The Pain of Regret

A Novel by DeVon White

Hook: What happens when you achieve everything you've worked for and realize the people who mattered most are no longer beside you?

Synopsis: The Pain of Regret is a tense, emotionally gripping novel about ambition, distance, and the quiet devastation that comes from choosing success over the people who once made it worth having.

Mia Ayers is driven, competent, and relentlessly focused. Her pursuit of success is not reckless; it is disciplined, praised, and by every visible measure, justified. But ambition has a cost that rarely announces itself. It arrives gradually. In missed moments. Deferred conversations. Relationships that strain under the weight of unspoken expectations and a presence that is always promised for later.

As Mia's achievements accumulate, the distance deepens. What once felt like reasonable sacrifice becomes a habitual absence. What was assumed permanent proves fragile. And by the time success arrives in full, the recognition, the accomplishment, the life she built, she must confront a truth she was too busy to see coming.

There is no one left to share it with.

The Pain of Regret does not traffic in villains or grand betrayals. Its tension is quieter, more familiar, and far more devastating, because readers will recognize these moments from their own lives. With restrained prose, psychological depth, and relentless emotional honesty, DeVon White delivers a suspense novel driven not by action, but by consequence. Every twist earns its place. Every revelation cuts.

This is a story about what success costs when relationships are not protected along the way. It is not about failure. It is about the reckoning that follows when you finally stop long enough to count what you lost.

What Readers Are Saying:

Review 1:"A captivating, well-written page-turner. The storytelling is immersive, and the pacing keeps you engaged. The unexpected twists added layers to the plot and made the journey even more compelling. It's a book that reminds you how satisfying a truly unpredictable story can be. Highly recommended."

Review 2:"This story about Mia Ayers is so relatable that you feel like you are part of a reality movie. I love every twist and turn the author incorporates because it keeps you engaged. The Pain of Regret is definitely must-read."

Review 3:"Utterly captivating. From the genre, tone, and focus of the story overall, this was well-tailored from start to finish. The author was really driving the plot in the best way, and it is definitely tension-filled. I can appreciate how the characters eventually reached a point of reflection. This is something we all tend to do in life as we press on to maturity."

About This Novel

Genre: Contemporary Suspense Fiction Format: Paperback | Hardcover | Digital Publisher: Prosperity Publishing Solutions Release: 2026

Key Themes: Success versus connection — Legacy and responsibility — Loyalty, distance, and unspoken loss — Ambition earned versus ambition unchecked — Love tested by absence rather than opposition

If You Loved These, You'll Love ‘The Pain of Regret’

Little Fires Everywhere — Celeste Ng

The Vanishing Half — Brit Bennett

Commonwealth — Ann Patchett

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DeVon White is available for author interviews, literary events, book club appearances, cultural discussions, and media features.

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Sneak Preview

Chapter One: Something Sweet

The bench had been there longer than any of them could remember.

Its paint was chipped and sun-faded, the pale green worn thin in places where countless hands had rested, where couples had leaned close, where children had climbed and scraped their knees and laughed anyway. It sat beneath a wide oak tree whose branches reached outward like open arms, sheltering the patch of park where the swings creaked softly in the breeze.

Mia liked that bench because it never moved.

No matter how many seasons passed, no matter how many leaves fell and returned, it stayed exactly where it was. Waiting.

She sat in the middle, her legs too short to reach the ground, swinging back and forth in small, impatient arcs. Her feet brushed the air as if she might lift off if she kicked hard enough. She held her father’s hand in one of her own, her fingers wrapped around his index finger like it was the most important thing in the world. With her other hand, she clutched the edge of her mother’s sweater, the soft knit bunched tight in her fist.

Martin Ayers sat on Mia’s right, long legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed. He had a way of sitting that made it seem like he belonged anywhere he rested. His posture was relaxed but deliberate, as if music lived in his bones and dictated how he occupied space. His free hand tapped lightly against his thigh in a rhythm only he could hear.

Nevaeh Ayers sat on Mia’s left, her back straight, her movements precise even in stillness. Years of ballet had shaped her posture into something graceful without effort. Her head tilted slightly toward her daughter, dark curls catching the light as the afternoon sun filtered through the oak leaves above them.

The sun lingered higher in the sky than it should have, stretching the day thin, unwilling to let go. The breeze was gentle, just enough to carry the laughter of children from the swings and the distant hum of traffic beyond the park.

Nothing remarkable happened that day.

No grand revelation. No turning point anyone could point to later and say, that was it. That was the moment.

But it was one of those days that quietly mattered more than most.

Mia leaned forward suddenly, eyes bright. “Daddy,” she said, tugging his finger. “Listen.”

Martin stilled his tapping and tilted his head, playing along. “Listen to what, Peanut?”

“The swings,” she said. “They sound like music.”

He smiled, a slow, thoughtful curve of his mouth. “They do?”

She nodded seriously. “Mmhmm. That one is squeaky. That one is sad.” She pointed. “And that one is happy.”

Nevaeh laughed softly. “Only you would hear that.”

Mia frowned, indignant. “Everybody can hear it.”

Martin closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sounds wash over him. The rhythmic creak of chains. The uneven thud of feet against dirt. A child’s laugh bursts out, unrestrained and bright.

“When you listen closely,” he said, “everything has a sound. Even quiet.”

Mia considered this, chewing on her bottom lip. “What does quiet sound like?”

Nevaeh brushed a curl away from Mia’s forehead. “Quiet sounds like being together,” she said. “It sounds like nothing will change.”

Mia leaned back against her mother’s side, satisfied with the answer even if she didn’t fully understand it. She pressed her cheek against Nevaeh’s arm and closed her eyes.

To Be Continued…