Return, My Love: Wooing the Neglected Ex-Wife

Chapter 978:

“You’ve admitted it, haven’t you? You don’t want to deal with me anymore, so go. Just go.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened, his tension visible in every line of his face. Joelle grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the ward. He glanced at her tear-soaked face, his expression softening slightly.

“Don’t cry, Joelle. Wade filled his head with poison. There’s nothing we can say that will change him now. We’ll go back tonight. Aurora and Molly are still waiting for us at home.”

Joelle’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper as she clung to Adrian’s sleeve. “Does he really not need us anymore?”noveldrama

Adrian gripped her shoulders firmly. “Joelle, he’s not our child. We’ve done everything we could.”

Joelle’s lips trembled, but after a long silence, she gave a reluctant nod.

That night, Joelle tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. No matter how she looked at it, leaving things as they were didn’t sit right with her.

Before dawn, while Adrian was still fast asleep, Joelle slipped out of bed, threw on her coat, and quietly left for the hospital.

The streets were eerily empty, cloaked in the stillness of night. Joelle drove her rented car with both hands tightly gripping the wheel. As she rounded a bend, the headlights illuminated the darkened storefronts, each one lifeless and locked.

Then, out of nowhere, a shadow darted into her path. A towering man with a spiked club appeared, stepping into her lane.

The headlights lit up his face—a menacing grin twisted with cruelty, his arms adorned with tattoos. He hefted the spiked club menacingly, as if weighing it.

Joelle’s pulse quickened when she noticed a silver pickup truck parked ahead. The driver’s door creaked open, and Hooper stepped out.

Hooper approached with his usual commanding presence, his expression unreadable. “Mrs. Miller, please come with us.”

Joelle instinctively reached for her phone, but the tattooed man was faster. With a guttural curse, he raised the spiked club and slammed it against her window. The glass exploded into shards, scattering across the seats. Joelle let out an involuntary scream, clutching the steering wheel as panic surged through her.

This wasn’t a routine police encounter. Joelle knew it immediately.

Hooper had orchestrated this, waiting for just the right moment to act. With Adrian backing her up, Joelle believed they wouldn’t treat her too harshly.

She forced herself to calm down, got out of the car, and closed the door. “The way you invite me for a talk is quite unconventional.”

Hooper’s hand rested casually on the gun holstered at his waist. He offered her a faint smile, though his eyes held no warmth. “Mrs. Miller, I apologize for the theatrics. We had no other choice. We need Ryland to lead us up the mountain. We’ve exhausted every resource we have to eliminate those terrorists. Surely you can understand the stakes here.”

Joelle stood her ground, her gaze unwavering. “And what if I say no?”

The tattooed man took a step closer, muttering a string of curses under his breath.

Hooper raised a hand to halt him, his expression hardening. “I hear you have two daughters.”

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