The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 255

William's condition had stabilized considerably, but his heart was still under tremendous strain.

Without a suitable heart transplant donor, he had to remain in the ICU. Due to his advanced age, compounded by his underlying conditions, his moments of clarity were brief—barely thirty minutes a day.

Fortunately, we arrived during one of his lucid moments.

When he heard that the three of us were visiting together, he ignored the nurses' protests, removed his oxygen mask himself, and sat up in bed with a broad smile, eagerly awaiting our entrance.

Billy, unable to contain his excitement, darted ahead into the room, leaving Henry and me trailing behind.

The hospital corridor was narrow. Walking side by side with Henry, our shoulders nearly touched. I instinctively slowed my pace, trying to create distance between us.

Henry noticed and matched my slower pace. "After all Grandfather has done for you," he said with unmistakable accusation, "you can't even pretend to be my wife in front of him? Is such a simple request to make an old man happy too much for you? You really have no heart."

His words instantly ignited my anger.

William had always been incredibly good to me. Even when he was unconscious in the ICU, I still visited regularly, standing outside the glass partition.

For Henry to accuse me like this? Complete nonsense.

"I have no heart?" I snapped. "You and your entire family are the heartless ones!"

Watching my angry reaction, Henry's lips curved into a smug smile. One simple comment had provoked such a strong response from me. In his mind, he probably thought I still cared about him.

He smiled and turned to face me. "My entire family? That includes you too, doesn't it?"

I shot him a look of pure disgust. "Please. I moved out of the Harding house ages ago. We're divorced, remember? I have absolutely nothing to do with you anymore."

His smile deepened, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Just because you say there's nothing between us doesn't make it true." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Who was it begging me to go harder in bed, wrapping her arms around my neck and calling me 'husband'? Would you call someone you have 'absolutely nothing to do with' your husband?"

I stared at the shamelessly smirking man before me, silently cursing him. Just as I was about to unleash a scathing retort, a nurse approached us.

"This is the ICU," she admonished sternly. "Please keep your voices down!"

I swallowed my anger, but Henry could clearly see how furious I was. Rather than trying to calm me down, his smile only grew more mischievous.

"Already angry?" he taunted.

According to Henry's relationship advisor Benjamin, when pursuing a woman who seems uninterested, you should change tactics—instead of persistent pursuit, provoke her to anger, make her so furious she'll never forget you. Then you've succeeded.

Henry had once thought this theory was complete nonsense, but now he felt this approach might work on Sophia.

Though Sophia might appear like a well-behaved, proper woman on the surface, at heart, she had always been rebellious.

Seeing that he'd successfully provoked me, Henry looked absurdly satisfied with himself.

"If you're so angry, come hit me," he challenged with a taunting grin before quickening his pace and walking ahead.

I watched him practically skipping away and clenched my fists in frustration.

Was this childish, immature man really the same cold, aloof CEO I had been married to?

It was terrifying. Did Henry have multiple personality disorder or something?

When we entered the room, we both called out simultaneously: "Grandfather!"

Hearing Henry's voice, I quickly stopped myself, pressing my lips together tightly.

William observed our little interaction with keen eyes. Noticing that his useless grandson had finally shown some initiative, his face broke into a wide, toothy grin.

"Seeing you two come together makes me so happy," he said. "Will you keep visiting me together? Promise?"

Henry immediately agreed: "Of course, Grandfather. I'll definitely bring Billy and Sophia to see you regularly!"

I glared daggers at Henry. Who the hell did he think he was, answering for me? If I wanted to visit William, I could certainly go by myself. Who said anything about coming with him?

But I didn't want to upset William, so I forced a smile and said nothing. My silence seemed to please the old man immensely.

"Don't just make empty promises about visiting," William warned, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

I could tell what he was up to...

His grandson was so hopeless with women that William felt compelled to help. If we came to visit him as a family every day, Henry and I would have more opportunities to interact. And with more interaction... well, who knew what might happen?

William had barely finished speaking when he broke into a coughing fit. The nurse rushed over, helping him with his oxygen mask.

"Sir, please don't talk anymore. You need to rest," she instructed firmly. Then, turning to us: "Visiting hours are over. Please come back tomorrow."

William's face had turned red from coughing, but he didn't dare argue with the stern nurse. He obediently put his mask back on.

It broke my heart to see this man—once a titan of industry who commanded boardrooms with a single glance—now confined to a hospital bed.

As we left the ICU, I stood outside the glass partition, waving goodbye to him while mentally promising to visit more often.

Lost in these thoughts, I wasn't paying attention as we approached the parking lot.

Until Henry grabbed my arm, yanking me hard against his chest, I didn't realize a car was speeding directly toward me. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, my nose smarting from colliding with his solid frame.

I thought it was just another of Henry's tricks, until I broke free from his embrace and saw what had happened.

A silver-gray unmarked van had brushed past, missing my arm by mere inches. If Henry hadn't pulled me away, the vehicle's side mirror would have struck me, and who knows what might have followed.

After confirming I wasn't hurt, Henry quickly scooped Billy up from the ground. "Are you okay, buddy? Did you get hurt?" he asked gently.

The little boy, shielded by both adults, hadn't even realized what happened. In fact, seeing his father pull his mother into his arms seemed perfectly natural to him.

"I'm fine," Billy replied, his bright eyes sparkling with admiration. "Dad, you were so cool! The way you grabbed Mom? Awesome!"

Henry pinched Billy's soft cheek, a smile playing on his lips. "You think that was impressive? Just wait and see what else Dad can do. Do you believe me?"

Billy nodded vigorously, looking at Henry like he was a superhero. After reassuring himself that Billy was uninjured, Henry placed him safely in the car and closed the door before turning back to me.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he suddenly asked seriously. "Should we get you checked out?"

The unmarked van had clearly targeted me. This was no accident—it was a deliberate attack. My heart was still pounding furiously, my breathing shallow and quick. I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to calm myself.

"Was that car coming for me?" I finally managed to ask. "Or was it targeting the Harding family?"

Henry's eyes darkened as he glanced in the direction the van had disappeared. "I'm not sure. I'll have someone look into it."

By now, I had regained some composure. I dug my nails into my palm to stop my legs from trembling and looked directly at Henry.

"Do you see now?" I said coldly. "Whenever you're near me, bad things happen. People try to kill me." I paused, my voice growing firmer. "So please, stay away from me and my son. At least do that much, can you?"

I hadn't been following the Harding family drama closely, but I'd seen enough in the news.

If this attack was only targeting me, I could take that risk. But what if they came after Billy too?

I didn't dare think about it further.