The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 75

Isabella quickly assessed the situation. Benjamin's presence was a nuisance, interfering with her plans for Henry. She turned toward him, her polite smile not reaching her eyes.

"Thank you for looking after Henry," she said sweetly. "I can take it from here."

Benjamin hesitated, his gaze shifting between Henry and Isabella. "I don't think that's a good idea. Henry needs—"

"What Henry needs," Isabella interrupted with determination in her voice, "is someone who truly understands him. Not some drinking buddy who encourages him." Her smile vanished entirely. "Now if you wouldn't mind giving us some privacy? Your task here is finished."

For a moment, Benjamin seemed ready to argue, but the calculating look in Isabella's eyes made him reconsider. He reluctantly backed toward the door, stopping only to cast a worried glance at Henry before leaving.

Once alone, Isabella's demeanor transformed completely. She gazed at Henry's handsome face with undisguised desire, drinking in every feature as if committing them to memory. Her fingers traced his jawline with reverent touches.

"Henry, you're truly beautiful," she whispered, her voice filled with obsession. "Do you remember the first time I saw you? Among all those people, I spotted you immediately. I told myself right then: this man is going to be mine."

She sighed, shifting closer on the leather couch. Her hand moved to stroke his disheveled hair, gently brushing it back from his forehead.

"If not for your stubborn grandfather opposing our relationship, we'd have been married years ago," she continued, though Henry was barely conscious enough to hear her. "And then your heart condition worsened—you were almost dying. I had to leave for your own good, following your grandfather's demands."

Her face hardened at the memory before relaxing into a practiced expression of devotion.

"But I never stopped loving you, Henry. Never. Not for a single day."

Isabella had come prepared for this opportunity.

Beneath her elegant dress, she wore nothing! She guided his limp hand to her breast, pressing it firmly against her.

"Feel me, Henry," she coaxed. "Remember how good we used to be together?"

Since her return to New York, she had made countless attempts to seduce him, to recapture what they once had. Each time, Henry maintained a frustrating distance.

Despite their wonderful past together, despite her beauty and the promises in her eyes, he remained strangely unresponsive to her advances.

This baffled and infuriated her. The Henry she remembered had desired her intensely.

But now, what exactly had changed?

Tonight, with his defenses lowered by alcohol and disappointment, she sensed an opportunity. Whispering his name softly, she watched his eyes flutter closed, his breathing becoming deeper and more rhythmic.

Once certain he was asleep, Isabella deftly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his chest. She pressed her lips against his skin in a slow, deliberate kiss.

"No one will disturb us now," she murmured, glancing toward the locked door. "And I've waited far too long for this."

Outside in the corridor, Benjamin paced anxiously, his phone pressed to his ear as he waited for Sophia to answer. After several long rings, the call finally connected.

"Hello?" Sophia's voice sounded wary.

"It's Benjamin," he said quickly. "Listen, I need to tell you something about Henry."

"If this is about that ridiculous photo you posted," Sophia interrupted, "you can save it. I'm not interested in your tactics."

Benjamin winced, realizing his plan had backfired spectacularly. "That's not why I'm calling. Well, not entirely. Look, Henry is in bad shape, and Isabella is here—"

"And that concerns me how?" Sophia's voice was ice cold.

"She's taking advantage of him," Benjamin explained desperately. "He's completely drunk, barely conscious, and she's locked herself in the VIP room with him. I don't trust her intentions."

"So Henry gets drunk, his ex-girlfriend shows up, and somehow this becomes my problem?" Sophia laughed bitterly. "I'm sorry, but I fail to see why I should care."

"Sophia, please," Benjamin pleaded. "Isabella is clearly planning to—"

"To what? Sleep with him? He's a grown man, Benjamin. And more importantly, he's not my concern anymore."

Benjamin ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You don't understand. She arrived moments after I posted that photo. She saw it and came running—she's been waiting for an opportunity like this. She's trying to use this chance to seduce Henry into bed! This isn't what Henry wants!"

"Then maybe your friend shouldn't have gotten himself blind drunk," Sophia retorted. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but Henry made his choice long ago. I wish him and Isabella all the happiness in the world."

"No, you don't understand," Benjamin said urgently. "Henry doesn't even know she's there! He's so drunk he thought she was you! He called out your name! He's been calling for you the whole time!"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

Before Sophia could respond, a loud crash erupted from inside the VIP room, followed by a woman's startled cry. Benjamin nearly dropped his phone in shock.

"I have to go—something's happened," he said hurriedly, ending the call.

Benjamin burst into the room to find a bizarre scene. Henry had apparently rolled off the couch in his sleep, taking Isabella down with him. They had crashed onto the floor, with Isabella pinned awkwardly beneath Henry's unconscious weight. Her elegant dress was hiked up around her thighs, her makeup smeared from the impact.

Henry groaned, groggily raising a hand to his head while remaining oblivious to Isabella beneath him.

Benjamin quickly noted Henry's unbuttoned shirt, immediately understanding what Isabella had been attempting. She struggled to free herself from Henry's weight, her carefully constructed poise completely shattered.

"Sophia?" Henry mumbled, his eyes still closed, clearly disoriented. "Where's Sophia?"

Benjamin couldn't suppress a smirk. "Even dead drunk and unconscious, he's still calling for his wife, not you."

Isabella's face contorted with fury. She finally extracted herself from beneath Henry, scrambling to her feet with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Shut up!" she snarled, all pretense of refinement abandoned. "You need to learn when to keep your mouth shut, Benjamin! No one asked for your commentary!"

She straightened her dress, attempting to restore her appearance. "Get out! You're not needed here!"

Benjamin stood his ground, crossing his arms. "I'm not leaving him alone with you."

Before Isabella could launch into another tirade, Benjamin's phone rang. Glancing at the screen, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, look at that," he said, moving quickly to Henry's side. "Sophia's calling back! She's worried! She really cares about you!"

The announcement seemed to penetrate Henry's alcohol-induced haze. He struggled to sit up straighter, his eyes attempting to focus.

"Sophia?" he repeated, a hint of hope breaking through his slurred speech. "She's coming?"

Isabella watched with growing rage as both men's attention shifted entirely away from her, focused instead on the ringing phone and the woman on the other end of the line.

On the other side of the city, Sophia clutched her phone nervously. After hearing that crash through the phone and Benjamin's alarmed "I have to go," she had been unable to suppress her concern. What if Henry was truly injured? What if something serious had happened?

Despite her determination to keep her distance from Henry, she couldn't help but worry.

One phone call to check on the situation wouldn't hurt, would it?

She had no way of knowing the chaos her simple follow-up call had just unleashed.