The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 186

"When I was making you moan in bed, you used to call me 'darling husband,' didn't you?"

The driver quickly raised the partition that separated the front and back seats, dividing the car into two distinct spaces.

Outside, raindrops began falling more heavily, streaming down the windows in winding trails that resembled a woman's tears.

The cold atmosphere inside the car became even more suffocating.

Henry maintained his tight grip on my wrist, his fingers tense with the fear that I might escape at any moment if he loosened his hold. I turned my face toward the window, refusing to acknowledge his crude remarks, maintaining an icy silence.

Silence—the ultimate form of dismissal.

I wouldn't give Henry any response, not even an argument.

Just complete indifference. Eventually, this arrogant man would grow bored with my lack of reaction and release me.

My deliberate disregard clearly unsettled him. After all, in the past it was always him who remained cold toward me while I continuously showed enthusiasm for him.

This role reversal was clearly making him uncomfortable.

Seeing that I refused to engage, Henry finally let out a deep sigh.

"Sophia," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Can we please make peace?"

When I didn't respond, he continued, "Everything that happened before—it was all my fault. I failed in my responsibilities as a husband and caused you so much pain. I'm sorry."

He paused, waiting for some reaction from me before pressing on.

"I know you've suffered tremendously in this marriage, endured countless humiliations. All of it was my fault. I'm apologizing now, and I'll take responsibility for all your negative emotions and everything else."

Earlier today, William had warned him: "You need to sincerely apologize to Sophia and be prepared for her to seek revenge."

Faced with my coldness, Henry seemed at a loss. Beyond apologizing, he appeared to have no idea what else to say.

The atmosphere in the car grew increasingly frigid. A deathly silence fell between us, punctuated only by the rhythmic patter of rain against the windows. Despite everything, I could sense the sincerity in Henry's apology.

But what difference did that make now? The damage had already been done.

Once upon a time, such a heartfelt apology from Henry would have reduced me to tears of gratitude. I might have broken down sobbing with relief. But not anymore.

Life is too short. I had too many other things to focus on—why waste my emotions on a man who didn't deserve them?

I took a deep breath, swallowing all the bitterness, and forced myself to produce a smile that felt worse than crying.

"I accept your apology and forgive you," I said to the man beside me. "Now, would you please let go of my hand?"

Henry's apology was clearly designed to gain my forgiveness. At this point, he meant nothing to me—just a stranger who neither hurt nor comforted me.

If saying "I forgive you" would make him release me, what harm was there in speaking those words?

Just when I thought he would finally let go, Henry suddenly embraced me, his voice trembling.

"This isn't forgiveness," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "This is just placating me!"

He tightened his hold. "Real forgiveness doesn't look like this. Real forgiveness means you taking my hand and coming home with me."

Only now did Henry truly understand William's words: *Sophia's heart has grown completely cold toward you. How could she possibly still have feelings for you?*

I had assumed that once I uttered the word "forgiveness," Henry would get what he wanted and release me. Instead, his embrace only grew tighter.

"Henry, you're harassing me, do you realize that?" I struggled against his hold. "I'm going to call the police!"

I continued fighting against his grip. "Don't talk to me about our marriage. Even between spouses, touching me without my consent is harassment."

Running out of energy from my struggles, I threatened, "If you don't let me go, I'm jumping out of this car!"

At the mention of me jumping from the moving vehicle, Henry immediately withdrew his arms, terrified I might actually do it. He stopped embracing me but maintained his grip on my wrist.

"Okay, okay," he said in a conciliatory tone. "I won't hold you. Just please don't jump out. Okay?"

His voice softened further. "Please don't be angry. I just want to spend a little more time with you, just talking."

Facing my unyielding attitude, he seemed completely at a loss.

Sensing that Henry truly meant what he said—that he simply wanted to talk with no malicious intent—I allowed my tensed body to relax slightly. Forcibly suppressing my irritation, I pretended to be casual.

"What do you want to discuss?" I asked.

"How about we talk about Billy?" he suggested. "And this weekend's parent-child activity?"

I frowned in confusion. "Parent-child activity? The teacher didn't send me any messages about that." I was immediately suspicious. "School activities are always communicated to parents via text message."

Typically, the kindergarten would notify parents at least a week in advance of any parent-child activities. Seeing my skepticism, Henry quickly explained.

"Why the rush? Perhaps you'll receive the notification tonight."

After his explanation, Henry inwardly cursed James: *What's wrong with that man? Wasn't he supposed to coordinate with the principal earlier? Why isn't there any movement on this yet?*

Outside, the rain had intensified. Droplets streamed down the glass, leaving watery trails on the window. I stopped speaking and turned my face toward the window, staring out at the rain for a long time.

What had happened to the proud, arrogant Henry I once knew? Why was he acting so subservient around me now? This behavior only made me uncomfortable.

This Henry—constantly apologizing and stubbornly holding onto my hand—was a stranger to me.

After watching the nighttime scenery outside the car window for quite some time, I realized we weren't heading toward Betty's apartment. Irritated, I addressed the driver directly without looking at Henry.

"Please take me to Rose Garden Apartments. Thank you."

Henry immediately instructed the driver to listen to "Mrs. Harding."

The term "Mrs. Harding" sounded so jarring to my ears that I couldn't help but correct him. "Mr. Harding, please stop referring to me as 'Mrs. Harding.' I'm not! Get that straight."

Faced with my rejection, Henry gave a bitter smile. "If you're not, then who are you? At least until now, you're still Mrs. Harding. We're not divorced yet!"

I looked at this face I had once been obsessively in love with and felt nothing but exhaustion. Suppressing the anger rising in my chest, I tried to reason with him.

"Henry, during the six years of our marriage, you were absent on my birthdays, missing on New Year's, and couldn't even manage a perfunctory message on Valentine's Day, let alone a gift. You were never there for any important dates. What's the point of keeping you in my life?"

"And what right do you have to come looking for me now? Who stays in one place waiting forever?"

Only I knew the disappointment, the heartache behind each setback, how time had crawled inch by inch across my skin.

I looked directly into his eyes, my voice calm to the point of emptiness.

"You know what? Over six years, this miserable life drained all my hope and passion. Every day I stood on the edge between awareness and numbness, unable to fall and unable to break free."

"It's a kind of pain you can never understand."

"So please, stop coming to find me, okay?"

"Because every time I see you, all that suffering surrounds me again. I've finally managed to gather a little courage, and I don't want you to drain it away completely."

"I've made peace with myself. I've accepted that making you love me is beyond my capabilities. I've accepted that I'm powerless against fate's arrangements, accepted that there's no possibility between us anymore."

"Please continue living your life and stop disrupting mine, will you?"

"Henry, this is my final act of kindness toward our marriage. Please honor it. Can you do that?"