HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“No!” Vanessa pulled away sharply, her voice trembling with urgency. “Not until you make a choice—right here, right now. Who do you want? Her,” she said, pointing a sharp finger at Althea, “or me?”

At last, Althea found her voice. “Daven,” she said quietly but firmly.

Everyone’s attention snapped toward her. Even Daven’s eyes widened in surprise.

Why had she chosen this exact moment to speak up, especially when it felt like the entire room was against her? Daven was moments from ending the chaos, ready to send her back to her room where she’d be safe from the storm of accusations. Yet, despite everything, she stepped forward, standing her ground with quiet courage.

He couldn’t understand it.

“I want to clear something up first,” Althea began, her tone steady despite the tension thick in the air. “If I hadn’t accidentally fallen asleep, I never would have ended up in Daven’s room. I wouldn’t have dared to dream of it.” A faint, bitter smile flickered across her lips. “I swear on everything—nothing happened between us, if that’s what everyone’s wondering.”

Her fingers clenched tightly in her lap, betraying the anxiety she fought to suppress. “But if I was in that room, isn’t it obvious it was because my husband brought me there? I didn’t ask to be. I didn’t beg, and I certainly didn’t seduce him.”

Kate’s voice erupted like a thunderclap. “How dare you talk to me like that?!” Without hesitation, she raised her hand and struck Althea across the face.

The slap sent Althea staggering slightly, a dull ache blossoming on her cheek. A bitter metallic tang filled her mouth, hinting that her lip might have split. Still, she didn’t retreat.

Not yet.

“Mom!” Daven barked, stepping forward with a sharp edge in his voice. “That’s enough!”

Then, turning toward Althea, his tone dropped low, tight with frustration. “And you—go back to your ro—”

“No,” Althea interrupted, her voice calm but resolute. “I’m not finished.”

She lifted her chin, ignoring the throbbing pain in her cheek, and locked eyes with Kate. “I’m just telling the truth, Mrs. Callister. And for the record, I am still Daven’s wife. If I stay in this house, I deserve to be treated like a human being.”

Daven stared at her, caught off guard. There was something in those light brown eyes—something fierce and unyielding. Something he still couldn’t quite decipher. Did he admire her stubbornness, or did it frighten him?

A slow, mocking clap cut through the silence, followed by a derisive laugh. Kate.

“Enough, Althea,” she sneered. “Spare us this pathetic performance. You’ve played the victim for far too long. If you truly planned to leave, you wouldn’t be making things harder for everyone. Don’t you realize who the real intruder is in my son’s life?”

“I don’t usually agree with a woman like her,” Kate added coldly, “but she’s right, Daven. Make a choice. Get rid of her. There’s no agreement between you anymore, is there? You’re free to marry Vanessa now, without any more complications.”

Her eyes narrowed, impatience rising in her tone. “What’s stopping you from making such a simple decision?”

Althea exhaled shakily, brushing away tears that had silently begun to fall. Then she turned to Lydia.

“Has my mother’s house been sold yet?”

Lydia frowned, surprised. “You’re asking me that now, after everything you’ve just said?”

Althea offered a faint, almost ghostlike smile. “I need the money, Lydia. Right away.”

Lydia straightened in her chair, the weight of the moment settling over the room. “Then? What’s your decision, Daven?”

Althea’s smile widened just a little, but Lydia could see through it. It was the most heartbreaking smile she had ever witnessed.