HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 86

**Shadows of the Past – By Emma Clarke**
**Chapter 86**

Chase remained silent, allowing Althea the space she needed to unravel her thoughts. He could sense the weight of her words, the gravity of her past pressing down on her like a heavy shroud.

“We were married for just a year,” she began, her voice tinged with a mixture of nostalgia and sorrow. “In his eyes, I was merely a disruption in his seemingly perfect life. You see, he already had someone else—a girlfriend who was everything I was not. In every conceivable way, I fell short in comparison to her. I was utterly alone, with no one to turn to, and all I ever yearned for was the comfort of someone to live for.”

A dry chuckle escaped her lips, a sound devoid of humor. “It sounds so pathetic, doesn’t it?”

Chase still held his tongue, but his heart ached at the sight of Althea’s eyes, which seemed to gaze into a distant past filled with pain. If only he could muster the courage to reach out, to take her hand and pull her into a warm embrace. Yet, deep down, he sensed that this wasn’t the right moment for such gestures.

“But as fate would have it,” she continued, her tone shifting slightly, “God showed me unexpected kindness. He gifted me Josh just as our divorce was finalized. And I think you can guess how my life unfolded from that point.”

She inhaled deeply, the air seeming to weigh heavily in her lungs. “Raising a child alone wasn’t a walk in the park, but I swear to you—I found happiness. Josh became my everything, my entire world. And here, in this very place, I felt as though I was reclaiming my life.”

Althea turned to him, a flicker of uncertainty dancing in her eyes. “But now, the past is creeping back in. It hasn’t done anything yet, but I can’t shake this gnawing fear, Chase. I’m terrified he’s going to take Josh away from me.” Her voice cracked, a soft sob escaping her lips. “I’m so scared.”

“Althea,” Chase said softly, his voice a gentle caress against the turmoil in the air. “Can I ask you something?” He paused, weighing his words carefully before adding, “Do you still love him?”

Her eyes widened in surprise, the question seemingly catching her off guard. “You? Asking me… if I still love that man?” she scoffed, a mix of disbelief and humor lacing her tone. “If I said I still loved him, would—”

“As I’ve told you before, I’m not concerned about your past. I don’t care if someone else still occupies a corner of your heart—I simply want to be by your side. At the very least, I want you to look at me and see that I’m here. I believe your love for me will grow, little by little.”

Althea offered him a faint smile, a flicker of warmth amidst the shadows of her past. “You really… don’t mind?”

“There’s no love left in me for Daven,” Althea continued, her voice soft yet resolute.

The conviction in her words was unmistakable, and Chase studied her intently, searching for even the faintest hint of deception. But her eyes spoke volumes, revealing a truth he could no longer deny.

“All that remains is the trauma,” she elaborated, her voice trembling with the weight of her memories. “The fear of everything I endured while I was with him—and the haunting fear that it could all happen again.” She paused, her gaze drifting into the past. “During our marriage, Daven never truly saw me. Not even a little. He treated me like an unwelcome guest, and you can probably guess—he never stood up for me in front of his parents.”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips, a sound tinged with the bitterness of her memories.

“To everyone else, our marriage probably appeared flawless. But behind closed doors, we were just two strangers cohabiting under the same roof.”

Chase felt a surge of anger and sadness swell within him. How could any man treat Althea in such a manner? How could he ever perceive her as a burden? The injustice of it all made his heart ache, and he wished he could erase every painful memory she had endured.