Chapter 260
I stared at the hospital room’s stark white ceiling, my thoughts racing as I considered my impossibl
situation.
The divorce had never been just empty words. From the moment I signed those papers and moved out of Maple Grove, I had been determined to sever all ties with Henry. Every action since then had been deliberate–staying as far away from that toxic man as humanly possible.
I’d been doing so well too. Keeping my distance, hardening my heart, focusing solely on Billy and my career. But now? Now everything had changed in an instant.
Henry’s right hand–the one he used to sign billion–dollar contracts, the one that controlled the fate of entire companies–might never function properly again. And it was all because of me.
If this had happened even a day earlier, I could have walked away without a second thought. If Henry had been injured in some random accident, I wouldn’t have spared him more than a passing wish for recovery. But he had deliberately put himself between me and danger. He had chosen to take that knife meant for my flesh.
I couldn’t just turn my back on that. No matter how much I wanted to.
With Richard and William gone, I found myself alone with the sleeping figure in the hospital bed. My hand was still firmly clasped in his, though his grip had relaxed with sleep. The heart monitor beeped steadily beside the bed, its rhythm almost hypnotic in the quiet room.
After considerable internal debate, I decided to stay and care for him during his hospitalization. Not because I still had feelings for him–absolutely not–but because I couldn’t simply accept his sacrifice without offering something in return. Basic human decency demanded at least that much.
Besides, when Catherine had been attacking me earlier, Henry had actually intervened on my behalf. It wasn’t much, but it showed that at least in some small way, he was willing to stand up for me.
That was more than he’d ever done during our entire marriage.
Having made my decision, I stopped trying to pull my hand from his grip. Instead, I settled more comfortably in the chair beside his bed and took out my phone with my free hand. If I was going to be stuck here all night, I might as well make productive use of the time.
I began researching nerve damage and rehabilitation options, my fingers scrolling through medical
journals and case studies. The more I read, the more my stomach twisted with anxiety. The
prognosis for severe nerve damage wasn’t encouraging.
Henry slept deeply beside me. It struck me as odd–I couldn’t recall the last time I’d seen him sleep
so peacefully. For a man usually so controlled and tense, he looked almost vulnerable in slu features relaxed into something approaching serenity.
r, his
1/2
What I didn’t know was that Henry’s sleep patterns had deteriorated dramatically dine, Ida out of Maple Grove. He’d struggled with Insomnia for weeks, often lying awake until dawn of awake in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. In desperation, he’d resorted to with one of my old sweaters, taking comfort in the lingering scent of my perfume,
Even then, his sleep had been fitful at best, caught in that hazy zone between dreams and reality This right now–was the first time he’d slept soundly since our separation.
I was so absorbed in my reading that I didn’t notice when Henry’s eyes opened. He lay there silently watching me, making no movement to alert me to his conscious state. His gaze traveled over my features, taking in the slight furrow between my brows as I concentrated on the screen before me.
The room was dimly lit, with just a small bedside lamp casting a soft glow. I had positioned myself to block the light from his face, not wanting to disturb his rest. Moonlight filtered through the window, softening his usually sharp features and casting everything in a silvery hue.
Henry’s expression was one of complete contentment. His furrowed brow had finally relaxed. He
seemed reluctant to break the peaceful moment, content just to silently watch me as I scrolled through medical articles.
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