From His Ex-Wife to the World's Most Sought-After Restorer (Jade and Hudson) novel Chapter 271

As she spoke, the resentment she had tried to bury began to seep back into her eyes.

"To you, the company is everything, the title is everything. But to me, my mother's ashes were worth more than all of it combined! You... you had so much, yet you chose to destroy the one thing I truly cherished. You trampled over my heart without a single care in the world..."

Her body was a wire of tension, her slender shoulders trembling as the light from the hallway caught the tears in her eyes, making her look as fragile as glass.

"A man like you deserves everything I've done to you!"

"I know. I deserve all of it." Hudson cupped her face, his fingers shaking even harder than her shoulders as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'm not blaming you. Just... give me a little more time. Please, Jade?"

Jade shook her head, the movement full of agony. "No. It's too late for that."

She reached up and gripped his sleeve, her knuckles white.

"You signed the papers. Just pick a day and let's finish the legal work. What's the point of this? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life making me miserable?"

A lifetime of misery?

The weight of her words was a physical blow.

Hudson's hands dropped from her face as if they had grown too heavy to hold.

He didn't believe her love was gone, but seeing her now, he realized he had been viewing a distorted reality.

He knew Jade wasn't the type to use another man just to spite him.

But he couldn't deny her unhappiness.

She was always in tears now, and her gaze was a cold well of hatred.

If that piece of paper was the only thing that would bring her peace, then maybe...

Hudson looked down into her clear, amber eyes.

"I'll consider it."

Jade froze, a spark of pure disbelief igniting in her eyes.

"What did you just say?"

Hudson watched the life return to her expression for a long moment before repeating the words.

"I said... I will consider finalizing the divorce."

The light in Jade's eyes grew until they shone like polished gems.

"Really? You're not just saying that to shut me up?"

It was the first time he had ever yielded.

She had prayed for this day, but she was so used to disappointment that she needed to hear it again and again to believe it wasn't a dream.

Hudson's head felt heavy, his vision blurring, but the sight of her bright eyes was a vivid anchor in his fading consciousness.

"I mean it..."

The words were barely a whisper before the world went black. With a heavy thud, he collapsed onto the hardwood floor.

Jade's face drained of color. She dropped to her knees beside him.

Finally, those dark, ink-well eyes cleared, locking onto hers.

"I've already agreed to your terms, and I'm half-dead in a hospital bed. Can't you just stay with me for a little while?"

Jade met his stare. She wanted to leave, but she was terrified he'd retract his promise if she did. She sat back down, gently prying her wrist loose.

"I'll stay. If the pain gets worse, tell me and I'll get the nurse."

The warm yellow light of the room fell over her, casting a soft glow on her silky hair and her tired, beautiful face.

Hudson felt a rare sense of peace. He let out a ghost of a smile and didn't reach for her again, simply resting his hand on the edge of the mattress, near enough to feel her presence.

Now that the war between them had reached a ceasefire, a fragile, rare harmony filled the room.

Under the influence of the sedatives, Hudson eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.

The quiet click of a latch woke him. He snapped his eyes open and looked toward the door.

All he saw was the retreating shadow of Jade's figure as she walked away.

She was ruthless.

Hudson covered his eyes with his hand, hiding the moisture that gathered at the corners.

Even now, broken and bleeding, she wouldn't give him a second more than she had to.

Not even a saint could be this cold.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.