Hi Ex, Your Uncle Is My Hubby Now - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Henry was scared out of his mind.
He'd always thought Ruth was a pushover.
She hadn't made a fuss when she divorced Liam all those years ago.
She hadn't said a word when she pulled a dying Irene out of a creek and decided to raise her herself.
Even four years ago, when he returned to the countryside to bring Irene back to the Jackson family, Ruth still didn't raise a fuss.
He never expected that this quiet, no-nonsense woman would suddenly explode like a storm—swinging a knife, fearless and furious, ready to beat her own son bloody to protect Irene.
Henry had been truly, thoroughly rattled.
He scrambled out of the apartment, practically on all fours, flung the front door open, and bolted.
Ruth chased after him with a butcher knife.
He got lucky—the elevator happened to be on their floor. He dove in just as the doors started to close, barely managing to escape.
Only after the doors sealed shut, leaving Ruth pounding on the other side, did Henry collapse against the wall, sliding to the floor in a cold sweat.
As the elevator descended, he could still hear her screaming from behind the doors.
"You bastard! If I ever catch you near Rini again, I'll send you straight to hell to reunite with your scumbag father!"
Ruth returned to the apartment slowly, her steps heavy and shoulders slumped. In that moment, she looked like she'd aged ten years.
She'd always known Henry was ungrateful.
But she'd still underestimated just how shameless he could be—and how vicious Shelby was.
Irene stood quietly in the chaotic living room, watching as Irene wiped her tears, shaking her head in disbelief. Her heart twisted with pain.
"Grandma." Irene walked over and gently took the knife from her hand. "I'm okay. Shelby didn't succeed."
Ruth pulled her into a tight hug and burst into tears. "My poor Rini… After everything they did to you, I actually told you to be forgiving…"
Her voice was filled with regret. "I was blind."
But Irene didn't blame her.
Ruth had given birth to Henry—raised him, fed him, sacrificed for him. And he had repaid her by standing with Liam, calling her every filthy name he could think of, treating her like dirt.
That was her own son.
No one in this world could hate Henry more deeply than Ruth did.
"Grandma, I know. I know you never really liked them. You only tried to convince me because you were thinking ahead… After you're gone, you hoped I'd still have some family left.
"But Grandma, not all parents love their children. And honestly? I'd rather be alone in this world than ever forgive those two."
Ruth felt a lump in her throat. Her arms tightened around Irene.
"You're right, Rini. We only get one life. Why should we spend it suffering for people who don't deserve it? You were born without a father's love or a mother's care. We don't need to play the good daughter."
"Yeah." Irene's mind flashed with the image from her previous life—Ruth's body floating in the pond outside their house. That nightmare had haunted her ever since.
"Grandma," she said softly, clasping Ruth's hands, "don't go back to the village, okay? I want to spend more time with you."
Ruth had originally planned to stay just long enough to help Irene recover, then return to her quiet life in the countryside.
But tonight changed everything. She finally realized—she wasn't a burden to Irene.
She was her anchor. Her strength.
As long as she was here, Irene had a home. As long as she was here, no one would dare lay a finger on her.
Ruth straightened her back and declared, "Then I'll stay. I'll live right here with you in Eldraeth City. Let's see who still dares to mess with my girl."
She might be old—but she wasn't dead. She could still swing a knife. She could still protect Irene from the wolves.
Hearing that, Irene finally relaxed. A weight lifted off her chest.
Meanwhile, Henry, battered and humiliated, had fled straight to the hospital.