Yours series, the first book is Ansel, then it's Basil. I recommend you read the books in order, even if they can be read as stand-alones. This was disappointing, but I wasn’t surprised. The FMCs in these books tend to be martyrs who forgive the MMC very easily. The MMC is an idiot in this, but I was so annoyed at how easily he was forgiven. The way the crimes were easily brushed over was crazy and made no sense. The grovel was brushed over, it wasn’t satisfying since everyone moved on so easily. Regardless, it was entertaining, so I’ll give it 2 stars.

Due to Faith’s past, she has a hard time trusting people. But after she sleeps with her boss for the first time, she thinks that she has finally found love. That love quickly dies when she finds herself in handcuffs. Cain feels betrayed, thinking Faith stole from him. Soon he will know he is making a big mistake.


Now for spoilers


When Faith ran away from Seattle, trying to escape her past, she doesn’t expect to see herself in Silverton, Oregon. When she goes to the restaurant called Ripley’s, she knew she wanted to stay. With nothing but $200, she managed to work her ass off and make a place for herself in the small town. 6 months later, she wakes up after a night of sex with her boss, Cain. Cain owned Ripley’s and has no idea this is the first time Faith decided to let someone into her life. When she is leaving his place, he kisses her and Faith is happy. She is 22 and Cain always thought she was young, he is 30. He decided to sleep with her anyway after they became friends. When Faith shows up to work, thinking it is another normal day, the police show up. Paula is Cain’s sister, and her boyfriend, Kyle, works for the police. Kyle says that Faith is under arrest. Faith is confused, asking why, and Kyle says it is for theft. Faith calls out to Cain, who starts glaring at her. In the interrogation room, Kyle accuses Faith of stealing $10,000 from Cain’s safe. He says that Cain was probably fucking Faith while she saw his passcode on his desk. Faith says she didn’t steal anything, but Kyle continues to make nasty remarks of her fucking Cain, even though she slept with him for the first time yesterday. Instead of standing up for herself, asking for a lawyer, or asking where their evidence is, Faith just goes along with everything. Kyle says that Cain is the reason she is here, and Cain comes in. Cain begs Faith to give the money back, but Faith insists she didn’t steal. So he tells her to enjoy prison and leaves. Faith has flashbacks throughout the book of domestic abuse she experienced with her ex, Jamie. Jamie was Faith’s boss in Seattle, I think he owned a club. When they started dating, he started beating Faith, constantly accusing her of cheating. One night, it went too far that she almost died. So Faith finally had the courage to run away. She didn’t list his workplace on her resume in fear that he will be contacted as a reference and find out where she is. So Faith lets Kyle lock her up in prison for 2 nights.


During her time in prison, Faith barely eats and is with another prison mate. 2 days later, Faith is let go without an explanation. The officer tells her that she can’t leave town since they are still investigating her. Rather than asking for answers, Faith says okay. Faith lived in a shady building which was owned by Bob. Bob let Kyle into Faith’s apartment to search it without a warrant. Then Bob stole Faith’s suitcase and $400. When Faith goes to Bob, he gives her stuff back in a garbage bag and everything is damaged. He refuses to give her back her suitcase and stole her money. Were there consequences for this? Nope. Faith thinks that Jamie may have beat her up and called her a little whore, but he never stripped her to this extent. Now Faith has no job, no home, and no money. Jamie is a monster though, he beat Faith, constantly accused her of cheating, and said he would ruin her for other men. I think this insinuates that he would rape her too, it’s so fucked. Anyway, we see flashbacks of how Cain and Faith got close. Faith loved to read, she didn’t finish school, but she still read complex books. She was put in foster care at 3 years old and didn’t have a family. When Cain saw Faith reading, he is surprised she likes the complicated books he reads. They start to bond over it, and give each other book recommendations. Cain was horrified when he saw the building Faith lived in, but she insisted she was fine. Anyway, Faith is cold outside and has nowhere to go. When she collapses outside, her coworker, Georgia, takes her to her home.


Georgia was one of Cain’s first workers, but Faith knows she can’t stay at Georgia’s place. Georgia’s mom has Alzheimer's and might get fired for helping Faith. But Georgia gives Faith a place to stay for the night and gives her food. She contacts a strip club owner named Ricky for a favour. Georgia promises Faith doesn’t have to strip, the job is a cleaning job. Faith has seen worse, she was forced to clean her own piss and vomit in the past cuz of Jamie. When she goes to Ricky, she is good with cleaning anything. I was worried Ricky would be a creep, but he was honestly so sweet. He gives Faith a place to stay, in his motel. Faith had pride, she didn’t want to take handouts from anyone. Ricky says that he will dock her pay for the motel so she doesn’t have to worry. Meanwhile, idiot Cain was pissed that Faith got released. Even though he spent the whole night fucking her, he believed she stole from him. The people who accused Faith, were his sister Paula, and Melody, his ex. Melody was someone he slept with 3 years ago, but he was over her. She still wants him, but Cain keeps turning her down. It was so obvious they were behind the theft, especially since Georgia saw them in his office, but Cain doesn’t listen. Melody and Paula insist that Faith stole, Cain thinks Faith did it when she went to her apartment to grab clothes before meeting him. He doesn’t question anything, he was certain she stole.


Cain goes to the police station to find out why Faith was released. He is pissed he liked a girl that ended up stealing from him. Especially since Kyle found out that Faith stole from her old workplace, and that she dated her boss, Jamie. They got this information by searching Faith’s name up and contacting Jamie. But Kyle’s boss, Lorraine or Lo, meets Cain while Cain was asking Kyle what was going on. Lo says that Kyle broke the law by arresting Faith with no evidence. He went to her place without a warrant and wrongfully arrested her. Even at Faith’s place, Kyle never found the money, so why the fuck did they think she stole? Makes no fucking sense. Lo says that Faith’s fingerprints weren’t on the safe, and Cain immediately says she might have worn gloves. He had no intention of believing Faith, and that’s what makes this worse. Lo says that Melody and Paula’s fingerprints were on the safe, and Cain doesn’t believe it. Paula had a bullshit job at Cain’s workplace, working in marketing, even though they didn’t need it. Melody would work on and off at their store, he was giving them free handouts cuz they were family. Lo says that there is an investigation, but Kyle is on desk duty. Cain still doesn’t doubt that Faith is behind this. When he finds out Faith is working at the strip club Nectar, he pays her a visit. At the club, Ricky says that Faith would have no reason to work there if she had the money. Even though this made sense, Cain still believed she stole the money. So he asks Ricky where Faith is, and she is cleaning nasty toilets. She feels dead inside and has a hard time trusting people since she got hurt. When Cain shows up, she looks at him blankly. Cain asks for the money, and Faith says that she wouldn’t be working there if she had it. He had her coat and gives it to her. Since Faith is piss poor, she is glad to have it back.


Days go by and Lo contacts Faith to apologize. She says they found out the real thieves and asks if she can help Faith in any way. Faith doesn’t trust her and wants to move on in life. I was like girl, come on. She could’ve asked for compensation for being wrongfully arrested, but this girl had no fucking backbone. It was just so frustrating. Lo also says she knows Faith went to the hospital cuz of Jamie. She knows Jamie beat Faith often and says she is sorry. Lo tells Kyle and Cain that Paula and Melody were behind the theft. Paula admits to it and Cain is shocked, Paula says it’s cuz she wanted Cain to be with Melody. They say they were going to give the money back, but Melody already spent it all. Not only are these girls nasty, they’re fucking stupid. Melody claims she had bills to pay, but she also bought designer clothes and shoes, plus makeup. What is fucked is Cain never would’ve believed Faith if it weren’t for Lo. If Lo didn’t find out the truth, Cain would’ve continued to believe the lie, even if it made no logical sense. And he’s over it if Paula is behind the theft since she is his little sister, like the fuck? Paula is 25, like bruh, she’s old enough to know better. Plus, she’s older than Faith and had Faith put in prison. They’re the reason that Faith became homeless and is now cleaning toilets and jizz. Kyle breaks up with Paula, saying he trusted her. His job is in review thanks to her. Then Lo tells Cain that Faith used to go to the hospital cuz of Jamie. Jamie stole Faith’s income, so Faith stole $300 to escape him when she almost died. Cain is shocked and feels terrible. Lo had pictures of Faith’s injuries. Paula insists she never knew, but it didn’t matter. Cain says that Paula has to tell her parents what she has done. He calls their parents and they are done with Paula. They always told Cain that he has been coddling her, but he never listened. So Cain fires both Melody and Paula. Even though Melody used all the money Cain had, Paula still stayed close to Melody, and they got a place together.


Kyle visits Faith with Bob to apologize, and Bob gives Faith her suitcase and money back. Then Cain visits, saying he is sorry for everything. Faith says she forgives him but wants him to stay away. I was like yes girl, make him grovel, but nope, that lasts a hot second. Then, Cain asks Ricky to make Faith a bartender. Ricky already planned to and tells Faith to make a life in their town, he had a rough life too so he can see himself in Faith. When someone grabbed Faith’s ass, Ricky looked out for her. People visit Faith at Nectar to apologize. Cain starts to come to the club with books and would leave them behind for Faith. Rather than ignoring him, Faith would read the books and they would discuss them. This got me so fucking annoyed, like the guy had her wrongfully thrown in prison and barely grovelled. He barely had to do shit for Faith to accept him back into her life. Paula contacts Cain cuz she needs money, Melody used it up on makeup. Cain tells her to figure it out, and Melody tries to get with Cain again. Cain says he never wants to get back with her again. Paula thought Cain and Melody were meant to be, since it was her best friend and brother. Eventually, Cain starts to drop and pick up Faith from work. Cain asks for another chance, he has tears since he feels terrible for what he did to Faith. She says yes, and he kisses her, asking her out on a date. He takes her to some picnic he had set up. They talk about the abuse, what Jamie put her through. I was so annoyed that this was all resolved so easily. Cain asks for Faith to work for him again, but she likes her job at Nectar. She asks why he didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t steal. Cain says that it was his sister and he didn’t think she could lie. This was all so stupid man.


Then Faith invites Cain over after he drove her home. They cuddle for the night and a coupla days later, they have sex. She has a hard time trusting people, but this happened too fast. It was the course of a couple of months, but I don’t care. Cain barely suffered for what he did, and he didn’t need to grovel. Paula, Melody, and Bob faced no consequences, only Kyle kinda did, and even that wasn’t enough. When Faith is going home, she gets a text from a random number with a picture of her kissing Cain. She calls Cain since she feels like Jamie is behind it. Cain stays on the phone with her while she goes to his place. He calls Kyle to come for a visit. When Faith hangs up, Jamie appears from inside Cain’s place. Faith fights for her life, stabbing Jamie with her keys in his eye. Then she grabs an iron and beats him up. Kyle comes in after and arrests him. Faith is taken to the hospital and Cain is there. We find out that Paula gave Cain’s house key to Melody, hoping they can still make up. Like seriously, what the fuck is wrong with Paula? The girl is a grown ass adult. Need I remind you that Faith is only 22. And Melody gave the key to Jamie, since she wanted Jamie to get rid of Faith. So Melody and Paula are arrested with Jamie. Cain says he can’t help Paula, but her parents will get her a lawyer. Like why the fuck is this bitch getting a lawyer, so fucking stupid. Melody is put into jail, but Paula was able to get out and get a job somewhere else. Cain asks Faith to move in with him and she says yes. 2 years later, Paula has a job and is humbler, but I don’t think she suffered enough for what she did. Cain proposes to Faith and she says yes. 4 years later, Melody still wrote letters to Cain, but he ignored her. Eventually she was released, but no one heard from her. Cain and Faith build a café above Ripley’s. with books. Faith helped run it with Onyx, someone she worked with at Nectar. We finish off with Faith telling Cain that she is pregnant. Man this book was a rage read, nothing about this was satisfying. Like I get a girl has pride, but man it would’ve been nice to see most of the characters suffer while Faith had a backbone. But nope, we get none of that.


Stay safe folks!

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this angsty book. It really delivers on the downtrodden h trope and I devoured jt. I also appreciated how Faith eventually built herself back up. Yes, Cain was a gullible idiot, but he made amends in my opinion with his very public campaign to restore Faith’s reputation. I really liked how the town also tried to atone for their judgmental bs.

I’m confused by some of the negative reviews for this book even though there were clear trigger and content warnings that mention the exact reasons some of these reviewers are giving low ratings.

[DiDi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Maya’s other books this was a great read. The gut punch was difficult to read and for the first bit I was like Faith kick him in the nuts. 2 days in jail! Maya does do grovel usually not excessive, it’s more of a focus on redemption and change. Here it was not so much change just Cain trying to right the wrongs of his sister and her BF. To a certain degree I can understand him having doubts I mean it’s his sister why would she tell such a huge lie? I do not like that he just went all in and doubled down on Faith being a thief. It took too long for him to realize his mistake and the confrontation with the girls was lacking grit the first time and his refusal to press charges. I understand why because of his sister but it fell flat. I like how Cain told the whole town his mistake and the town came together to make up for how she was treated. Loved the strip club and the characters there. I like that Faith build her own strength and found her own people at the club. She did not let Cain back in right away but it did feel like she forgave him a little too quickly. It is difficult to portray that when it’s a short novel. Overall enjoyable read. Perfect for short flights.

[Kathleen Lemke (Kathy Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4 stars

What I loved: I liked how Faith(h) made friends with the owner of the strip club and how he watched over her. I also loved how the towns people came and apologized to Faith. Lastly, the way Faith gave her ex a taste of his own medicine was great.

What I didn’t like: Cain should have pressed charges on his sister and her friend but of course things would have been different (glad they finally got what was coming to them). Also, I didn’t like the endearment “sweet thing”…..but that is a me thing lol

***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: Domestic Abuse. h was abused physically, mentally and emotionally by an ex. H believes h stole from him and had her thrown in jail. h has had a rough life. She was in foster care and meet a guy that she works for who became very abusive. h finally was able to leave and came to the H’s town with very little money. The H hires her to work at his restaurant. They get close and start a relationship. H and h just had sex for the first time together when the next morning the h is being accused of stealing 10,000 dollars from the H. H’s sister and best friend tell the H they saw the h in his office. They also tell the H that the h stole money from her ex that she used to work for. H believing his sister and friend, press charges on the h and has the sister’s boyfriend(who is a cop) throw the h in jail. H goes to ask her why but h tells him she didn’t do it. H tells the h that he knows about her stealing from her ex and he doesn’t believe her. h is left in jail for two days until she is released due to no evidence. H called the landlord she was renting from and he throws her out, stealing her money and suitcase, putting her clothes in a trash bag. h is left with no money and no pace to go. h’s friend, a woman that works for the H, finds her out in the cold. She finds h a place to work at the strip club cleaning. The owner becomes her friend giving her a room at the motel he owns. H starting to have doubts goes to see the h ands asks her again if she stole the money. h laughs and tells him not to come back. H gets a call from the sheriff to come to the station. There with the sheriff is the H’s sister, the best friend and the sister’s boyfriend. Sheriff tells the H that the sister and best friend stole the money and blamed the h in hopes the h would leave town. The best friend wants the H back since they had drunken sex in the past and she is in love with him. Sheriff also tells the H about h’s ex, how he abused her(showing pictures of her in the hospital) and that she really didn’t steal the money from the ex since he was not giving her the money she earned working for him. H upset that he believed them and had the h put in jail especially finding out what her ex did to her makes him feel horrible. H doesn’t press charges but tells them he is done with them. H fires his sister and the sister’s boyfriend disgusted with what he did breaks up with her. H tells the best friend he would never get with her because he doesn’t like her. H goes about fixing things. H has the landlord give the h back her money and suitcase. H then goes in front of the congregation to let them know that the h was innocent and about her ex. h, working as a bartender now instead of cleaning, starts getting visitors from the town apologizing for how they treated her and giving her gifts. H shows up everyday just to talk and they slowly become friends again. H asks h out on a date and things go back to normal until the h’s ex shows up hiding in the H’s house when the H was at a meeting. h handles him ;) and the cops show up to arrest him. They find out that the H’s sister gave her best friend the keys to the H’s place and the best friend called the h’s ex to tell him where she would be and that she would be alone. Ex and the best friend go to prison. H’s sister goes to live with their parents and gets her shit together. HEA with the h forgiving the sister and the H proposing.

Final thoughts: This was a good short read. Just remember to check the triggers.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Ms. Alden's writing, but I'd like to see her write after the heroine chooses the other path - after the betrayal and she chooses to leave to rebuild herself.
I've found that Ms. Alden's writing has the female heroine choosing to stay in small towns after the betrayal and the town and male lead thinks they can make amends. After the "I've already been betrayed by the male lead/town/people too many times, what is there left for me here?" for the heroine, I'd love to see her choosing to leave. What would that be like? How would the town react if she did leave? Those are the questions i had while reading this short story.
While good, there were some loose ends I feel like Ms. Alden could have fleshed out better but again, it's a short story
Edit: i did another re-read, and still felt the same - the heroine should have left the small town after the gossip and while the town tried (key word: tried) to make amends, it was because of the male lead, who, to his credit, did explain the whole situation and how it occurred. I'd like to see the aftermath of the female lead leaving after re-building her life and herself - what would the small town do? Would they blame her for everything else bad happening even if she's not there? Would she hold a grudge against the town forever? What if she never accepts the town's apologies? What would happen to the male lead? It's not bad for a short story but i'd like to see what happens if any of this did happen.

[Irum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a sad book 🥲 I feel for Faith so much truly nobody deserves her

I’m really upset tho he barely grovelled he was such a disgusting pig I hate him could not for the life of me wonder why she chose him 😒

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Aarann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the three short reads in the Regretfully Yours series so far. Not perfect, but not bad either. Very similar in plot in some ways to Best Laid Plans, in that Cain and Faith have just started a relationship and Faith is framed to look like she stole from him. This doesn't have the same emotional heft to it that one did simply because it is so short. I would have liked more page time of Faith getting her life back and discovering her own self-worth without Cain around, but for a novella, this packed a lot into a short page span. Instead, the author added a few time gaps with off-page character growth, which can be a good way to keep the story moving, but also removes some of the reader connection.

Not a bad read at all, and I'll probably re-read at some point.

[Snigdha Prakash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was exactly what I expected and wanted it to be. Had fun reading it. A good short read.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶 out of 5
Betrayal type: H believes OW x2 when they accuse h of stealing 10k from his business. He presses charges, and she goes to jail.
Betrayal level: 💔💔💔💔💔 out of 5
Grovel level: 👌👌👌👌out of 5 (imo)

Cain, Cain, Cain...what am i going to do with you? When i first met you, you seemed smart and kind... but then you turned into an easily manipulated idiot. Why oh why would you send this beautiful creature yo jail when she has only ever shown kindness to everyone, and how could you believe 2 of the most manipulative OW I've ever met? The h is amazing. she's strong but soft. It's heartbreaking reading her story, and I wanted to wrap her in a warm blanket. H does eventually redeem himself, and i did get back on the "we love Cain" bandwagon, cause to me, he earned her forgiveness and trust by the time she took him back fully. The story ends with an hea for H and h. I was lucky to read this as an ARC and would definitely recommend it.

[S Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cain, the third installment in the Regretfully Your’s Series, might just be my favorite of the series so far. Cain, a cafe owner in a small town, recently started a relationship with Faith. Faith is new to town, having escaped an abusive relationship and trying to build a new life after her escape. Their relationship takes an unexpected turn when they share their first passionate night together, only for Cain to arrest Faith for stealing from him.

Cain, arguably the dumbest can you character in this book for a significant portion of it, is precisely what makes his grovel all the more rewarding. Maya Alden’s books always make you to want to shake sense into her main male characters, only to have you change your mind just a few chapters later as you root for them to get a second chance. Cain is the character you really want to shake for his stupidity, yet you can’t help but hug him for making things right. Even though it’s a novella, this story packs a powerful emotional punch. You empathize with Faith’s anguish and pain while witnessing her journey towards healing and forgiveness. Maya Alden’s writing continues to impress and she is always on my instant buy list. Cain is another great read.

[Birty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya Alden has a way of telling a story with truth and feeling that captures the reader’s interest and imagination. Cain and Faith’s story is emotional, inspiring, and hopeful for anyone who has suffered abuse and lies. Cain accuses Faith of stealing from him based on the word of his sister and her best friend, two really entitled mean girls. Even though Faith is proven innocent, she loses everything. Only the kindness of one friend saves her life. She is depressed but still moves forward, slowly but surely. Cain realizes his mistake but knows he will have to earn Faith’s trust over and over again. Faith learns how to accept the help and support from others and Cain learns that family is not always your best choice. Both learn trust and how to care for each other. How they find each other again, stronger than before, is the strength of this story.

This book is part of the Regretfully Yours short story series, book 3. All are stand-alone, and do not have to be read in any particular order. Adequate trigger warnings are provided by the author. The book was provided as an ARC and the review was honestly given.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trust is a luxury, isn’t it, Faith?” Air stalls in my throat at her words. “Yes,” I reply softly, once I get my bearings. “It’s an expensive commodity. And I’m flat broke.” I found this excerpt exceptionally profound and marked Faith's lowest point. A poignant, gritty romance that showed us small towns don't necessarily mean small minds. I loved the twist in this story of redemption where the whole town gets involved in righting a truly terrible wrong. This is a finish-in-one sitting read so make sure the tissues are on hand because ugly crying will definitely play a part. These short stories from Maya are an absolute winner. They have all the things we love about her writing including strong heroines, angst, grovel, redemption and love. A perfect afternoon read.

[Joanne Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story that packs a punch. Faith has survived so much in her short life, she finally thinks she has found her place only to have it ripped away. If you like your books gritty this one is for you. A heroine who learns that it ok to accept help and sometimes it comes from those that we lease expect it to.
A hero that learns that sometime those closest to us are the ones we can trust the least. A town that learns that all of its citizens matter.

[Shannon Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a second chance, small town romance with found family, other woman drama, betrayal and grovel. Our FMC has really been through it prior to the current events in this book. Spoiler warnings and final thoughts can be found below.

We meet our FMC Faith. She is fairly new to this small town where the MMC, who is Cain, lives and owns a business. She applied for a position there and was hired for the job. Starting as friends their relationship progresses to more, until an incident happens where the FMC is falsely accused of stealing. Believing the other woman and his sister, the MMC moves forward with pressing charges resulting in the FMC spending two nights in jail.

The MMC regrets this almost immediately, but is unsure on how to proceed at this point. The FMC is released from jail but sadly, that is not the end of her unfair situation. A person comes forward to rally and support her, helping her to get back on her feet.

Once the details of the situation come to light, he begins his grovels for forgiveness. The OW was a problem throughout the book and thankfully gets her comeuppance and our couple gets their HEA.

⚠️SPOILERS/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️


*Descriptive past incidence of intimate partner violence. Please read the author’s warning at the beginning of the book
🌶️: 0.5/5: The spice level was very light with this one as the incident of betrayal happened very early on and the majority of the book they were not together

Final thoughts: I really liked this book. It’s a novella and fast paced but not in a chaotic way. You still get some character development which can be hard to achieve with a shorter story. I absolutely loved the FMC. She is so damn strong to have gone through everything she has gone through. The secondary characters were great as well. Very angsty and emotional read and well worth it.

[I’m a Paula too… Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to vent…

First, let me say that Cain did automatically believe his sister and her best friend. I guess that’s sort of standard, to believe your sibling. But he also could have stopped to think. Who told him that she stole the money? What proof was there? There was no evidence whatsoever. He made me so mad that I’m still not over it.

The vent… okay, I’m a Paula, and I’m so appalled, APPALLED at this character that I can’t stand it. What a bitch! I don’t want my name used in vain like this. And Melody, which is my friend’s name, is even a worse bitch. This author needs to go back to weird names, like her other books.

Seriously, these two were terrible and acted like spoiled teenagers. And they are 25! To actually plot and plan the stuff they did was unbelievable. Sort of. It was obvious from their smirks that they did it. Too bad Cain wasn’t smart enough to see it.

I don’t really care for this author but I like this short story series. So I actually bought this to add to the series. I like this one, a lot.

[Sapphie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really really didn’t like this book. The hero was awful and the heroine was just accepting it and took him back. I usually really like Mayas books and reread the frequently but I will never touch this book again. The sister was not reported just because she was his sister and the ow didn’t get reported until the end because.. I really don’t know. I don’t even think he really loved the h until she was found innocent and only then good enough for him. And the heroine just forgave him and everybody else. It’s really not a believable story and the whole story just made me fell like… blah.

[Iqa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually love it… up until Cain asked Faith out on a date… and she said… yes… after doing his all in crushing her life… called the cops on her… tattled to her landlord… left her literally dying

all that for her to give in to love 😌 pride be gone am i right?

nonexistent groveling 🙏🏻 i’d at least slap the life out of him for the nerve 😄

[Melanie Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book, and I understand it was meant to be short, but it felt like so much was missing. I especially disliked that the MMC barely put in any effort to make up for what he did. After everything he put the FMC through and on top of her past abuse from her ex, she forgave him far too easily. It’s madness.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad

His sister and his ex sex buddy were terrible people. But there were so many more good people in this story. I loved Ricky, I loved Lo, neck I even liked Kyle towards the end. Then their was Onyx and Georgia and I can't even name them all but they all were good to her. This was even before the false charges were levied at her. Ricky.and Ones were after but.I really did.like this book. I teared up a little but I didn't bawl.like I did at some of her other books. Cain really.pissed me off and it took awhile for.him to.win me over. My.heart broke for the.heroine. her life was awful but she still made the best of it. She forgave too easily also. I really did enjoy this short short story.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

[Gerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough grovel to match the crime. I also don't know if he deserved to have her back.