The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 226

At the Harding estate, Grace followed her mother's instructions and headed straight to the master bedroom. Catherine's vanity table stood in the corner, its surface gleaming under the soft lighting.

"Second drawer under the vanity table," Grace muttered to herself, repeating her mother's urgent words.

She pulled open the drawer and immediately spotted a folder tucked beneath some cosmetics.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for it. A document important enough for her mother to specifically instruct her to retrieve while locked in the basement must be significant.

Curiosity got the better of her. Grace carefully opened the folder and began reading the first page. As her eyes scanned the text, her face drained of color.

"This can't be right," she whispered, frantically flipping to the next page.

She continued reading, each page more shocking than the last, until she collapsed into the nearby chair, the folder clutched tightly in her shaking hands.

These documents felt heavy, weighted with secrets that could tear her family apart.

Grace sat motionless, staring blankly at the wall, her mind struggling to process what she had just discovered.

The harsh ring of her phone finally snapped her back to reality. She fumbled for it.

"Hello?"

"Grace, where are you?" her father's stern voice came through the speaker.

"Dad, I'm home. What's wrong?" she managed to reply, her voice unnaturally high.

Richard was busy stabilizing Harding Investment's plummeting stock price, too occupied to handle the domestic crisis. But he knew his daughter well; she was Catherine's child, and if Catherine wanted to manipulate Grace into helping her escape, it would be all too easy.

"Grace," Richard's voice was filled with authority, "if you still consider yourself part of the Harding family, stay out of this mess between your mother and me. If you dare help them escape, I won't acknowledge our father-daughter relationship anymore. Am I clear?"

This was the first time her father had ever spoken to her with such anger. Grace swallowed hard, trying to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Dad, you can trust me. I'm a Harding—I know what's right." She hesitated before continuing, "But Mom hasn't really done anything that terrible, has she? She just helped Isabella get into our family gatherings. Why are you keeping her locked up? They're not even getting food!"

Richard's bitter laugh came through the phone. "You understand nothing! You have no idea how many dirty schemes your mother has carried out behind my back!" His voice hardened. "Don't talk about things you don't understand. Don't stay at home—go to the hospital and help take care of your brother. Give Sophia a break so she can rest. You're in your twenties now, Grace, you're an adult, you should take on some responsibility during this difficult time for our family."

He hung up abruptly, leaving Grace staring at her phone.

She glanced down at the documents in her hand, papers that could turn the entire Harding family upside down. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision.

"Henry, am I doing the right thing?" she whispered to herself, carefully placing those documents in her purse.

"Will you hate me for this? I despise Sophia, but I don't want to hurt you at a time like this. Tell me, what should I do?"

After much deliberation, she drove to the hospital with a heavy heart.

When Grace arrived at Henry's room, she found him leaning against the bed, awkwardly trying to sign documents with his left hand. Seeing her strong, capable brother struggling with such a simple task made her heart ache.

Looking at him now, she couldn't bring herself to deliver such a devastating blow.

This brother had protected her all her life, indulged her every whim. How could she repay his kindness by stabbing him in the heart?

Grace rushed to his bedside and snatched the pen from his hand. "Henry, stop pushing yourself! It's not a big deal if you can't sign right now!"

Henry barely acknowledged her presence, pulling his uninjured hand away and giving her a cold sidelong glance. "What are you doing here? Don't hang around the hospital causing trouble for Sophia."

Henry was well aware of Grace's hostility toward Sophia and had no desire for the woman he cared about to face his sister's mockery again.

Grace snorted. "Why are you defending that woman? She doesn't even love you!"

Henry set down his pen and looked up at his sister, his eyes dangerously cold. "Whether she loves me or not is none of your business. Stay out of it."

Henry had always spoiled Grace, allowing her temperamental outbursts wherever she pleased.

He knew his marriage to Sophia had fallen apart largely because of his own stubbornness, and now that he was desperately trying to win her back, Grace's attacks on Sophia were the last thing he needed.

Seeing her brother so protective of Sophia made Grace furious. Her pretty face twisted with anger as she stomped her foot. "Henry, Sophia doesn't truly love you! Why can't you see that? If she really loved you, would she be asking for a divorce? Just because of Isabella? But there was nothing inappropriate between you and Isabella! She demanded a divorce without even listening to your explanation—clearly she doesn't care about you!"

Grace had read the documents her mother wanted her to deliver. Beyond her shock, she felt disgust. She'd initially planned to tell Henry everything, but seeing him in the hospital with his heart condition and injured arm, she feared he couldn't handle such a devastating revelation.

Henry narrowed his eyes, his voice turning to ice. "Grace, she is your sister-in-law, and I won't allow you to say a single negative word about her. Do you understand?"

Henry had always doted on Grace, but his coldness now stunned her.

In her mind, it was all Sophia's fault—that fake, manipulative woman who had her brother wrapped around her finger!

Grace was determined to expose Sophia's true nature. She faced her brother with a serious expression. "Henry, Sophia never loved you. You were just a replacement for someone else."

After a moment of silence, Henry's gaze turned vicious.

"You'll say anything to discredit your sister-in-law, won't you? Are you making up stories now?" The memories of their years together flashed through his mind. Henry was certain Sophia had loved him. If she hadn't, how could she have cared for him selflessly for six years?

"That's enough, Grace!" he snapped. "Say another word and I won't acknowledge you as my sister!"

But Grace couldn't stop now. Seeing Henry still defending Sophia even at this point infuriated her. She pulled out the documents and spread them on the bed in front of him.

Henry had dismissed Grace's claims as petty jealousy, but when he saw the photographs, his entire body went rigid.

The man in the photo had a face almost identical to his own. The same eyes, the same eyebrows, the same sharp jawline and thin lips.

The only difference was the man's close-cropped military haircut. The man was young, probably around twenty, smiling brilliantly in the sunlight, his white teeth perfectly aligned. In his arms was a young woman with flawless skin, bright eyes that sparkled with life.

The girl wore bangs across her forehead, clearly still a student. Her arms were wrapped around the man's waist as she smiled sweetly at the camera.

Henry stared at the photograph, his hands slowly clenching into fists, veins bulging prominently.

Though he didn't speak, Grace could feel him struggling to contain his rage.

She flipped the photo over and continued, "Henry, this man's name is Sam Davis. He was Sophia's childhood sweetheart. They knew each other since they were kids. I heard they got together when Sophia was only twelve years old."