HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 347

**Shadows of the Past – By Emma Clarke**
**Chapter 347**

The atmosphere in the room shifted abruptly, plunging into an unsettling hush that felt as if the very air had been siphoned away. Each person in the living room exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief. Althea’s brow furrowed in confusion, her mind racing to comprehend the sudden intrusion. Daven’s gaze sharpened, locking onto the unexpected visitor with a mix of curiosity and caution. A few relatives murmured quietly among themselves, their voices barely audible, weaving a tapestry of uncertainty.

Selena’s voice broke the silence, quivering just enough to elicit a sense of sympathy from the onlookers. “I’m not here to stir up trouble,” she began, her tone earnest. “I simply wish to be forthright with the family of the late Chase. At least… for the sake of my daughter.”

With a gentle nudge, she urged the girl standing beside her to step forward, revealing a timid figure.

“This is Eli Miller—though I should have probably asked for permission before bestowing her with Chase’s family name,” Selena added, her voice laced with a hint of regret.

Chris’s breath caught in his throat, recognition dawning slowly. “You’re… Selena? I honestly don’t remember you at all.”

“I anticipated that response,” Selena replied, her smile patient yet tinged with a hint of sadness. She retrieved her phone and held it up, displaying a photograph that seemed to pulse with unspoken history. “Then… how do you explain this?”

The image revealed Chris, Selena, and Chase, captured in a moment that spoke volumes. Chase’s arm was draped around Selena, an intimate gesture that contrasted sharply with Chris’s awkward stance, as if he were a reluctant intruder in their shared happiness.

“Well?” she prompted softly, her eyes searching Chris’s face for a flicker of recognition. “Does this help jog your memory, Chris?”

He studied the photograph, his mind racing as he sifted through the recesses of his memory, desperately trying to recall the circumstances surrounding such a snapshot. But the effort proved fruitless. The last thing he desired was to add more tension to a day already saturated with sorrow.

“Regrettably, I don’t recall this at all,” Chris replied, returning the phone to her with a sense of finality. “And… you do realize that Chase passed away six years ago. None of us ever knew you existed.”

Selena’s smile sharpened ever so slightly—a blend of sweetness and politeness that felt oddly misplaced in a household cloaked in mourning.

“Of course, you didn’t know,” she said, her voice steady. “Chase kept everything hidden. I always suspected he wouldn’t share our story with anyone. Maybe it was because it was so fleeting? But even a brief relationship can leave a lasting impact.”

Althea, who had been sitting quietly, slowly rose from the sofa, Grace still peacefully asleep against her shoulder.

“Forgive my interruption,” she said, her voice calm yet firm. “But I am the host here. Please, just tell us your purpose. Chase was my late husband. If he was involved with someone else, surely we deserve to know.”

Before Althea could finish her thought, Selena lifted her phone once more, scrolling through a series of images that displayed her with Chase. The photos, though clearly edited, bore a painful authenticity that pierced through the family’s fragile state of grief.

Selena offered a small, enigmatic smile. “I’m here to share the truth. Why does everyone look so terrified?”

Althea shook her head weakly, her resolve beginning to waver. “You can’t just barge in here and lay claim to something like this. Especially—”

“Especially what, Mrs. Althea? Am I correct?” Selena’s tone sliced through the air, polite yet sharp. “Believe me, I have no hidden agenda except for wanting recognition from the Miller family. Do you know how exhausting it is to raise a daughter alone? She has an entire family on her father’s side that, I’m sure, would love her.”

“Then why didn’t you come to us on the day of Chase’s funeral?” Althea retorted, her voice sharp and direct, the pain in her heart spilling over.

Selena responded only with a confident, razor-thin smile. “Do you think you could have handled a truth like that, Mrs. Althea? The reality that Chase had a child with another woman?”

Althea froze, the weight of Selena’s words crashing down upon her.

“I came to you now so that you wouldn’t be blindsided later. Perhaps my approach is flawed—but have you ever considered that if I had followed your ‘suggestion,’ you would have been the one most devastated?”