HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 688

Chapter 688

“Aunt Lydia!” the little girl squealed dramatically. “I missed you!”

She bolted straight toward Lydia, completely ignoring her father’s warning to be careful. The young man who had seemed absorbed in his own world suddenly broke into a run as well.

“Oh, my darlings!” Lydia welcomed them warmly.

She hugged Grace tightly, then the moment she saw Josh, she pouted in mock offense. “So you don’t want to hug me anymore, Josh?”

“Of course I do.” Josh laughed.

He shifted slightly to edge his sister aside, making Grace pout furiously. A tiny battle immediately broke out over who could hug Lydia the tightest and therefore win.

“Honestly, you two,” Daven said in warning.

“Yes, yes, yes, I know. You all missed me.” Lydia waved him off.

She did not care who won. She had missed both of them terribly.

Once satisfied, Josh and Grace stepped back enough to let their mother approach her friend.

“I told you I was coming,” Althea said, wrapping Lydia in a tight embrace.

“This really is an ambush visit.” Lydia clicked her tongue. “Did you allow this, Daven?”

“I simply followed their wishes.” He sounded unbothered. “Besides, there’s nothing to worry about right

now.”

Lydia shot him an annoyed look, then laughed.

“I already told Cale you were coming. And do you know what he’s bringing for Josh and Grace?”

“What?” Grace asked at once.

“I hope it’s not another reptile,” Althea muttered. “I don’t have time to deal with one.”

Lydia burst into laughter. “Oh, of course not. He’s bringing… pizza!”

“Yay! Pizza!” Grace shrieked with delight.

Josh grinned widely.

“He always knows exactly how to make those two happy,” Althea grumbled.

Then her gaze shifted.

“And… who is that?”

1/3

Chapter 688

+25 Bonus

The question made everyone in the living room turn toward the far end of the staircase, where Naomi still stood frozen in place.

She had remained there faithfully the whole time, watching them with an awkward, uncertain expression, clearly unsure what she was supposed to do.

“As I told you before, Althea,” Lydia said as she walked over to Naomi.

Without speaking, she gently urged the girl to come closer to the family.

“This is… Naomi.”

***

That day passed in a warmth that felt unfamiliar to Naomi.

The children insisted she join their card games, Althea repeatedly tried to gather information in subtle ways only to be thwarted each time by Lydia, and Daven merely smiled as he watched the small chaos unfold. Even when Cale returned near evening, the house still felt lively.

The pizza party in the back garden was loud and cheerful. And of course, once the children were exhausted, they were sent back to the rooms prepared for them. Cale also urged Althea and Daven to get some rest. He had deliberately cleared his schedule the next day so he could take them on a food tour around Hong Kong.

For the first time in a very long while, Naomi felt herself standing in the middle of something whole.

A large family. Noisy, imperfect, but always arriving when worry called them.

No one needed to say it aloud. The family Lydia and Cale belonged to was overflowing with love.

And somehow, that made Naomi’s chest ache.

Late that night, when the house had gone quiet again, Naomi walked alone through the second-floor corridor. She did not want to sleep yet. The sound of the children’s laughter still lingered faintly in her mind. The things they had done together replayed there too.

Without realizing it, she stopped in front of a small family sitting room with the door half open.

A table lamp inside cast a gentle glow.

On the long shelves stood rows of framed family photographs.

Naomi stepped inside slowly.

There was a picture of Lydia and Cale at a formal event. Another of Althea with Daven and the children. Several dignified older men who were likely part of the extended family, Portraits from different years, different moments.

Then her eyes stopped on an old frame tucked into the corner of the shelf.

2/3

The photograph had faded slightly.

+25 Bonus

Several people stood in the yard of a traditional house. One of them was a young man whose face looked strikingly like her father’s. Beside him stood a woman smiling softly, with the same eyes her mother had.

Naomi’s hand trembled as she lifted the frame.

“Miss Naomi?”

She turned sharply.

Liu stood in the doorway, still wearing his work shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His gaze rested on her with quiet curiosity.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify