HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 297

**Shadows of the Past – By Emma Clarke**
**Chapter 297**

“I have,” he replied in a voice barely above a whisper. “Arsen just handed it to me.”

A heavy silence enveloped the conversation, thick with unspoken words, until a long, weary sigh escaped from the other end. “I know this must be hard for you.”

Daven’s gaze fell to the invitation clutched tightly in his hand, a bitter smile creeping onto his lips, one that felt more like a grimace. “Hard? It feels more like receiving a death notice from my past, Mom.”

“Don’t say that,” Kate murmured softly, her voice gentle yet laden with a palpable sense of remorse. “I’ve regretted it for so long, Daven. If only I hadn’t intervened back then, perhaps the two of you would still be together.”

His jaw clenched tightly, the muscles in his face taut. “If only you hadn’t deemed Althea unworthy of being a Callister,” he said slowly, each word dripping with quiet anguish. “Maybe then I wouldn’t have lost both of them—her… and my son.”

A soft sob escaped Kate’s lips, a sound that echoed the pain they both felt. “I know. I—”

“But I don’t blame you entirely,” Daven interjected, his voice taking on a calmer tone, though it still trembled with emotion. “You couldn’t have foreseen how things would unfold. I was the one who made those choices, Mom. Every decision regarding Althea… it was my burden to carry.”

On the other end, Kate remained silent, yet the muffled sound of her quiet tears seeped through the line, a testament to their shared sorrow.

“All we can do now is live with the consequences,” Daven said, a hollow laugh escaping him. “Life doesn’t stop, does it? Their wedding, their new life together… Josh growing up with each passing day—it all keeps moving forward, with or without us.”

“You’re right,” Kate whispered, her voice barely audible. “That’s why my regret never seems to fade. If only back then—”

“We can’t turn back time,” he interrupted softly, wanting to shield her from the weight of their shared past. “Don’t burden yourself too much, Mom. I just needed to say it out loud.”

“I know,” Kate replied quietly, her heart aching for her son. She had witnessed Daven’s pain before, but never in this raw, exposed manner.

When the call finally came to an end, Daven remained seated at his desk, lost in thought. The late afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow that danced across the golden trim of the invitation.

“Arsen,” he said softly, almost as if speaking to a ghost. “Prepare a gift for them. Something meaningful—but not extravagant. Something they can cherish… without guilt.”

“Yes, sir,” Arsen replied, his voice low, eyes filled with an unspoken pity that Daven could sense even from a distance.

Daven nodded faintly, turning his gaze toward the window. He watched as the Mighatan sky deepened into vibrant shades of orange, the colors swirling together like the emotions within him. A fragile smile ghosted across his face, bittersweet and tender.

“I hope you’re happy, Althea,” he murmured, his voice trembling with quiet sincerity. “This time, I won’t stand in the way of your happiness.”

And in the corner of the room, the white invitation lay open still—an unyielding witness to a love that arrived far too late, one that could only linger through whispered prayers and unfulfilled dreams.