The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 267

When his lips finally left mine, a glistening thread of saliva stretched between us before breaking.

"Sophia," Henry whispered, his breath hot against my skin, "this is your punishment. If you do this again, I'll kiss you again."

My lips stung—he had actually bitten me.

How arrogant this man was! Did he think I could be bullied so easily?

I glared at him, this man who towered over me by more than a head, feeling tears gathering in my eyes. Damn Henry Harding! We were divorced.

We had agreed not to interfere in each other's lives. What right did he have to reappear in my life and forcibly kiss me?

I trembled with rage. Without thinking, I raised my right hand and slapped that perfect face hard.

"You bastard!" I hissed, "I'm your ex-wife! We're divorced! How many times do I need to remind you of this fact?"

If he had shown this kind of attention before our divorce, I might have felt warmed, might have believed he truly cared. But now? After everything?

No. I felt nothing for his sudden display of intimacy.

A man who never tried to save the relationship during marriage suddenly had an epiphany after divorce? Please.

The truth was obvious. He couldn't get what he wanted from Isabella, so he turned to someone easier to manipulate, to satisfy his pitiful ego.

I refused to fall into Henry's trap again. I would not fall in love with this man again.

Seeing my strong reaction, Henry's eyes darkened as he stared at my flushed face. I noticed the slight bulge in his pants as he began walking toward me, deliberately slowing his steps.

I backed away until I felt the wall against my back.

"Stay back!" I warned, my voice trembling despite my attempt to sound firm, "Come any closer and I'll call the police!"

Henry completely ignored my warning. Not only did he continue advancing, but he also snatched my phone from my hand and threw it to the floor.

The next second, he bent down, glaring at me fiercely, his nose touching mine.

"Sophia," he growled, "I'm warning you! When any man who isn't me approaches you, you must reject him immediately—especially that Alexander. If he dares to take you out alone again, I will destroy him."

As he spoke, his hot breath hit my nose and upper lip, sending waves of heat throughout my body.

A tingling sensation like electricity ran down the outside of my thighs.

The dominance and forcefulness in his voice felt like heavy shackles around my throat, taking away my ability to speak.

Did Henry really think he was the CEO from a romance novel?

That domineering male character might work in fiction, but I wasn't buying it.

"Are you finished?" I asked calmly, "If so, I'd like to rest. I'm tired and need to sleep."

My cold response infuriated him. He was clearly angry but could do nothing except grit his teeth.

"Where do I sleep then?" he demanded.

My hotel room was a standard king room—one large bed and a sofa. The bed was big enough for two people, even three including Billy.

But I absolutely refused to share a bed with my ex-husband.

"You can sleep on the sofa," I suggested with a shrug.

Henry raised an eyebrow, his expression turning playful. "Doesn't the lady need warming services in bed?"

I rolled my eyes.

Henry realized that pushing further might actually get him kicked out, so he retreated to the sofa without further argument.

Watching him lie on the sofa, I felt a sense of relief. If he had insisted on sharing the bed, I would have taken the sofa myself. Seeing him lying there with nothing covering him, my heart softened. I walked to the closet, took out a spare blanket, and covered him with it.

The man on the sofa gave a cold snort, turning his face away in displeasure. As he moved, the ugly scar on his right arm was exposed.

Seeing that unsightly jagged scar, my heart contracted painfully. I stared at the wound on his arm, a bitter ache spreading in my chest.

I quickly turned away, unable to keep looking at him.

That night, Henry tossed and turned restlessly. He had always been particular about where he slept, finding it difficult to fall asleep in unfamiliar beds.

My own sleep was light, especially with Billy beside me—I constantly worried about my son kicking off his covers. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard Henry turning over again and immediately woke up. This continued for at least an hour before I finally spoke up.

"Henry," I whispered sternly, "could you please stop moving around?"

Every time I was about to fall asleep, he would change positions. This had to be deliberate!

Henry's lips curved into a smile. "The sofa is too hard. I'm uncomfortable. Why don't you let me sleep in the bed with you?"

If this continued until morning, neither of us would get any sleep. I bit my lip, then made a decision.

"Fine. You take the bed."

Henry's face lit up with joy, but his happiness didn't last long. The next moment, I grabbed my pillow and moved to the sofa.

"You sleep on the bed. I'll take the sofa."

The situation had reached a stalemate. If he tried to carry me back to the bed now, we would have a major argument. He clenched his jaw again but decided to remain silent.

I quickly fell asleep...

This time, I had a dream. I dreamed that Sam was waving at me, smiling, pointing behind me. When I turned around, I saw Henry staring at me angrily.

The dream felt incredibly real, as if it were actually happening. Even the feeling in my hand felt real, as if Sam were truly there, holding it.

I couldn't distinguish between dream and reality. I gazed lovingly in the direction where Sam had disappeared, softly murmuring: "Sam."

The next moment, someone pushed me hard.

"Sophia, wake up!" Henry's voice penetrated my dream.

I opened my eyes to find Henry's face just inches from mine, and my heart sank. I had called out Sam's name in my sleep.

Judging from Henry's fierce expression, he had definitely heard it.

I didn't know how to explain Sam's existence, nor did I feel I needed to explain anything to my ex-husband. Even if I had called another man's name, it was none of Henry's business. After all, we were divorced.

Those two syllables—"Sam"—had deeply wounded Henry's heart. He had traveled all this way with Billy to see me, but was it really just because Billy wanted to see me? Didn't he want to see me too?

Only his pride wouldn't allow him to express his true feelings.

"You're really something," he mocked, "lying beside me but thinking of another man. So in our six years of marriage, I was just his substitute? Is that it?"

Billy stirred, disturbed by Henry's outburst. Afraid of waking my son, I gently patted his round little bottom, softly soothing him.

"It's okay, baby. It's alright. Go back to sleep."

After Billy fell back asleep, I turned to Henry, who was still leaning over me.

"Please don't wake the child, okay?" I said quietly.

With that, I pulled back the covers, preparing to get up. I clearly remembered falling asleep on the sofa—how did I end up in the bed? Henry must have moved me after I fell asleep.

"Who is Sam?" Henry demanded, his voice tight with anger.

I decided there was no point in hiding the truth anymore. Better to be honest.

"His name is Sam Davis. He was my former lover."

Henry hadn't expected me to admit it so directly. Bitterness spread throughout his body, and for a moment, all his strength seemed to drain away. Like a deflated balloon, he didn't press further. Instead, he simply turned over to lie on his back, staring at the ceiling with gloomy eyes.

"So I was his substitute, is that it?"

What Henry actually wanted to ask was: "Did you ever love me?" But after much consideration, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

I remained silent, watching Henry lying beside me. Slowly, I crawled away from him, back to the sofa. Only after I had settled did I finally answer.

"Yes." A pause. "Once, I saw you as him."