All Chapters of I LEFT WHEN HIS EX CAME BACK WITH HIS SON: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

CHAPTER 172THALIAI stared at the screen a second longer, then something in me shifted. The shock burned off fast, replaced by something harder."They can shove those rumours in their miserable ass," I said, scoffing, turning away from the screen. "I don't care what they say. Let's go.""You sure?" Knox asked, already reaching for his keys anyway. "Because we can wait an hour, let this die down a little before—""No." I grabbed my bag off the counter. "The longer I sit here letting them talk, the more true it starts sounding to people. I'd rather face it head-on."Olivia kept murmuring as we stepped out. "I'll start working on some kind of damage control while we're gone. A statement, maybe. Or I'll call that media lawyer Catherine mentioned, get something official drafted before this spirals any further.""Do whatever you think is best," I said. "I just need to get this statement done."She nodded, already typing something into her phone before we'd even made it to the door.The mom

CHAPTER 174 THALIA "Adrian?" I stared at him, genuinely stunned, my brain struggling to catch up with what he'd just offered like it hadn't fully processed the words the first time. "What are you even doing here?" I asked, still half in shock. "How did you know to come?" He rubbed the back of his neck, a little sheepish despite the seriousness of the moment. "I just wanted to check on you. Figured you might need someone around, given everything. I didn't expect to walk into this, but I'm glad I did." I moved closer to him, searching his face for any hint of hesitation, any flicker of doubt that might mean he was only saying this out of pressure rather than genuine willingness. "Can you?" My voice came out smaller than I meant it to. "Can you really give him the blood?" "I can," he said simply. "And I will." Before I could say anything else, the doctor stepped out of the room, clipboard in hand, expression grave but focused. Catherine was on her feet instantly, moving

THALIA I don't remember leaving the courtroom. I only remember the cold air outside and the crowd shouting my name while Knox pulled me through it. Then the hospital corridor was stretching ahead of me, so long and bright that I started to run before I could stop myself. I pushed through his door so hard that it banged against the wall. He was awake. He lay propped against two pillows with his hair a mess and a bandage wrapped around his head. His face was still too pale, but his eyes were open and turned toward the door, as if he had been watching it for a long time. Catherine sat in the chair beside him, the same chair she had barely left since the night he collapsed, a handkerchief balled in her fist. "You're really awake," I said, and my voice cracked in the middle. "So they tell me." His voice was rough from not being used, but a smile pulled at one corner of his mouth, small and tired and completely him. "You look like you ran all the way here." "I practically did." I laugh

CHAPTER 178 THALIA I sent Catherine a short message the next morning saying I was resting, and I told myself that was not a lie. Then I sat on my couch with a cup of tea going cold in my hands and tried to read the same page of a report for an hour. The words kept sliding away from me. All I could see was a different hospital room, years ago, and a girl with messy hair sitting in a plastic chair. I had been the one who sat beside him then. I read to him until my voice went hoarse. I counted his breaths and wiped the sweat off his forehead, and I whispered stories into the dark because someone had told me people could hear you even when they were far away. I had believed that with my whole heart. Then he woke up and was all over Clara. Now he had been far away again, and I had read to him again, and he had called for her again. My throat closed so suddenly that I had to put the tea down. I pressed the back of my hand against my mouth, and the tears came anyway, hot and silent an

CHAPTER 180 THALIA For a long moment, I could not move. His hand was warm around mine, and his apology was still hanging in the air between us, soft and raw and far too honest for a hospital room in the middle of the afternoon. My heart was doing something foolish. It was beating so loudly that I was sure he could hear it. I cleared my throat and gently slid my hand out of his. “Erm,” I said, looking anywhere but his face. “We’ll talk about that later, Brandon.” He blinked. A small, tired smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he did not argue. “Later,” he agreed. “Later,” I repeated, as though saying it twice would make it true. I smoothed the blanket over his knees for no reason at all, then stared at my own fingers. The silence stretched, and I could feel the heat creeping up my neck. Then my brain, bless it, finally caught up with the rest of the afternoon, and I sat bolt upright. “Oh my God. Leo.” Brandon frowned. “What about him?” “How is he? Is he alright?” I pre