Whoops, His Mistress Crashed Our Wedding. Mine Didn't novel Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Zion squeezed my shoulder before slipping out. “I’ll be back once you’re done here,” he said quietly. “Tilly, the nurse is just down the hall if you need her, and Theo should be in soon.” His gaze lingered on Felix for a moment, something heavy flickering there, before he turned and left. The door clicked shut, and for a beat the room was quiet but full, candies crinkling, the steady beep of the monitor, Felix’s slow, measured breaths. Then Felix cleared his throat, eyes dancing as he looked at the three little bodies perched at the end of his bed. “Well now,” he said, his voice hoarse but teasing. “How are you lot planning to entertain an old man like me today?”

Elliot perked up instantly, his spine straightening with a spark in his eye. “A play,” he declared. “We’ll put on a play. With a little bit of magic.”

Felix chuckled, low and warm, the sound rough but full of delight. “A play?” His gaze softened as it swept across them. “Perfect. I always loved the theatre.”

“Then you’re in luck!” Macey announced, puffing out her chest. “Because we are amazing at plays.”

Elias grinned shyly but nodded, already tugging Elliot toward the open space near the foot of the

bed.

I sank into the chair beside Felix, close enough to hear every little rasp of his breath. He looked thinner, paler, but in that moment, he glowed, watching the kids like they were the brightest thing left in the world.

“They’ll make you proud,” I said softly, leaning just a little closer.

Felix’s eyes didn’t leave the three of them as they scrambled to set up magical props, Macey bossing the boys around with dramatic flair. “They already have,” he whispered back.

Elliot raised his hand, and with a quick flick of magic, a shimmer of light rippled across the wall, forming the rough outline of a castle. Elias gasped, clapping his hands, while Macey swooped in, tossing her hair like the princess she’d clearly decided to be. Felix laughed until it turned into a cough, covering it with a hand, but when he looked back at me, tears were shining in his eyes. “This,” he murmured. “This is the best curtain call I could ask for.”

So I sat with him, my hand resting lightly over his, and together we watched as our children turned a sickroom into a stage, their laughter ringing bright enough to banish shadows, for a little while.

Felix leaned back against his pillows, his eyes on the kids but far away at the same time. His fingers drummed faintly against mine, a rhythm of remembering.

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Chapter 172

“They remind me,” he murmured, voice roughened by age and whatever time was stealing from him, “of when you all were small. Gods, Theo was forever turning everything into a sword, Wooden spoons, fire pokers, once he tried to brandish a bloody fish like a sabre, nearly slapped Zion across the face with it.”

I laughed softly, unable to help it, and Felix’s mouth curved as though just telling the memory gave him life again.

“He swore he was practising to be a knight,” Felix went on, shaking his head. “But really, I think he just liked an excuse to wave things around and shout.”

From the doorway, a familiar voice cut in, warm and teasing. “Hey, in my defence, that fish was

enormous. It could have been a sword.”

We all turned, and there was Theo, leaning against the frame, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips. His eyes went straight to his father’s, bright with love and just a flicker of worry beneath it.

Felix chuckled, shaking his head. “Still defending yourself after all these years.”

Theo pushed off the frame and strode into the room, reaching down to clasp his father’s shoulder gently. “Someone has to set the record straight. Can’t have you telling these kids I was all chaos and

no charm.”

“You were both,” Felix said, his voice tired but his smile proud.

Theo laughed, squeezing his father’s shoulder, then looked at the kids still acting out their play, oblivious to the weight hanging in the air. His expression softened, mirroring the same quiet joy that lingered in Felix’s eyes. For a moment, the years fell away. It wasn’t a hospital room. It wasn’t life and death pressing at the edges. It was just family. Then. Now. Always.

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