From His Ex-Wife to the World's Most Sought-After Restorer (Jade and Hudson) novel Chapter 173

The oatmeal was actually quite good this morning, suiting her palate perfectly.

However, after only half a bowl, Jade stopped and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"I'm full."

Hudson glanced at the bowl. It hadn't been full to begin with, and she'd barely touched it.

A faint frown creased his brow, but he didn't comment.

"Fine."

Jade stood up and went to the shoe cabinet to change.

Footsteps followed her, and she turned to see Hudson right behind her.

Anticipating her question, he spoke first.

"I'll drive you."

"No need."

Jade rejected him without a second thought. Hudson ignored her and reached for the car keys on the cabinet.

"Hudson!" Jade straightened up and stared at him.

"Don't bother. I don't need your fake concern."

In the past, he only put up with her because he was afraid his grandfather would make things hard for Amara.

Now, his "kindness" was strictly for the sake of the baby.

She knew every move he made was calculated.

She wouldn't be moved, and she certainly wouldn't be fooled again.

"Jade," Hudson said, his voice laced with the weary patience of a man dealing with a temperamental child.

"We're married. It's my job to drive you. There's no reason to be this difficult."

Jade's tone was even more exhausted than his.

"If it's your job, why didn't you do it for the last three years?"

Hudson was momentarily speechless. Jade grabbed her own car keys.

"I don't need the things you refused to give me back then. Stop wasting your time."

Hudson's grip on his keys tightened until the jagged metal bit into his palm.

He was about to follow her when the phone in his pocket began to ring.

His eyes followed Jade as she walked away. Without even checking the caller ID, he answered.

"Daddy Hudson!"

The bright, childish voice on the other end acted like a pause button on the world. A suffocating sensation washed over him.

Hudson instinctively looked at Jade. Meeting her clear, piercing gaze, he quickly looked away and spoke into the phone with forced neutrality.

"Cortney, don't call me that."

With that single sentence, Hudson walked out into the back garden with the phone to his ear.

Jade watched him go, her expression empty. She looked down at the pink diamond on her finger and let out a small, mocking scoff.

-

Inside the limited-edition Maybach.

Cortney was bouncing on Hudson's lap, chattering away.

"Daddy Hudson, am I really going to see Mommy?"

"Take me to Amara's room."

The director bowed low, gesturing forward.

"Right this way, sir."

As they walked, the director scrambled to impress Hudson with a litany of praise.

"As you requested, we've given Ms. Hoyt the best super-VIP suite in the facility. It's just like being at home. I guarantee she's comfortable.

"Her doctors and caregivers are the top tier. She's getting the absolute best care and treatment."

Hudson nodded, looking satisfied.

"I'll be adding another five million dollars to your funding after the new year."

The director's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, his face split with a greedy grin.

"Only a man like you could be so generous, Mr. Walter."

They reached Amara's room.

It was a high-end suite, more like a small apartment than a hospital room.

In a place like this, as long as you were willing to pay, you could live in luxury.

Beep, beep—

The director swiped his card, and the door clicked open.

But the moment the door swung wide, a thick, metallic scent of blood hit them.

Everyone in the hallway froze.

Hudson realized something was wrong and immediately pushed Cortney back into the arms of a nurse.