The amusement look on his face disappeared as his brows pinched together in a deep frown again. “Scarlett, is divorce such a trivial thing to you?”
I lowered my gaze. Trivial? Nothing could ever be trivial when it has something to do with Rebecca.
He pulled me into the car and started the engine.
The entire journey was silent. Nobody said a word.
When we pulled up in front of the villa, his phone rang. I remained in my seat and simply looked at him.
As he glanced at the ID flashing on his phone screen, his brows knitted tightly together.
“We’re home. Rest up and don’t think too much.” With a flick of his fingertip, he swiped across the screen and hung up the call. He looked at me, and there was a glint of gentleness in his eyes. “There was nothing between me and her from the start, and there will be nothing still in the future.”
I pursed my lips and stared back at him, noticing the subtle flicker of conflict in his eyes. How could there be nothing when he had cared for her so much back then?
He pulled me into his embrace. “Stop thinking about it. You are my wife and the person I will spend the rest of my life with.” The way he was patting my back felt comforting, but I couldn’t help noticing the slight hint of helplessness in his voice.
He carried me into the bedroom and gave me a peck on my forehead. “I need to head back to the office now. I’ll try to come home a bit earlier tonight.”
I pursed my lips at the thought of him leaving so abruptly. “You’re going to see her, aren’t you?” I tugged at his shirt.
He let out a chuckle. “Do you think your husband has nothing better to do and has so much time to spare?”
I gave up questioning him. “Fine, leave then,” I said as I turned toward the window and retracted my hand.
Even if he really is going to see her, it would be pointless to demand an answer from him if he wanted to hide it from me.
With a faint sigh, he walked out and left the house.
It was an exhausting day. Before long, my consciousness faded into darkness as I drifted off to sleep.
The doctor’s words about how my emotions would affect the child still rang clearly in my head. I stayed in the villa for the next few days, spending most of the time reading a book and going for occasional walks outside.
Ashton would accompany me on my walks almost every day for an hour. He would carry me if I ended up too tired to walk back into the house.
My emotions had been on a roller coaster ride. Thankfully, he was tolerant whenever I lost it and yelled at him.
It eventually bored me out, so I gave up yelling after a couple of times.
We had agreed to go out for another walk on the weekend.
But when the morning came, my entire body felt so heavy that I decided to sleep in instead. As such, Ashton had no choice but to stay home with me.
Mrs. Eriksen had left earlier with a fully loaded baggage. She had wanted to pay a visit back to her hometown that day.
I was drifting in between hazy dreams when the doorbell’s incessant buzzing dragged my mind back into reality. Ashton got off the bed and pulled me up. “You should get ready and eat something soon. Let’s go for a walk after this,” he said and left to open the door.
It was already noon. A growl of hunger came from my empty stomach.
I dragged my feet into the bathroom, leaving the unknown guest to Ashton.
I couldn’t remember how long it took for me to clean up and get ready for the day. But my mind was fully awakened when a series of wails and screams greeted my ears as I stepped out of the bedroom. My eyes traced downstairs toward the source of the commotion.
It was Rebecca. Dressed in a long white dress with her hair tied up in a loose bun, she looked almost like a young teenage girl.
Her ruined makeup had stained her tear-stricken face. What could Ashton have said to her that made her bawl her eyes out like this?
Should I even get myself involved in this? I hesitated for a second on the stairs and was about to walk back up toward the bedroom when Ashton suddenly called out to me.
“If you’re done washing up, come down and have some food!”
I peeked downstairs. Ashton was looking up at me with an indifferent expression, while Rebecca shifted her resentful glare onto me with her red, swollen eyes.
There was no turning back and hiding my presence. With an inaudible sigh, I proceeded downstairs and into the dining hall as softly as I could.
I could hear Rebecca’s voice from the living room. There was no doubt she raised her volume on purpose. “Scarlett is just an orphan with nothing to offer you! How can she possibly help you with Fuller Corporation’s future expansion? On the other hand, I have everything that you need! My mother and the Moore family, all these resources could be yours and they’ll be useful for your family business.”
She wasn’t wrong. Regardless of how excellent a person was, financial resources and influential connections would always be a crucial stepping stone toward success.
A combination of Cameron Anderson and Zachary Moore would be an almost perfect deal.
As I sat in the dining room sipping on my soup, my appetite gradually faded because the soup was too sweet for me. Just then, Ashton’s voice echoed, “Rebecca, if I’m the kind of person that would leave my family behind for the things you offer me, that just means that I will leave you behind one day when there’s a better offer from someone else.”
“It doesn’t matter even if you leave me one day!” Rebecca sobbed. “I love you. I’m willing to let you go then if something better really comes your way!”
Ashton maintained his volume, but there was a mild hint of anger. “But it matters to me. I won’t simply leave a person for another. I will only marry one woman throughout my life, and Scarlett is the one I’ve chosen.”
“But you don’t even love her!” she shrieked. “A marriage that wasn’t founded on love won’t work out in the end! You and your child are going to suffer if you stay on in this relationship!”
“Rebecca, listen to me.” Ashton’s tone became colder. “This marriage is mine, it’s up to me and Scarlett to handle it. I don’t need anyone to intervene. The only reason I took care of you was because your brother had entrusted you to me, hoping that you’d carry on and live a proper life. Right now, you’ve already found your parents who love and care for you, while I have my own family to take care of.”
He paused for a split second and added, “I need you to behave yourself and not hurt my family in any way. If you’re unable to do that, then I’m afraid there’s no need for us to see each other anymore.”
“No need to see each other anymore, you said?” she whimpered, her faltering voice mixed with surprise and disbelief. “Ash… Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen in love with her?”
My jaw nearly dropped at that. Rebecca’s question was surprising, but the way Ashton talked to her that day was even more shocking. He had always been an honest and straightforward man. As such, I could tell that his attitude toward her really have changed.
