I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 89

Felix stood quietly behind Nora. Just seeing the violent tremor in her shoulders was enough to know how hard it had hit her. For someone who spent her life buried in a sterile lab, shielded from the gruesome reality of the disease, the visual impact was devastating.

He reached out, resting a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Let's go, Nora. We just have to work harder. That's all we can do."

Nora wiped away a stray tear. When she finally lifted her head, the fragile sorrow in her eyes had hardened into absolute, unbreakable resolve. "Let's go, Felix."

She had no idea how long this road would be, or what impossible technical bugs were waiting to ambush them next. She didn't know how many more brutal hurdles lay beyond phase one.

But she knew one thing for certain: these kids were running out of time. She had to fight harder to rip this disease out of the world.

As Nora and Felix stepped out of the ward, two familiar figures walked toward them. A bright, cheerful voice rang down the hall.

"Nora!"

Nora looked up just as Bonnie Harrison came sprinting over. Before she could brace herself, the little girl crashed right into her, the momentum forcing Nora back half a step.

Bonnie looked up, beaming, her bright eyes shining with pure joy. "I missed you so much!"

Nora couldn't help but laugh. It had barely been a day or two, yet Bonnie acted like they had been separated for years.

Looking down at the little girl, Nora noticed she wasn't wearing a fever patch anymore. Her cheeks were flushed and healthy, and she looked entirely full of energy.

"What are you doing at the hospital? Are you sick?" Bonnie asked, tilting her head and looking Nora up and down with intense concern.

Nora shook her head. "I'm just here for work."

Bonnie let out a huge sigh of relief, gripping Nora's hand even tighter. "My school is having The Willow Academy Summer Camp this weekend! Will you come with me? Please?"

Nora did a quick mental check of her schedule. The lab had a weekend gap between trial runs. "I'd love to."

Bonnie let out a triumphant cheer. Only then did Nora realize there was someone else there. She looked up, her gaze bypassing Bonnie to land on the man standing a few feet away.

Xander Harrison stood there in an immaculately tailored dark gray suit. The sharp cut only magnified the overwhelming, commanding presence he always seemed to radiate. Just standing in his general vicinity felt intimidating.

Nora straightened up and offered a polite nod, her tone instinctively slipping into a formal register.

Bonnie kept twisting around, enthusiastically waving at Nora as they walked away. Nora stood rooted to the spot, watching until the father and daughter disappeared into the crowded lobby.

Beside her, Felix cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem."

Nora turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Felix smirked, a teasing glint in his eye. "I just think Mr. Harrison is a very interesting guy."

Nora didn't really understand what he meant, and she was too exhausted to analyze it.

Meanwhile, across town.

Finnegan and Seraphina had just pulled into their driveway. Before Finnegan could even cut the engine, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he tapped the screen and put it on speaker. Cassie's voice burst through the car's audio system, vibrating with frantic excitement.