Chapter 256 An Obvious Answer
SOPHIA’S POV
The hospital room was unusually quiet that morning.
My body still ached everywhere. Every bruise hurt whenever I moved even slightly.
My wolf was awake but weak inside me. She had spent days mourning alongside me, mourning the child we had lost and the pain we had endured. Even now, I could feel her sadness deep in me.
I pushed the blanket aside and tried to sit up. The movement immediately sent pain through my abdomen.
I winced in pain.
"Don’t move so fast." Zade’s voice came from nearby.
I looked up and found him sitting in a chair beside my bed. He had been there again, just like every day recently.
His eyes filled with concern as he stood and walked toward me.
"I can manage," I muttered.
"You’ve been saying that while looking like you’re about to collapse."
I rolled my eyes.
My wolf actually seemed pleased by his concern.
Traitor.
Zade ignored my expression and carefully helped me sit up properly.
I hated how vulnerable I felt. I hated needing help.
Yet Zade acted as though helping me was the most natural thing in the world.
"Bathroom?" he asked.
I sighed.
Unfortunately, he was right. I needed to use it. The problem was that walking still felt difficult.
"I can go myself." I murmured.
"No, you can’t."
"I can."
"You nearly fell yesterday."
I glared at him. He stared right back. Neither of us moved.
After several seconds, he folded his arms.
"Keep arguing and you’ll still end up leaning on me."
I hated that he was right. My wolf huffed in annoyance.
Reluctantly, I held out my hand.
He grinned "I knew you’d make the smart decision."
I tried to hide my smile "Don’t get used to it."
His smile only widened. Carefully, he helped me off the bed.
The moment my feet touched the floor, dizziness hit me. My knees almost buckled.
Zade immediately caught me around the waist.
"See?"
I looked away. I wasn’t in the mood to admit he had been right.
Slowly, he guided me toward the bathroom. Every step I took reminded me just how badly my body had been damaged.
My wolf whimpered quietly inside me. Neither of us liked feeling this weak.
When we finally reached the bathroom door, Zade stopped.
"I’ll wait outside." He said.
I nodded and entered to use the bathroom. Several minutes later, I came back out.
Zade was exactly where I had left him, leaning against the wall. He was still waiting.
Something about that made my chest feel tight.
Nobody had waited for me like that in years, not Damien, not anyone.
Zade gently helped me back toward the bed. Once I was settled again, he pulled his chair closer.
He looked at me intensely.
"What?" I asked.
A slow smile appeared on his lips "I was thinking."
"That’s dangerous."
He laughed. "I was thinking it’s about time you met my mother."
I froze.
Absolutely not.
My wolf immediately became alert.
"No." I said.
Zade blinked in shock "No?"
"No."
His eyebrows lifted "That was fast."
"Because the answer is obvious."
The smile on his face faded slightly.
"Why?"
I stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious?
"Because I’m in a hospital bed covered in bruises."
His expression softened "That isn’t why."
I looked away.
Unfortunately, he was right. That wasn’t the real reason. The real reason was far more complicated.
"I’m still married." I whispered.
"Technically. You’ll be divorced soon."
My chest tightened painfully.
The divorce. Everything always came back to that.
My wolf lowered her head sadly.
I suddenly lost interest in the conversation.
"I’m not meeting your mother." I said quietly.
Zade watched me quietly., then he sighed.
"Fine."
His answer surprised me. There was no argument, no pressure. I expected him to try to convince me more. But he just accepted it.
It almost made me feel guilty. Almost.
Before either of us could speak again, my phone suddenly vibrated.
When I looked at the screen, my entire mood got worse.
Damien.
I opened the message. The moment I read it, anger exploded inside me. My fingers tightened around the phone.
Zade noticed.
"What happened?" he asked.
I didn’t answer. I kept reading.
Every word made me angrier. Every sentence made my heart hurt more.
Damien had sent a new divorce condition, a new demand. It was a new way to hurt me.
He said that after the divorce...I was never allowed to see Ashley again.
In exchange...he would give me a large settlement. As though Ashley could be replaced by money. As though my daughter was something he could buy away from me.
My entire body with anger. My wolf growled inside me
She growled so loudly inside my head that I almost felt dizzy.
Ashley was ours. She was our pup, our daughter. No amount of money could change that.
"What happened?" Zade asked again.
I looked up. My eyes were already burning with rage.
I handed him the phone. He read the message.
The atmosphere around him instantly changed. The smile disappeared from his face. His eyes darkened.
For several seconds, he said absolutely nothing.
"He’s serious?" he said quietly
"Apparently."
I immediately grabbed the phone back.
My hands shook from anger.
Without hesitation, I typed my response. Every word came directly from my heart.
Me: Hell no! I will fight you on this if I have to. Ashley is my daughter. No amount of money can make me stay away from her.
I sent the message.
Ashley is my daughter. I carried her. I gave birth to her. I raised her. I will never give up my rights as her mother, not for money, not for anything.
My wolf remained furious.
"Good."
I looked up. Zade was staring at the phone with murderous eyes.
"Good?" I repeated.
"You should have said worse."
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
Everything hurt. My body hurt. My heart hurt. Even breathing felt exhausting.
"I don’t understand him." I said "He wants the divorce. So. why does he keep trying to take everything from me?"
My wolf whined softly.
For the first time in days, I felt like crying. Tears burned my eyes but I blinked them away.
I was tired of crying.
Zade leaned forward.
"Because he’s an idiot." He said "He thinks he can bully you. He thinks you’ll accept whatever he decides. He’s wrong."
My wolf perked up slightly. She liked hearing that.
Zade stood up abruptly. His Alpha aura spread into the room.
Even weakened, I could feel it. The air itself seemed heavier.
"If he wants a war, he’ll get one." Zade said.
I frowned "Zade."
"No." His voice was firm. "Enough is enough."
The veins in his hands stood out. His control was slipping.
"He lets his family hurt you."
"Zade-"
"He lets people abuse you. He takes your daughter."
My wolf growled, not at Zade. She was growling at Damien. The same anger was alive inside both of us.
For several seconds, the room remained silent.
Finally, Zade took a deep breath. Then suddenly, his expression changed.
The anger vanished and a mischievous smile appeared instead.
I became suspicious. That smile never meant anything good.
"What?" I asked
He sat back down, still smiling. "I have an idea."
That made me even more nervous.
His smile widened "I want to drive Damien insane."
I stared at him "...What?"
His eyes sparkled "I’ve decided."
I already hated where this was going.
Zade leaned closer "Sweetheart."
I nearly choked "What?"
His smile became even bigger.
"My sweetheart."
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him.
He caught it effortlessly, laughing. He was actually laughing.
My face immediately grew hot.
"Stop." I said.
"No."
"Zade."
"My sweetheart."
I wanted to throw another pillow. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough strength.
He clearly knew it too. The smug look on his face proved it.
My wolf, the traitor, actually seemed amused. I was surrounded by enemies.
I sighed "You’re impossible."
"And you’re adorable when you’re angry."
I groaned loudly, pulling the blanket over my head. If I couldn’t escape the conversation, I could at least hide.
I knew he was still sitting there, still smiling.
"Come out." He teased.
"No."
"I can still see your feet."
I pulled the blanket lower.
His laughter filled the room again. For the first time in what felt like forever, the hospital room didn’t seem quite so cold.
I was still angry. I was still hurting and still heartbroken.
But while Zade continued teasing me, I found myself feeling something I hadn’t felt in a long time. I felt safe.
And that realization scared me far more than his ridiculous nicknames ever could.