The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 180

Henry stared at his phone, completely stunned by Sophia's public challenge.

Seeing the divorce papers with her signature already in place and that ten-million-dollar check left him momentarily at a loss.

As far as he knew, Sophia had been a stay-at-home mom for six years, never working a single day.

During those years, she had never once touched the bank card he left on the corner table in the entryway. Where had she gotten that kind of money from?

Despite his confusion, he forced himself to read through Sophia's reply again. This bold, direct tone was entirely different from the meek woman he remembered. Henry began contemplating how to respond to her.

In truth, every time he had sought her out recently, she had greeted him with nothing but coldness.

Yet strangely, her icy demeanor only intensified his desire to conquer her.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, struggling to formulate a reply. While hesitating, he noticed James scrolling through Facebook in the passenger seat.

To his surprise, James was browsing Sophia's personal page—and he hadn't been blocked or restricted from viewing it!

Henry leaned forward, craning his neck to get a better look at James's screen.

Sophia had posted a picture of Billy's artwork—a simple drawing featuring sunshine, leaves, birds, and a family of three standing beneath a tree. Henry's brow furrowed as he studied the image.

*Couldn't Sophia see how much Billy craved a father?* The drawing perfectly expressed the child's longing for a complete family.

He needed to talk to Sophia properly about this. The boy deserved a whole family—he needed his father!

James noticed Henry looking and quickly darkened his screen, apologizing awkwardly: "Mr. Harding, I'm sorry. I won't look at it again." An angry CEO was terrifying, and he had no desire to create problems for himself.

Henry's expression remained impassive. "It's fine. Continue," he said flatly.

James looked genuinely surprised, not understanding what the CEO meant. Henry impatiently kicked the back of James's seat. "I said, continue!"

Finally understanding that Henry wanted to see more of Sophia's Facebook page, James slowly resumed scrolling.

"How do you have access to Mrs. Harding's Facebook?" Henry asked.

James turned toward Henry with a fawning smile. "It was years ago, sir, when she was taking care of your health. You had just returned to work, and she was extremely concerned about your wellbeing."

Back then, Sophia's care for Henry had been truly extraordinary. Even as an outsider, James had been moved by her dedication.

He believed that in this world, only a mother could show that level of concern for Henry—and Sophia had matched it.

Though strangely, he always felt that Mrs. Harding senior and Henry lacked that natural mother-son closeness.

"Sophia was always careful not to disturb your work," James continued, seeing that Henry wasn't annoyed but rather interested in hearing more. "She would always check with me first about your schedule, then find brief moments to bring you food when you weren't busy. It was all healing cuisine she made herself, specifically to strengthen your health."

"Each time, she would first put Billy to sleep, then come to deliver food to the office building. She'd call me to come downstairs to get it. She was afraid you wouldn't eat if you knew it was from her, so she made me tell you it was takeout I'd ordered for you. She kept this up for six years."

James fell silent, unable to continue. How could such a loving wife, so devoted to her husband, end up facing divorce?

Henry felt a sharp pain in his chest. The woman he had once despised had silently done so much for him, while the woman he had cherished in his heart had done nothing except spend his money and whisper sweet nothings that he foolishly found touching.

Henry realized how stupid he had been to cause the current situation.

Reflecting on the past, James felt a lump in his throat, aching for Sophia.

Out of sympathy, he was reluctant to say more, but Henry insisted, "Keep talking! I need to hear this!"

After a moment's hesitation, James continued. "When you first returned to work after your recovery, Mrs. Harding would message me daily asking about your health—what you ate, what you drank. She gave me specific instructions about foods you should have more of and others you needed to avoid."

"At first, I thought she was overreacting, being too cautious, until I witnessed you eating venison. You probably don't remember this, but I do clearly. After eating the venison, your heart rate accelerated, you experienced severe palpitations, clutched your chest against the seat, and your breathing became rapid."

"Seeing your condition worsen, I immediately informed Mrs. Harding. She was still breastfeeding at the time, but hearing you were unwell, she rushed through pouring rain with Billy in her arms, taking a taxi to the hotel. She knew you disliked her, that you didn't want to see her, so she was afraid you wouldn't take the medicine. After handing me the medication, she immediately turned and disappeared into the downpour, terrified you might spot her. I called out, offering to drive her home, but she just smiled and said your health was the priority, then left."

"Sir, to be completely honest, I've never seen any woman love you like that—not even Miss Scott. While everyone else was captivated by your brilliance, only Mrs. Harding truly cared about your health, quietly contributing without ever asking for anything in return."

James gathered his courage to add, "Please forgive my presumption, but losing a woman as wonderful as Mrs. Harding means you'll never find true happiness again."

As an outsider, James had summoned tremendous courage to say all this: "Mr. Harding. Even if your heart were thousand-year-old ice, it should have melted long ago facing a woman who loves you so sincerely. Yet you remained fixated on Miss Scott, truly breaking Mrs. Harding's heart. If you don't love her, sign the divorce papers and let her go."

Henry's fists clenched tightly. Though James spoke matter-of-factly, Henry could hear the disapproval directed at him.

*What had he done all those years ago?* Henry began to regret his past actions, even hating his former self.

His mind drifted back six years.

When Sophia wanted to marry him, Henry's heart was failing; he was one step away from death. Not wanting to burden anyone, he had rejected Sophia's advances, preferring to lie alone in the hospital, waiting quietly for death.

Later, just when he thought he was about to die, doctors rushed him into surgery for an organ transplant.

Upon his discharge, his grandfather pointed to Sophia and told him: "This is your wife, whether you agree or not! Tomorrow, I'll have Mark take you to register the marriage."

Henry resented having his marriage arranged, but unable to direct his dissatisfaction toward his grandfather or father, he took it out on Sophia instead. No matter what she did, he responded with coldness, wounding her with the harshest, most venomous words.

Looking back now, he realized what a complete bastard he had been. How could he have hurt a woman who loved him so genuinely?

Sitting in the passenger seat, James felt apprehensive about what he had done.

He had spoken far too frankly to the CEO. Would Henry explode with anger? The CEO berating him was one thing, but please don't let him insult Mrs. Harding!

"What does my wife like best?" Henry suddenly asked.

James was both surprised and delighted: his boss was finally having a change of heart. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Mrs. Harding loves Billy the most, of course. She also enjoys cooking and fine food."

Hearing this answer, Henry's expression immediately darkened. "How is that any different from saying nothing at all?"

He grabbed his phone, found Sophia's post tagging him, and replied: "You think $10 million is enough to buy me off?"