I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 117

The moment they pushed open the stairwell door and stepped into the hallway, two hurried figures appeared at the far end.

Xander marched at the front, his stride sharp and urgent, with his assistant trailing closely behind.

Nora took Bonnie's hand and walked toward them. "Mr. Harrison, I brought Bonnie back to you."

The second Xander's eyes locked onto Bonnie, his gaze swept over her from head to toe, confirming she wasn't injured. He instantly reached out, pulling Bonnie away from Nora and tucking her securely against his side.

When he finally looked up at Nora, his deep, predatory gaze was flooded with intense suspicion and scrutiny.

Nora understood the look immediately. He was definitely jumping to conclusions.

She quickly clarified, "Mr. Harrison, Bonnie ran out on her own. I just happened to run into her in the stairwell."

Xander offered a stiff nod, but the profound distrust in his eyes didn't fade in the slightest. His voice was absolute ice. "Thank you, Ms. Newman. Bonnie, say goodbye to Ms. Newman."

Bonnie looked up, her expression utterly miserable. "Dad, can I please go play with Nora?"

Xander raised an eyebrow, letting out a low, warning hum from his throat. "Hmm?"

Bonnie instantly clamped her mouth shut. She knew her father would never allow it.

Pressing her lips together, she reluctantly waved at Nora. "Goodbye, Nora."

Xander didn't linger for another second. He turned on his heel, taking Bonnie with him.

Bonnie managed to take a few steps before throwing one last longing glance over her shoulder, only to be tugged around the corner and out of sight.

Nora stood rooted to the spot, watching their retreating figures until they vanished. A faint, knowing smile touched her lips. She didn't bother saying anything else and turned toward the opposite entrance of the concert hall.

Back in his seat, Xander helped Bonnie settle into her chair before leaning over to his assistant. "Look into what just happened. I want every detail from start to finish. I want to know exactly how Nora supposedly ran into Bonnie."

"Yes, sir," the assistant replied, immediately turning to carry out the order.

The three of them looked like a perfect, happy family.

Nora stared at the scene, entirely lost in thought. This was the exact image she had fantasized about a thousand times over the years. If Finnegan were still here, this was what their life should have been like. They would bring Cassie to concerts together.

Cassie would sit right in the middle, holding her hand and her father's hand, smiling brighter than anyone else in the room.

But all of those dreams had shattered into absolute nothingness.

Her eyes grew unexpectedly warm. She quickly lowered her head, letting her eyelashes conceal the suffocating wave of despair in her eyes.

Felix noticed her shift in demeanor. He leaned over slightly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Following her line of sight, his gaze landed on Finnegan in the front row.

Felix's expression darkened instantly, and he muttered under his breath, "What terrible luck, running into him of all people right now."