I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 52

Nora had just finished organizing the last stack of files when her phone rang.

It was Zelda. The moment she answered, she heard the older woman's joyful voice. "Nora, come to my office for a minute."

"Sure, I'll be right there."

Putting her things down, Nora walked down the hall to Zelda's office.

The door was slightly ajar, so she knocked twice and pushed it open.

"Did you need me, Zelda?"

She stopped mid-sentence, startled. Felix was standing in front of Zelda's desk. The moment he saw her, he took two steps forward with a grin. "Nora, what's wrong? Don't recognize me?"

"Felix?" Nora was genuinely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Felix tucked his hands into his pockets. "The hospital wanted to collaborate on a project with the institute and sent me over with a team. From today on, we're officially working together."

He let out a breath, looking completely at ease. "I'm so thrilled to be working with you all again."

Zelda stood up from behind her desk, her eyes slightly red. Having no children of her own, she had dedicated her entire life to the institute. She had mentored many students, but Felix and Nora were Professor Vance's true proteges.

"Your professor only took the two of you under his wing in his entire career. I've always hoped to see you two work side-by-side and achieve something incredible."

She glanced at Felix, a hint of heartache in her eyes. "You had a bit of a setback a few years ago, Felix, which cost you some time..."

Felix lowered his eyes. "That's all in the past, Zelda."

"Yes, it's in the past," Zelda nodded, setting her files down. "This is exactly how it should be. Why don't you both attend tonight's banquet together? Just treat it as a fun night out and don't put too much pressure on yourselves."

Nora nodded. "Alright."

Leaving Zelda's office, Nora led Felix toward her own lab.

As they passed the large main laboratory, Felix's gaze suddenly locked onto something.

Through the glass partition, he saw Seraphina standing gracefully at a lab bench, her head bowed over some documents.

Felix furrowed his brow sharply. "Isn't that..."

Nora cast a fleeting, indifferent glance in that direction. "Yeah. Don't worry about it, Felix. Let's just focus on our own research."

Felix kept walking beside her, his voice dripping with displeasure. "She's only here to rub it in your face, isn't she?"

"Finn is truly something else. He thinks you're clueless, but you know the truth. He knows exactly who she is, yet he flaunts her right under your nose. Isn't he deliberately trying to humiliate you?"

The hallway fell quiet for a moment.

Nora wasn't angry; she simply offered a faint smile. "I've never given them the time of day, Felix."

Felix took his team to sort out the collaboration details, while Nora returned to the lab to run her data. The hours slipped away, and by the time she finally looked away from her monitor, the sky outside was already dark.

Right before it was time to leave, Felix waited for her outside the lab.

The hallway lights flickered on just as Nora stepped out of the changing room.

She was wearing an ankle-length red dress that hugged her waist perfectly. The neckline was elegant, dipping just enough to showcase her collarbones. With her hair cascading over her shoulders, light makeup, and a lipstick shade slightly darker than usual, she looked utterly radiant and commanding.

Felix froze for a second when he saw her, unable to hold back a sigh of admiration.

"Nora, you look exactly like you used to."

Walking up to him, Nora glanced down at her dress. "Is it too red?"

"Not at all," Felix shook his head. "When you first joined Professor Vance's program, you were just like this. You showed up to the lab in a bright red dress and got chewed out by him for not looking like a proper researcher. You even argued back, saying doing science shouldn't stop you from wearing a dress."

He chuckled. "Back then, guys were constantly pressing their faces against the lab windows just to catch a glimpse of you. Every single bachelor in the institute found an excuse to visit our floor. The professor was so furious he almost padlocked the doors."

Nora looked down, a self-deprecating smile tugging at her lips.

That was exactly who she used to be—fearless and headstrong. She used to believe that if she loved someone, she should declare it loudly, convinced that a sincere heart could melt even the coldest stone.

She had once sworn she would only ever marry Finn, believing herself to be incredibly brave and devoted. Then, reality had delivered a brutal slap to the face.