HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

What was the use of lingering in a place where your presence was clearly unwelcome?

“Please?” Althea’s voice was soft, her hand gently resting on Lena’s shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Without hesitation, Lena nodded, her mind a whirlwind of scattered thoughts. She accepted the tray silently and began making her way upstairs.

As she climbed the steps, Lena whispered almost to herself, “I hope there’s even a small fragment of happiness waiting for Mrs. Althea. She’s far too kind to be trapped in this house.”

Meanwhile, Althea returned to her own room, her hunger finally sated. She had made a silent vow to herself—she couldn’t afford to fall ill. The humiliation she had suffered here was already more than enough to bear. She refused to let her body betray her and invite further scorn.

Once inside, she took a moment to steady her breathing. The relentless pounding in her head was a cruel reminder of the day’s events. Yet, there was still one task she had to complete.

Settling into the chair beside her vanity, she switched on the small desk lamp, its warm glow cutting through the dimness of the room. Her fingers trembled slightly as they reached for a sheet of paper and a pen. Her eyes searched for clarity, as if silently begging her heart to find the right words.

She understood the likelihood that Daven might never read this letter anytime soon—or perhaps ever. Still, the need to write it was overwhelming. It was something she simply had to do. Alongside the letter, she carefully placed a photograph—their wedding day captured in a single frame.

Though she knew the smile he wore in that picture was a façade, that was the man she had fallen for. The man whose presence had held her gaze captive, even when he seemed impossibly distant.

“I hope you find happiness, Daven,” she whispered, her fingertips tracing the edges of the photograph as tears welled in her eyes. “I truly hope you do. And I’m sorry… for stepping into your life and turning everything so complicated.”

The image pulled her back to another cherished memory—a snapshot she carried always in her wallet. It was one of her, Grandma Evelyn, and Daven in the small garden behind the house. Their smiles in that moment had been genuine.

The room buzzed with lively chatter and laughter. Kalina and Felicia animatedly discussed bridesmaid dresses, the guest list for Vanessa and Daven’s upcoming wedding, and the latest gossip from the tabloids—rumors that Vanessa was “the other woman” in Daven’s life.

As a public figure with powerful connections, Vanessa had been swift and merciless in quashing those whispers. Daven had done the same—not for the sake of public opinion, but to shield Vanessa from further pain.

Among everyone gathered at the table, it was Kate who wore the most satisfied expression. Seeing Vanessa seated where Althea once had stirred a quiet, almost smug pleasure within her. Her long-held dream of having Vanessa Blake as a daughter-in-law was finally within reach.

With the Blake family’s company now intertwined with theirs, business dealings promised to proceed more smoothly. And before long, Kate was convinced Vanessa would give her the grandchild she had long awaited.

“Vanessa, you handle this household like a natural. If only you’d been Daven’s wife from the start,” Kate said with a smile, taking a bite of her toast spread generously with strawberry jam. “I would have been the happiest mother-in-law.”