From His Ex-Wife to the World's Most Sought-After Restorer (Jade and Hudson) novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158 The Confrontation at Dawn

Before her brain could process it, her mouth had already called out.

“Julian?!”

Julian Foster turned at the sound of her voice. Seeing Jade running toward him, he looked stunned for a moment.

When he snapped out of it, his first instinct was o hide the stark white cast on his arm.

“Don’t bother hiding it!”

Jade had spotted the cast immediately. She reached him in a few strides and reached for his hand.

The cast was wrapped tight, so she couldn’t tell the extent of the damage. She looked up at Julian, her eyes searching his.

“How bad is it? When can you take it off?”

“It’s not serious. It comes off in a few days,” Julian replied mechanically. He looked at Jade then checked his watch.

It was only six-thirty, and Jade was here, dressed much too lightly for the cold.

He frowned and draped his coat over her shoulders with his good hand.

“It’s late autumn. The mornings are freezing. Keep this on until you get inside and warm up.”

“I-”

Thud.

In the next heartbeat, the coat was ripped from er shoulders and flung onto the ground.

Jade’s wrist was seized in a crushing grip, pulling her forward. Her nose slammed into something hard, and she let out a small cry of pain.

Tears welled up in her eyes from the impact, the corners turning a painful red

Hudson’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t think he’d used that much force.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he was violently shoved back.

He stumbled two steps before regaining his footing, his dark eyes fixed on the man in front of him.

Julian had pulled Jade behind him, shielding her

Julian’s frame was broad and tall, completely obscuring Jade except for a sliver of her blue skirt.

The sight was a dagger to Hudson’s heart.

Fury boiled over in his chest. He pulled back a fist and swung it straight at Julian’s face.

Julian used his body to keep Jade back. Just as the punch was about to land, he caught Hudson’s fist. His muscles tensed as he squeezed Hudson’s hand and shoved it away, then spun to deliver a kick.

Hudson dodged, his fists clenched as he lunged again. Julian countered.

The sound of meat hitting meat echoed through the quiet morning air. Jade’s heart hammered against her ribs as she screamed for them to stop.

“Stop it! Both of you!”

“Stay back.”

Julian was terrified of her getting caught in the crossfire, keeping her firmly behind him.

The word “secret” hit Jade like a sledgehammer. Her face went pale, and her voice trembled with rage.

“What are you talking about? What ‘secret meeting?”

Julian gave Jade a reassuring look, then turned a cold gaze back to Hudson.

“I came here to see her. She had no idea. If you have a problem, take it out on me. Don’t bark at her.”

He’d arrived early specifically to avoid a face-to-face encounter; he just wanted to see her from a distance to make sure she was okay.

He never expected to run into her, let alone Hudson.

None of this was part of the plan.

Hudson stared back at Julian, the words practically hissed through his teeth.

“Julian, she is my wife! You showing up here for o reason-you think that’s something to be proud of?”

Julian countered, “I’m visiting a friend. Is there a problem?”

“Who knows if you’re just friends!” Hudson snapped, his jealousy overriding his filter.

“Hudson!” Jade screamed, her eyes red as she stepped toward him.

“Did you forget? When you were all over Amara, even sleeping in the same bed, you said there was ‘nothing going on. Now I’m just standing here with Julian, and you have the nerve to say that to me?”

Hudson was momentarily speechless. He looked back and forth between Jade and Julian. They stood shoulder to shoulder, a united fr against him.

The rage in his chest surged into his throat, leaving the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.