Ashton nodded. Even though only a few hours had passed, he looked like he had aged a lot.
Feeling exhausted after being sent to the hospital, I fell asleep soon.
The next morning, I was awakened by a commotion. I saw the nurse changing my IV drip when I opened my eyes. Massaging my temples, I asked, “Who’s arguing outside?”
Pausing mid-action, the nurse replied, “It’s Mr. Ashton and Ms. Larson. She wants to visit you, but he refuses to let her enter. Hence, she’s crying outside now.”
Crying?
I remained silent, thinking that Rebecca’s tears were probably fake.
Seeing that the nurse was about to leave, I asked, “When you go out, can you tell them to come in?”
She nodded, gathered the bottles of medicine and left.
Soon later, Ashton and Rebecca entered. Her forehead was bandaged, probably due to an injury from last night.
Her pretty eyes were bloodshot, which made her look extremely pitiful.
She entered the ward along with Ashton. Shooting a glance at me, she feigned concern and asked, “Are you alright, Scarlett?”
I laughed. “I’m sorry that I’m still alive. I guess your wish hasn’t been fulfilled.”
“Scarlett, do you need to sound so sarcastic?” Ashton’s expression looked quite unpleasant and frazzled.
I chuckled. With a voice devoid of any emotions, I said, “I won’t dare. You’re very impressive, Mr. Fuller. You almost killed me in a single night. I’d rather stay far away from you.”
Due to the solemn atmosphere, he was unwilling to talk much with me. Instead, he dragged Rebecca out of the hospital.
Lying on the hospital bed, I felt a wave of dejection and a sense of defeat engulf me. There was always a certain point where one would lose all hope in life.
A lot of things happened for the next few days—the shocking news Nick published, Rebecca rejoining the family, and John coming back to J City to develop his career. However, I paid attention to none of them.
After a week’s stay in the hospital, I was already three months pregnant. My pregnancy was also starting to become slightly noticeable due to the small bump in my stomach.
Sometimes, I would fall into a daze while stroking my stomach or staring at the ceiling.
Ashton would come to the hospital almost every day and occasionally talk to me. However, we ended up quarreling each time.
This happened a few times. In the end, he stopped coming to the hospital so frequently. However, as he had paid a lot of money, the doctors and nurses still took good care of me.
I did not question him why he did not visit either. Mrs. Eriksen still visited me every day, bringing over different soups she had made for me.
Sometimes when I daydream, I would feel even more reluctant to have this baby—perhaps due to my mental state.
As long as I did not have this child, I could leave Ashton completely and lead my own carefree life.
The more I thought of it, the urge to abort my child increased.
I knew that this was because of my poor mental state, but I could not help but keep thinking about it.
During the weekends, the bluebell trees along the main streets of J City bloomed. The lavender flowers lining the streets imbued this initially mundane city with a sense of vitality.
A few days later, I was discharged from the hospital. Ashton drove very slowly as if he was deliberately allowing me to admire the beautiful scenery along the streets.
I turned my head and stared at the scenery that whizzed by, but my gaze became unfocused.
“Ashton, I’ve lost my true self for too long.” Ever since I first met Ashton, I was no longer myself.
Instead, I was selfish, stubborn, and cold. Why did I turn out like this?
Frowning, a solemn look appeared on his handsome face. “Your stomach is getting bigger. Just leave the HiTech case aside for a while. Let’s take some time off and travel.”
I knew that he wanted me to destress, but I did not feel like going anywhere.
Shaking my head, I stroked my stomach. “The Fuller Corporation’s audit is probably ending soon. I won’t be giving birth anytime soon anyway, so let’s settle the HiTech case first.”
He fell silent for a while before nodding. “Okay. If there’s anything wrong, come look for me.”
I remained silent after that. Glancing at the couples hugging each other on the streets, I recalled the past twenty years of my life. I did not seem to have dated someone properly.
I had never experienced the blissful feeling of love, nor how to love someone or be loved.
A quarter of my life had passed, yet I seemed to be constantly clueless.
At that thought, I could not help but cast my gaze downward and let out a self-mocking chuckle. Was my life destined to remain so bitter forever?
“What are you laughing about?” When Ashton noticed my action, he suddenly asked solemnly.
I shook my head and replied nonchalantly, “I suddenly thought of something amusing.”
“What?” Although he wanted to know, I was in no mood to answer.
Silence filled the car again.
After a short while, we arrived at the villa. When I stepped out of the car, Mrs. Eriksen rushed over and asked, “Are you feeling better? I made some oatmeal for you. Would you like to have some?”
Smiling faintly, I shook my head. “Mrs. Eriksen, you just brought me chicken soup this morning. I’m too full for anything else.”
