I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 280

His voice echoed down the hall, drawing the stares of other parents.

Hearing the commotion, the department head rushed over and tried to mediate.

Gareth shoved him away hard, pointing a trembling finger in his face. "You're all in on it together! I'm calling the press! I'm suing all of you!"

Meredith tried to pull her husband back, but he violently shook her off.

The hallway descended into sudden chaos. Gareth had completely lost control of his emotions.

Nora stepped in front of the department head, speaking in a measured, soothing tone. "I understand you're upset. If you have concerns, we can sit down and talk through them. But please, refrain from getting physical."

Her calm demeanor only seemed to enrage him further. "Bullshit! It's not your kid, so of course you don't give a damn! That's my daughter in there!"

He grabbed a nearby chair and roared, "Get the hell away from her!"

He hadn't necessarily meant to throw it, but somehow the chair slipped from his furious grip and went hurtling straight toward Nora!

Nora's pupils dilated in shock. Just as she braced to dodge, an arm shot out from behind her, grabbing Gareth's wrist and yanking it sideways.

The counter-force was expertly applied—not a direct block, but enough to violently alter the chair's trajectory. It grazed past Nora's shoulder and smashed into a stainless steel medical cart nearby.

The deafening crash echoed down the entire corridor.

Nora whipped her head around and saw Xander standing half a step behind her. The chair lay crumpled on the floor.

A deep gash had been sliced across his forearm. Bright red blood was already pooling, dripping steadily down his fingertips in a shocking display.

Gareth froze in horror, his arm still suspended awkwardly in the air.

Xander retracted his arm, glancing dismissively down at his wound. His face was stone cold. "Use your words, not your fists."

Nora stared at the blood pouring from his arm, her mind completely blanking for several terrifying seconds.

Nora was about to offer her some comforting words, but Annabel spoke first.

"Nora, I'm tired. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Meredith opened her mouth to object, but Annabel simply looked at her.

The look she gave her mother was far too heavy for a seven-year-old. Meredith clamped her mouth shut and pulled her husband a few steps back.

Nora sat on the edge of Annabel's bed. "What did you want to tell me, sweetheart?"

Annabel didn't answer right away.

She looked down, playing with her own fingers as if carefully piecing together her thoughts. After about half a minute, she finally looked up, meeting Nora's gaze head-on.

"Nora, are you tired?"