HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 388

**Shadows of the Past – By Emma Clarke**
**Chapter 388**

As Althea maneuvered through the bustling grocery store, several packets of seasoning slipped from her grasp, tumbling to the floor in a chaotic cascade. Just moments before, she had been poised to place them into her shopping cart, a simple task that had now become a minor disaster. Perhaps the other shopper had been distracted by her own thoughts, or maybe it was Althea who had inadvertently stepped into the path. Regardless, these little mishaps were a part of life, weren’t they?

“It’s alright. Don’t worry,” Althea reassured, her voice steady as she tried to maintain a sense of calm amidst the sudden disruption.

But then their eyes locked, and time seemed to freeze around them.

She could never erase that face from her memory—the one that invaded her dreams and haunted her quiet nights. A face that had once claimed to be intertwined with her late husband’s past. A face that had appeared unexpectedly, bearing the shocking news of a child she insisted was Chase Miller’s.

Selena Ward.

“Well…” the woman said, her tone deceptively casual, as if they were old friends meeting for coffee rather than two women caught in a web of unresolved tension. A smile graced her lips, almost as if she relished this unexpected encounter. “I didn’t anticipate running into you here of all places.”

Althea managed to curve her lips into a tight smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s a place where people typically come, isn’t it?”

Selena chuckled softly, a light, airy sound that felt out of place. “You have a point there.” She stepped a fraction closer, the empty aisle amplifying the intensity of the moment. “We’ve met before. Surely, you haven’t forgotten me… right?”

Althea’s smile faltered, her gaze hardening. “How could I possibly forget an uninvited guest who dropped absurd news on me the day after my mother-in-law was laid to rest?”

Selena’s laughter rang out again, this time louder, almost mocking. “Goodness. You’re so cold.”

Althea felt her heart race, but she kept her expression impassive. “If there’s nothing else, I really must go. I’m in a hurry.”

Without missing a beat, Selena stepped directly into her path, blocking her way. “Can we talk? Somewhere more comfortable?”

Althea scrutinized her, the tension thickening in the air.

“We can’t exactly have a proper conversation here, can we?” Selena continued, her voice light but insistent. “Or… are you perfectly fine discussing my relationship with Chase while we stand in the middle of an aisle? I certainly don’t mind.”

“I don’t see any reason to hear about your past with him,” Althea replied, her tone flat as she reached for a pack of butter on the shelf, trying to focus on anything but the woman before her.

Selena’s smile turned faintly condescending, an edge of triumph in her expression. “I’m Eli’s mother. And I’ve already provided ample proof that Eli is Chase’s biological child.”

Althea remained silent, her mind racing yet focused.

“I also witnessed when he began to change,” Selena pressed on, her voice trembling slightly. “He started to distance himself, especially after he returned to the Miller family home in SunCity. That’s when… I finally realized there was another woman.”

“And you assumed that woman was me?” Althea asked, her tone calm but laced with a steely edge.

Selena nodded slowly, her expression shifting. “I didn’t blame you. I let him go. And when I discovered he was growing close to you, I didn’t want to be the third wheel in this narrative.”

“A wise choice,” Althea replied, her expression inscrutable.

“But then Eli was born,” Selena’s voice quivered with emotion. “And she deserves to know who her father is. She has the right to be acknowledged, too.”

“Acknowledgment doesn’t always come in the manner you desire,” Althea said, placing another item into her basket, her resolve unyielding.

“Do you think I wanted this?” Selena’s voice rose slightly, a note of desperation creeping in. “Coming to a place that should have offered safety, introducing myself, trying to see those people as family—only to be regarded as if I were a threat?”