HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 262

“I don’t—”

“No refusing!” Josh cut in quickly, his round eyes wide with a mock-serious glare.

Beni let out a heavy sigh. “Vanilla.”

“Perfect!” Josh cheered, his voice so bright it made the vendor chuckle.

Everything Josh ordered was packed to go—he had no intention of eating there. Once the bags were handed over, they slipped out of the busy stand. Josh kept peeking into his paper bag as though he couldn’t wait a second longer to taste what he’d just ordered. He clutched the hotdog bag with both hands like it was treasure, balancing the cup of ice cream in the other. Even when Beni offered to carry them, Josh shook his head stubbornly.

“Mommy’s going to love this,” he said proudly. “I got three, so we can all eat together. And don’t forget, Uncle—you have to finish your ice cream!”

Beni answered with nothing more than a low grunt. “Hn.”

They strolled along the sidewalk, weaving through the flow of people. The afternoon felt perfectly ordinary, even cheerful. Office workers bustled out for lunch breaks, hopping between the string of restaurants that dotted the street near the hotel. Everything about the scene felt so normal.

Until, in the space of a heartbeat, it wasn’t.

From down the road, the sharp screech of tires split the air. Beni’s head snapped toward the street, eyes widening. Every instinct screamed danger. A black sedan was barreling toward them, far too fast for such a crowded area. The vehicle swerved violently, as if the driver had lost control.

Shouts erupted, panic spreading as people scattered from the sidewalk. The car clipped planters, shattering them in its path, but nothing slowed its deadly speed.

“Josh!” Beni’s roar cut through the chaos. In an instant, he yanked the boy into his arms.

But the sedan was already upon them. In seconds, it jumped the curb, slammed through the barrier, and came hurtling straight toward them.

“Mommy…” His faint murmur was barely audible.

Beni dropped to his knees, pressing his fingers against the boy’s neck, checking for a pulse, for breath—anything. His hands shook, a rare betrayal of the steel-nerved man he had always been. “Stay with me, Young Master. Don’t close your eyes. Do you hear me? Stay with me.”

The crowd swelled, voices colliding in panic, while the wail of sirens drew closer. Yet in that suspended moment, time felt stretched thin, trembling on the edge between life and death.

Josh was no longer laughing, no longer wearing that bright smile that lit up every room. His color was draining, his small body frighteningly still.

Beni’s jaw locked, his eyes burning with fury and desperation. There was only one thing he could do, one vow hammering through his chest—save the boy, no matter what it cost.

“Please…” his voice dropped to a broken whisper, as his grip tightened protectively around Josh. “Please, stay with me, Young Master.”