?Chapter 1139:


    “Where is my mother?”


    Hailey slowly turned at the sound of his voice.


    Her face lit up when she saw him, as if she had been waiting for him forever. There was a fervent look in her eyes that sent a chill down Noah’s spine.


    “Noah… You’re finally here.” Hailey stepped forward as she spoke and tried to grab his hand.


    With a steely expression, Noah took a step back and smoothly deflected her touch.


    Hailey’s hand hung awkwardly in the air. Her smile faltered, but only for a brief second. She pulled her arm back and took a deep breath.


    She tried to ignore the bitter taste that rose in her mouth. After all this time, after everything that had happened, Noah still kept her at a distance.


    Hailey forced a gentle smile and tried for a soft, coaxing tone. “I’m your wife, Noah. That makes Isabel my family. How could I ever hurt her? As a family, we should move forward together… Don’t you agree? Shall we start over?”


    Noah didn’t miss the undercurrent of danger in her voice. He shot her a piercing re.


    “My wife is Sadie, no one else. Release my mother, and I’ll send you back to Zupren.”


    Hailey’s eyes widened, her smile freezing.


    She had gone to such lengths—nned, schemed, waited. And he was expecting her to give up, just like that?


    No, that was uneptable. She would never yield, not even in death.


    “Noah, you… How can you be so cruel?” Her voice trembled, and her eyes welled up with tears. “Have you forgotten who saved you three years ago? Who brought you back from the brink of death?”


    But Noah’s patience had already snapped. “Keep testing me like this,” he snapped, “and I may not be able to spare you an ounce of mercy.”


    All the color drained from Hailey’s face. She gnashed her teeth together and clenched her fists so tightly, her nails digging into her palms.


    It finally hit her then—there was no room for her in Noah’s heart. There never had been, and there never would be.


    Lατ??τ ?нαρτ?rs ιn g??l??ov?l??.??om


    But if this was the path he chose, then he only had himself to me for what wasing.


    “Noah, too bad! This time, I’m definitely going to win!”


    Hailey’s tone snapped mid-sentence, shifting into something wild—tinged with a manic gleam that bordered on hysteria.


    A ripple of cold dread spread through Noah’s chest, his instincts ring in warning.


    He inhaled sharply and caught a faint, unusual scent—one he had noticed before, emanating from Hailey. Panic surged. Within seconds, his limbs turned to stone. Numbness spread like wildfire, and his strength deserted him.


    He tried to raise his arm—it might as well have been carved from marble. Hailey’s eyes sparkled as she watched the realization settle across his face. A slow, victorious smile curved her lips.


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