THE LOST HEIRESS RETURNS AFTER DIVORCE
Chapter 76: His Final Wish 3

Chapter 76: His Final Wish 3

His words hit her like a slap. She hated how calm he sounded, how much sense he was trying to make.

As much as she wanted to keep blaming him, as much as she hated the sound of his voice, she couldn’t push away the truth. He had a point.

If she hadn’t spoken those truths to Alex, her sweet, fragile boy wouldn’t be lying on a hospital bed, fighting to breathe.

"If my son dies, Caius," she said, her voice trembling, "I swear, I will make your life a kind of miserable you’ve never imagined."

Caius didn’t react at first. Then, after a long pause, he looked at her. His eyes were tired.

"It seems like you just want to say hurtful things to me," he muttered.

"Don’t you dare act like you’re the victim!" she shouted. "You’ve been the architect of every broken thing in our lives. Every moment of pain, every inch of doubt—you’re at the center of it."

"You think you’re a saint?" he snapped. "You think keeping Alex from me was the right thing to do? You think lying to him all these years was noble?"

"I lied to protect him from you!"

"You lied because you wanted to control the story. You wanted to be the hero and make me the monster."

"You were the monster!" she shouted, pushing against his chest with both fists. "You still are!"

"Ahem," a voice rang out.

When she turned, it was the doctor. Beside him were two nurses. She had been yelling at Caius that’s she didn’t even know when the doctor came out.

They all froze for a moment as they saw Heather and Caius in another fight.

The doctor’s face darkened. His eyes were shadowed by fatigue, but it spoke louder than his voice ever could.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen chaos happen outside a child’s hospital room, and sadly, it likely wouldn’t be the last.

Heather straightened herself quickly as the nurses moved past them without a word. They made sure their eyes avoided hers.

There was no judgment in their glances—just exhaustion. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her breathing, still shaky from the shouting.

The doctor walked toward them, his hands were folded and his mouth set in a grim line.

"I don’t know what’s going on between you two," he said firmly, his tone even and serious, like a final warning. "And I don’t care."

"But if I see this again—any shouting, any fighting—I will report both of you to Child Protective Services."

"That boy in there doesn’t need this. He needs peace. And if you can’t give that to him, we will find someone who can."

Heather lips parted slightly, she was ready to defend herself, but he raised a hand to silence her.

"Do whatever he wants," the doctor said flatly. "Whatever makes him calm, happy, stable. He asked for something. I don’t know how you feel about it, and frankly, I don’t care. But you have to make him feel safe. Or you will lose him."

He held their gaze a beat longer, then turned on his heel and walked away. He left a silence that felt heavier than any lecture.

Do whatever he wants or you’ll lose him. The words repeated again and again inside her head.

She didn’t even know what he meant by lose him. Would Alex not wake up from the surgery?

Or did he mean the system would take him away, place him with another family?

She wasn’t sure which terrified her more.

But right now, what scared her most... was Alex’s wish.

He wanted her to marry Caius.

Just the thought made her stomach knot. After how strongly she’d promised herself, sworn up and down, that she would never—never—have anything to do with him again.

Marry him?

She felt like she was going backward into a place she had fought so hard to escape.

She glanced at Caius. He hadn’t said a word. Not a sound, or even a sigh.

Just stood there with that frustrating stillness he wore like armor.

There was something in his eyes—amusement? amusement?—and it made her frown.

She rolled her eyes at him and looked away.

This was the exact kind of circumstances he enjoyed. He would get everything he wanted. Marriage. Legitimacy. Control.

But what if... this worked in her favor?

She was sure of it: once she signed the inheritance ledger, he’d ask for a divorce.

Caius never did anything without motive. Once he got what he came for, he’d go. And when he did, Alex would see the truth—not the version Heather had painted of Caius, but the real man; cold, detached, and selfish.

That would be enough for Alex to see for himself what kind of father he really had.

"Fine. Caius, I’ll marry you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You’ve finally come to your senses."

She ignored the urge to slap him, choosing instead to roll her eyes so hard it almost hurt.

Everything about him irritated her—the way he spoke, the way he stood, the way he breathed.

"I’m doing it for my son, Caius. Only for Alex."

She was done now, so she turned and pushed open the door to Alex’s room.

He was lying in the hospital bed, his small frame looking even smaller beneath the blanket.

The moment his eyes met hers, his arms stretched toward her, wordlessly asking for a hug.

Heather rushed to his bedside and bent down to wrap her arms around him.

He threw his own little arms around her neck, holding her with surprising strength for someone so fragile.

Being close to Alex always made something bloom in her chest. He was the one person who softened her, who made everything else blur into the background. He was her world.

"Are you going to marry Mr. Dad?" Alex asked softly.

"Alex..."

"You may not see me again," he whispered. "Why aren’t you trying to make me happy?"

Her arms tightened around him instinctively. She didn’t know if she was hugging him or holding on for dear life.

Either way, she didn’t want to let go.

Ever.

Her eyes that were once dry began to get wet. The tears had come again.

Alex, noticed the change, and her soft sniffs. He pulled away and gently wiped a single tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"Mommy," he said with quiet certainty. "It’s going to be okay."

He pulled her in again, smaller this time, gentler. A hug that felt like goodbye.

"I’m mar—" she began, but stopped. The word caught in her throat. She couldn’t say it, not when it was tied to him.

Especially after she had sworn five years ago that she was done.

Now this.

The irony was so cruel it made her dizzy.

"What is it, Mommy?" Alex asked, looking up at her.

She took a long breath and tried again. "I’m doing it for you."

It was the best she could manage.

"Doing what?"

She stared at him. Really?

"What you wanted."

"And what’s that?" he asked with a sly smile.

She caught on to the game he was playing. "To marry Caius."

Alex grinned. "It wasn’t so hard, was it?"

She wanted to be annoyed, but she couldn’t. Not with those big blue eyes and that fragile smile.

He was happy, and that was all she needed.

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips too.

"Alex... are you feeling better?"

He shook his head, but he didn’t look sad. "No, Mommy. But I want to stay strong for you and Daddy. I’ll fight the brain tumor!"

His tiny voice carried so much bravery it broke her heart in new ways.

Where had the frightened little boy gone? He was fighting now. For them.

"Mommy, you and Daddy should go get the marriage certificate."