“Ash, please take your friendship with Parker into consideration, and don’t leave me alone! I need you by my side. Please, Ash! I don’t need anything else apart from your companionship. Along with Jared and Joe, we can live a carefree life as we had used to, can’t we? I’ll always be the innocent little girl that requires the guidance of the three reliable brothers of mine. Please don’t leave me alone! I can’t possibly live on my own!”
Ashton’s initially indifferent look seemed to have eased up because he was affected by her words. Nobody would know him better than me—he had never enjoyed being alone; he couldn’t bear to leave the needy ones alone either.
Rebecca’s seemingly sincere words had touched him. He had always been alone ever since he was young. Although Ashton had his doting grandfather by his side, none of the things that his grandfather had done could compensate the man for his loss.
Therefore, he couldn’t bear to forsake his friendship with Parker and his relationship with Rebecca because being needed would give him a sense of accomplishment that he desired. It would make him feel loved.
I stood by his side silently because I couldn’t be sure as to how I was supposed to react. All along, I knew that I wasn’t a match for Rebecca. I could never put on such a great show to deceive others.
As Ashton returned to her side and brought her up, casting a gentle gaze as if he could forget the things that she had done, I knew that my efforts were in vain.
Apart from the sound of Rebecca sniffling behind us, we were dead silent throughout the entire ride. It felt as though I could hear the ambient noise in the car.
In the end, I broke the silence, requesting once the car was brought to a halt at the junction, “Why don’t you pull over at the bus station in front? I’ll drop by a certain somewhere before making my way home.”
Furrowing his brows, Ashton looked at me as he queried, “Where are you going?”
I tried my best to force a smile onto my face as I denoted, “I’ll go for a walk and get Macy the mangoes that she’s craving for before I make my way to the ward.”
“I’ll go with you!”
“No!”
I was afraid that I would lose my cool in front of them. Hence, I tried my best to regain my composure and stated, “It will be fine; the hospital is merely a few streets away. I won’t get lost, okay? Y-You should drop Ms. Larson off before making your way over…”
He pursed his lips and gave it a thought for a few seconds. In the end, he gave in to my suggestion. “Alright.”
Subconsciously, I sucked in a deep breath because it felt as though a heavy boulder had been lifted off of my shoulders.
Once I got out of the car, I bade them farewell with a bright and gentle grin, behaving as though everything was fine while I waved at them as they departed.
As their car disappeared on the bustling streets, I started feeling nauseous, as though I would puke at any given point in time. It felt awful because my heart wrenched.
I tried to reach for my phone to get in touch with Jackson, but I suddenly recalled that I had flushed my phone away the previous night.
As I walked along the green, I started to feel weak because of the scorching sun that was on top of me.
A few minutes later, I couldn’t bring myself to walk any further. I took a seat by the road and buried my face in my palms as I began to weep.
At that moment, I blamed myself for being such a fragile woman. It wasn’t a big deal at all, yet I behaved as though something serious had occurred.
I couldn’t stand the heat anymore and I thought that I was seeing things when I caught a glimpse of Jackson in front of me. Soon, I muttered, “Jackson, I’m not feeling good.”
He raised his voice and reprimanded me. Nevertheless, he leaned over and lifted me up, bringing me into his car. “What happened? Why are you alone on the streets in the middle of such a hot day? You might have passed out from a heatstroke!”
I finally returned to my usual self after I was brought into the cool environment that was filled with chilling air. It took me a few seconds to grasp the situation. In the end, I asked, “Why are you here?”
He handed over a few pieces of wet tissue to me as he explained, “I was on my way to visit Macy. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered my pathetic and pregnant friend who’s crying on the streets beneath the sun.”
I avoided his gaze and wiped my face clean after I took the wet tissues from him. I stared at the man in the front passenger seat wide-eyed as soon as I caught a glimpse of him. “Mr. Harrison, why are you here?”
Nick craned over and asked, “I’m getting him to give me a ride. What about you? Why are you crying on the streets when you are heavily pregnant?”
I pursed my lips and diverted their attention immediately, instructing Jackson, “Hey! Let’s drop by another place before heading over to Macy’s ward.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Tech Square! I have accidentally broken my phone!”
Jackson nodded and steered the driver’s wheel, turning in another direction from the designated route to the hospital.
Initially, I thought that I would get myself the latest version of the brand I had been using, but Nick suggested, “Why don’t you get a domestic brand instead? It’s better in terms of functions and price.”
After I got myself a new phone and a new contact number, we dropped by to check on Macy and Jared. Once I was done, I walked out of Jared’s ward and noticed that Jackson and Nick were smoking while they were engaged in a conversation.
Nick seemed to be infuriated as he glared at Jackson in a hostile manner.
I rushed over and got in their way, making a request for Jackson to do me a favor. “Hey! Can you please keep Macy company when I’m gone? I have to leave soon because I have something to tend to!”
Before Jackson could respond, Nick put out his cigarette and walked toward me. “I’ll go with you!”
Although I wasn’t sure what was going on between them both, I was pretty sure that they were in the middle of a conflict. Hence, I told Nick, “I’m not driving. I’ll be hailing a cab instead. I think that you should wait for Jackson.”
Jackson looked in Nick’s direction and stated, “Yes! You should wait for me!”
With an upset expression, Nick responded, “I have a lot of things on my schedule! I don’t have time for you!”
“Are you indicating that I am wasting your time?”
I was at a loss for words and I decided to stay out of their conflict. There wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Thus, I departed silently and told Macy that I would be leaving before I headed back to the villa.
Initially, I wanted to join the yoga class that was scheduled to be held in the afternoon, but the class would require the husband to be around. Since Ashton had to keep Rebecca company, I thought that he wouldn’t have time for me. In the end, I hailed a cab home because I didn’t want to go through the tormenting experience anymore.
