HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 452

Chapter 452

Eli couldn’t bring herself to answer.

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Josh let out a short breath. “You don’t have to answer me. But listen to this.” He paused for a moment. “If you come to me with demands like that again, you won’t get what you want.”

“I wasn’t demanding anything,” Eli protested softly.

“But your words sounded like a demand,” Josh said calmly, without raising his voice. “And like I said, this isn’t something I can decide. I don’t have that authority. And if you want me to help arrange a meeting with Grandma- then I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”

Josh’s firm refusal left Eli speechless. All she could do was lower her head again, anxiety knotting in her chest. ” I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Josh opened the door and stepped out of the car. What he did next made Eli freeze. So… even persuading Josh to help her had failed. As heavy as it felt, Eli finally got out of the car as well. The conversation was over-no closure needed.

“I can’t be a mediator,” Josh said. “Try on your own and wait for clarity about your status in my family.”

“Okay,” Eli replied quickly. “Thank you for listening.”

Josh gave a brief nod. “Take care.”

Eli walked away with unsteady steps. After a few paces, she turned back just to check whether Josh had already gotten back into the car. He was no longer outside. That meant he’d already gone back in.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Eli murmured, frustration weighing heavily on her chest.

She resumed walking toward the parked cars-until she suddenly stopped, startled by the sharp sound of high heels halting right in front of her.

“Eli.”

She flinched.

Before she could fully turn around, her arm was already caught. The grip wasn’t painful—not enough to leave marks–but firm enough to stop her in her tracks.

Selena stood there, dark sunglasses still perched on her face, lips curved into a faint smile. A smile that held no warmth, no sincerity at all.

“You took a long time,” Selena said softly. “I was starting to think you were deliberately dragging it out.”

Eli swallowed. “We… just finished talking.”

“And?” Selena stepped half a pace closer. “What did he say?”

Elí took a breath, trying to keep her voice steady. Deep down, she desperately wanted to lie about what had happened. But the look in her mother’s eyes drained all her courage. “Josh said… he can’t be a mediator.”

Selena’s brow lifted slightly. “That’s all?”

“Yes,” Eli answered quickly. “He also told me to wait for clarity about my status.”

Selena stared at her-unblinking. She wasn’t searching for the truth. She was measuring whether the lie was neat

Chapter 42

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enough.

“You didn’t say you wanted to meet your grandmother?” Selena asked.

Eli let out a soft breath. “I did, Mom. But like Josh said, he doesn’t want to be a mediator. I don’t want to force anything. I… I don’t want to disturb Grandma’s activities. I’m sure if she has free time, we’ll be able to meet.”

Selena studied Eli closely. She knew the girl wasn’t lying. Her voice trembled with fear, and Eli couldn’t bring herself to meet her gaze. Selena also knew Eli would never be able to pressure Josh-or Riana-into fulfilling her

wishes.

But…

“Useless,” Selena muttered without thinking, her words cutting straight into Eli.

The girl looked at her mother, eyes shimmering with tears. “I—”

“Quiet!” Selena snapped. “I only asked you to do something simple, Eli. And I’ve told you again-this is for your own good too.”

Eli lowered her head. Her fingers trembled as they clenched the hem of her school uniform skirt. “I just…. I know my limits, Mom. Grandma wouldn’t like being pressured. And Josh wouldn’t either.”

“Josh,” Selena repeated with a mocking edge. “Since when do you care so much about his feelings?”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” Eli said softly. “I don’t want them to feel forced.”

Selena’s smile vanished.

“Listen to me carefully,” she said, her voice low but heavy with pressure. “The world doesn’t work that gently. If you don’t push your way into that family, you’ll be pushed aside.”

“I just want to be close in a natural way, Mom,” Eli replied. “Not by forcing it.”

“Closeness without position means nothing, Eli,” Selena cut in sharply. “You think affection just falls into your lap? No. It’s built on interests. You don’t have any leverage, which is exactly why you must prove yourself. How? In many ways—and one of them is seeing them as often as possible.”

Eli shook her head slowly. Her eyes burned. “I’m not like that.”

“No,” Selena said coldly. “You have to become what I shape you to be.”

Suddenly, Selena grabbed Eli’s wrist-this time more roughly, uncaring of the lingering stares from students still in the parking lot.

“Mom-“Eli stumbled half a step. “That hurts.”

“Get in the car,” Selena ordered curtly.

She yanked open the passenger door and shoved Eli inside without waiting. The door slammed shut with a sharp bang that echoed through the car.

Eli bit her lip. Her chest felt tight. Tears welled up, but she held them back Crying would only make things worse. Selena slid into the driver’s seat, ripping off her sunglasses with a sharp motion. Her eyes glinted with anger

“Do you know how long I’ve been planning this?” she said. “And you ruined it with your cowardice.”

“I didn’t ruin anything,” Eli protested weakly. “I just wanted to do it the right way.

C4

Chapter 457

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