The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 178

Isabella sat on the cold hospital floor, tears streaming down her face as she stared at Henry with disappointment and fury in her eyes, filled with hatred.

All the resentment she harbored toward Sophia poured out unfiltered.

"Let me tell you," she continued, her voice trembling with emotion, "since the day I was forced to leave Manhattan, there hasn't been a single day I haven't hated Sophia! Just because your father and grandfather preferred her, I had to leave the place where I grew up? What makes Sophia better than me? If I hadn't saved you back then, would you even be alive today? Henry, when you fell into that drainage canal and I jumped in to save you, have you forgotten what you promised me? What happened to those promises? Are they all void now?"

Isabella's screams became increasingly hysterical, but Henry barely registered her words. His mind was consumed by images of Sophia and Billy nearly being hit by a car.

If she hadn't been so alert, so resourceful, mother and son would be dead now. Yet Isabella spoke about her murder attempt so casually, refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing.

This woman was more dangerous than he'd ever imagined.

"Isabella!" Henry's voice cut through her tirade like a knife. "You keep talking about how wronged you were, how Sophia owes you, but did you ever consider the consequences when you hired someone to run her over? When you left Manhattan, my grandfather gave you enough money to support your entire family comfortably for the rest of their lives. Why didn't you ever mention that to me? Or were you simply too afraid to admit it?"

This information—if not for his grandfather telling him, Isabella would have kept him in the dark forever.

The woman he once adored had manipulated him repeatedly, playing him for a fool.

Isabella froze, stunned that Henry knew about this.

Over six years ago, when Henry's heart condition had worsened and he couldn't find a suitable donor for transplant, his life had entered a countdown. She hadn't wanted to stake her future on a man who was half-dead, so she'd decided to leave him.

As if by providence, the Harding family patriarch had approached her with an offer: a substantial sum of money if she would leave Henry. She could name her price.

Isabella had never seen so much money in her life. When William presented his generous terms, she had only one condition: "I'll leave Henry, but you can't tell him about the money." William had agreed.

With funds she could never have earned in her lifetime, Isabella had moved abroad with her mother.

Had it not been for her illness and the exorbitant medical costs she couldn't afford overseas, she would never have returned.

Upon her return, her first action had been to contact Henry, hoping to rekindle their relationship.

Henry had met her at the airport and immediately brought her to the hospital, summoning the country's top specialists to treat her. From that moment, she'd grown addicted to such a lifestyle.

Now, hearing Henry mention what had happened six years ago left her absolutely shocked.

"Your grandfather promised he wouldn't tell anyone about this. How did you find out?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Henry gave a cold laugh. "To be honest, James uncovered everything through his investigation. When you left Manhattan, you withdrew a massive sum from the bank. They didn't have enough cash on hand, so they gave you a third in cash and transferred the rest to your private bank account. These records exist. Finding them wasn't difficult."

Since becoming suspicious of Isabella, Henry had instructed James to investigate her discreetly. What they discovered about her past shattered the pristine image he'd held of her.

The woman he had placed on a pedestal was nothing but a calculating, malicious manipulator.

Isabella remained seated on the cold tile floor, speechless for a long time.

When Henry revealed what he knew, she understood it was over. There was no coming back from this. No one could save her now.

Henry stared coldly at the woman on the floor, unmoved by her tears. Isabella's crimes were enough to land her in prison.

"If you hadn't hired people to attack Sophia online, I might never have discovered this dark side of you."

"Isabella, thank you for teaching me a valuable lesson," he continued, his voice devoid of emotion. "Since you've been such an excellent teacher, let me offer you some advice in return: those who dare to deceive me will never meet a good end." He clapped his hands sharply, and four security guards immediately entered the room. Without any gentleness, they lifted Isabella from the floor and dragged her toward the exit.

Isabella finally began to panic, screaming desperately for Henry's mercy. "Henry, please, forgive me! I know I was wrong!" As she was dragged further away, her voice grew more frantic. "Just this once, please let me go! I promise I'll never target Sophia again!"

Henry stood motionless, his expression fierce, deaf to her pleas.

Isabella was forcibly pushed into a car, still constantly calling Henry's name.

The security team, annoyed by her incessant noise, took decisive action, knocking her unconscious with brutal efficiency. Looking at Isabella's now-silent form, they exchanged cold smiles before driving away.

Meanwhile on the internet, Henry's reply—"I have no intention of divorcing my wife at present"—had caused a sensation. Public opinion rapidly shifted.

"Forgive my hasty judgment! A man who stands by his wife even when she's not his child's biological mother is a true gentleman."

"All support for Sophia! She's raised that boy for years—motherhood isn't about biology, it's about love!"

"Isabella has been orchestrating these attacks all along. What kind of person tries to destroy a family like this? #HardingsFamilyStandTogether"

Nancy watched from a distance as Henry's men took Isabella away, trembling with fear. Based on her understanding of Henry, he never laid hands on women. Isabella must have done something truly unforgivable to cross his line so completely.

Nancy clearly understood: with Isabella gone, her own downfall was inevitable. She might be next. She couldn't just sit and wait for disaster to strike. She needed to find a way to save Isabella. Only by protecting Isabella could she maintain any possibility of staying close to Henry.

Just then, her phone vibrated with a message—she'd been fired, effective immediately.

Reading those words, tears spilled down her face as she covered her mouth to stifle her sobs.

To see the man she adored again, she needed a plan.

She thought of one person who might help—Grace Harding. Isabella's close friend and Henry's sister might be able to do something.

She quickly sent a message: "Miss Harding, this is Nancy, Miss Scott's caretaker. Are you available to talk?"

Grace was still in confinement, where she'd been for nearly a month, going stir-crazy with boredom. Though she had access to her phone, it was only in the evenings.

Henry had strict rules: she was only allowed one hour of phone time.

Grace answered Nancy's call and listened in horror as the woman sobbed: "Miss Harding, something terrible has happened! Your brother had his security team take Miss Scott away. I don't know where they've taken her. I heard Miss Scott crying loudly—she and Mr. Harding had a terrible argument. I don't know what will happen to her. Please, you must help her!"

Hearing that Isabella had been taken by her brother, Grace immediately called Henry, demanding answers: "Brother, why did you have your security team take Isabella away? What did she do wrong? How could you treat her like this! She's still sick! How can you be so heartless?"

Henry had just finished washing his face. He had planned to have his security team keep Isabella in custody until they gathered enough evidence to turn her over to the police.

He hadn't expected his sister to call and question him.

"What is Isabella to you?" Henry countered sharply. "Why are you taking her side against me?" His single question left Grace momentarily speechless.

After a long silence, Grace tried again: "Brother, why are you treating Isabella this way? What has she done wrong? She's still ill..."

"Your precious Isabella hired someone to run over Billy and Sophia," Henry replied coldly. "She broke the law. What do you think I should do? If Sophia hadn't reacted quickly enough and hidden behind that tree with Billy, they would both be dead now. Do you still think your dear Isabella is such a wonderful person?"

With that, Henry hung up, leaving Grace completely bewildered.

Just then, a servant entered and forcibly confiscated her phone.

Grace desperately pounded on her door. "Give me back my phone! I have an emergency! A real emergency!"

But her cries went unheeded. The Harding household staff answered only to Henry, and no one paid any attention to her desperate shouts.