I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 147

By the time dawn broke, Nora had been rushed into the emergency room. She had lost consciousness from severe blood loss. The bright red 'In Surgery' sign cast an eerie glow down the sterile hospital hallway.

Bonnie buried her face in Xander's chest, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

One second she had a knife to her throat, and the next, her savior collapsed in a pool of blood. The double trauma was entirely too much for a child to process.

Her little fingers clutched his shirt tightly, her tiny body trembling uncontrollably. Xander patted her back, his voice softening. "Bonnie, relax. She'll be fine."

Bonnie looked up, her face a mess of tears, her wet lashes clumped together. "Daddy, she's hurt so badly. I saw the huge cut on her arm. It must hurt so much."

She hiccuped, her voice cracking. "Nora is terrified of pain, but she still stepped in front of me to protect me. She really loves me, Daddy."

Hearing his daughter's words, Xander remained silent, lost in thought.

He looked up at the red light above the operating room doors, his expression heavy.

If he could convince himself that Nora's past interactions with Bonnie were just calculated moves, what about tonight?

Winona was their housekeeper; she had absolutely zero connection to Nora. Yet Nora had braved a massive storm at three in the morning and thrown herself in front of a blade without a second thought. How could any of that have been staged?

Unless Nora and Winona had some hidden, undeniable connection.

Xander snapped his gaze toward his hovering assistant, his voice returning to its usual icy detachment. "Look into any possible link between Nora and Winona Webb."

Her lips were as pale as her skin, blending into the stark white sheets. She looked dangerously fragile, completely drained of life.

Bonnie scrambled to the side of the gurney, gripping the rail on her tiptoes as she whimpered softly, "Nora, please wake up."

Nora didn't respond. The only movement was the steady drip of the IV fluids into her vein.

Xander pulled the doctor aside. Flipping through the chart, the doctor explained it was severe blood loss. The wound was wide but hadn't hit any major arteries, though they strongly recommended a few days of observation. Xander nodded in agreement.

They settled Nora into a private VIP suite. By now, the sky outside was turning a pale grey, and the rain had finally stopped. Bonnie stubbornly refused to leave, demanding to wait until Nora woke up.

Xander crouched down to her eye level, his tone incredibly patient. "I will stay here with her. The second she wakes up, I promise I'll call you. Okay? Go home and get some rest. You're growing, and if she wakes up to see you exhausted and disobeying, she'll be heartbroken."