HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 294

**Shadows of the Past – By Emma Clarke**

**Chapter 294**

Lydia Harrow.

She was not merely a friend; she was Althea’s anchor, her steadfast companion through the tumultuous seas of life. Since their college days, Lydia had been the one to stand by Althea through every storm that life threw at them—every heartbreak that had left a mark, every late-night conversation filled with laughter and dreams. But now, the thought of Lydia brought a sharp pang to Althea’s heart, a reminder of the terrible accident that had stolen her friend away. The cold, clinical CCTV footage had stripped away any notion of foul play; it had simply been a tragic error on the part of a driver, a moment of lost control that had changed everything. Perhaps it was fate that had decided to be cruel that day, but Althea couldn’t dwell on that now.

What mattered most in this moment was that—Lydia was awake.

“Oh, God…” Althea gasped, her breath hitching in her throat as disbelief washed over her like a tidal wave. Her heart raced, pounding against her ribcage as if trying to escape. “Thank you… I’ll be there right away.”

In a flurry of motion, she sprang up from her chair, the legs scraping against the floor with a screech that startled Maya, who had been sitting across from her.

“What happened, Althea? Who’s Lydia?” Maya’s voice was laced with concern, her eyes wide as she took in the sudden transformation of her friend’s expression.

“Oh—sorry!” Althea blurted out, her words tumbling over one another in her excitement, caught between shock and uncontainable joy. “It’s nothing bad. I just got the most amazing news from the hospital. My friend… she finally woke up.”

Maya blinked in confusion, her brow furrowing. “Lydia? That Lydia?”

Althea nodded vigorously, her heart swelling with a mix of relief and elation. She could hardly find the words to express the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her. “I have to go.”

Before Maya could voice her thoughts, Althea had already grabbed her bag and dashed out of the teachers’ lounge. Her heart thundered in her chest, a wild rhythm that matched the rapid clacking of her heels against the polished floors as she raced down the hallway. The bustling streets of SunCity, usually a cacophony of noise and chaos, barely registered in her mind. The sweltering afternoon heat pressed against the windshield of her car, but she hardly noticed; her thoughts were consumed by one singular, powerful truth.

Lydia’s awake. Lydia’s alive.

Arriving at the hospital felt like stepping into an entirely different world. The sterile air enveloped her like an icy embrace, sharp and unyielding, saturated with the unmistakable scent of antiseptic. Nurses moved with purpose through the corridor, their footsteps brisk and efficient, while the rhythmic beeping of machines echoed ominously from behind closed doors.

“Excuse me,” Althea managed to say, her breathless voice barely breaking through the sterile atmosphere as she approached the reception desk. “I’m Althea Grayson. I was informed that the patient named Lydia Harrow has regained consciousness.”

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