I sat in the bathtub, staring into space. My head was spinning as a dull ache throbbed uncomfortably in my heart.
We had seen each other naked many times, so I wasn’t embarrassed at all and allowed him to clean me.
Soon, steam filled the bathroom. My freezing body started to warm up.
He wrapped me up in a towel and brought me out. After helping me to put on clean pajamas, he began drying my hair.
None of us spoke to each other.
I closed my eyes and leaned back comfortably as exhaustion washed over me.
“Don’t fall asleep. Let me dry your hair first,” Ashton spoke. He was no longer furious.
I remained silent with my eyes shut.
The sound of the hairdryer whirring rang in my ears abruptly. It felt so warm and unrealistic to me.
“Scarlett!” Ashton called out my name after switching off the hairdryer.
My eyes snapped open in confusion.
He pulled me in for a warm hug before saying, “Let’s go down together!”
It was a command that left no room for discussion. Picking me up, he left the bedroom.
Downstairs, Rebecca had already showered, her hair half-dried. She was sitting in the living room with Joe next to her. Since when did Joe arrive?
Spotting me in Ashton’s arms, Rebecca’s gaze flashed with jealousy.
She jolted up and tugged at Ashton without hesitation. “Ash, are you going to abandon me?”
Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was wailing again.
I looked down and shut my eyes tiredly. Why did Ashton bring me downstairs?
To see them being intimate?
“Rebecca, stop it. Joe will give you a ride home,” said Ashton in displeasure.
Joe had the same idea. He offered, “Rebecca, I’ll drive you home.”
Rebecca was on the verge of breaking down as she exclaimed, “You people think I’m unreasonable, don’t you? Now that my brother is dead, all of you despise and abandon me!”
“Ha!” I sneered.
My sneer triggered Rebecca. She turned to glare at me. “Scarlett, what is so funny about it? Oh, you should be gloating now. You’ve got everything you want.”
I was amused. “What did I get?” Pausing, I let out a bitter chuckle. “Yes, I got everything I wanted. Thanks to you, Ms. Larson, I am stuck in a loveless marriage. I don’t even dare to tell anyone I’m pregnant. You can use your deceased brother to destroy another family. I can’t believe how shameless you are, being someone else’s mistress proudly!”
“Scarlett, stop spouting nonsense!” Rebecca’s face flushed red angrily.
I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. “Nonsense? Look, aren’t you acting shamelessly now? This house belongs to Ashton and me. It isn’t somewhere for you to show off. Please leave, Ms. Larson!”
Rebecca’s hands wrung together furiously. She gazed at Ashton. When her gaze landed on me, it was full of hatred.
I was too exhausted to continue the conversation.
When I turned to leave, I heard Rebecca imploring, “Ash…”
“Enough!” Ashton declared, “Joe, bring her home!”
I strode upstairs without hesitation. After all, I wasn’t in the mood to hear the rest of their conversation.
As I lay on the bed, my head and my eyes were throbbing painfully. I immediately made a call to Macy.
The phone rang for a while before she picked up. “Ms. Stovall, look at the time.”
It seemed like my call had woken her abruptly. I glanced at the clock, which showed it was 2 a.m.
Feeling guilty, I stammered, “M-Macy, I think I’m ill.”
She was taken aback by my words. “What’s wrong? You’re ill? Go to the hospital! Is Ashton with you now?” she demanded loudly.
I fell silent as I didn’t know how to explain my illness. It wasn’t something the naked eye could see.
Sighing, I replied, “It’s nothing. I miss you!”
Macy didn’t press on because she was sleepy. “Babe, you can’t sleep?”
I parted my lips, but my voice died in my throat. “Mm, you should sleep. We can talk tomorrow!” In the end, I ended up saying nothing.
After hanging up, I curled up in bed. Everything felt dull to me.
