Chapter : 37
Jayson’s gaze was so indifferent. He could clearly see how sickly she looked, but there was no concern in his eyes.
They had been married for three years and lived under the same roof every day.
Even a pet that had been raised for three years would feel sympathy for its owner.
But with him, the only time he seemed to care was when it came to Nancy. Ariel’s well–being meant nothing to
him.
Ariel glanced at Nancy’s abdomen before pulling away from Lucas, who had been ruffling her hair.
Lucas noticed Jayson and Nancy as well. He gave Ariel a look before greeting Jayson, “Mr. Larkin, are you feeling unwell?”
Jayson shook his head. “I brought Nancy here for a checkup.”
Lucas recalled the gossip he’d overheard earlier and smirked. “Any exciting news? I heard it’s a prenatal checkup.” Nancy raised an eyebrow. She exchanged a glance with Jayson and gave him a smile.
Jayson’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Be careful with your words, Mr. Sanderson. Rumors like these wouldn’t be good for Nancy.”
Ariel quietly stared at her swollen hand from the IV drip.
Jayson had been raised with an elite education. He always maintained an air of grace and civility, even if his personality was cold.
His attention to Nancy, however, was meticulous. He wouldn’t allow even the slightest mistake.
“Looks like there was a misunderstanding,” Lucas said.
“Yes. Nancy burned her hand. I brought her here so the doctor could treat it,” Jayson explained slowly. Upon hearing that, Ariel looked at Nancy’s hand. It was fair and delicate, and the burn was almost invisible. It didn’t even qualify as an injury. Yet Jayson had gone out of his way to bring her to the hospital.
ཤ ཅ ཋ ཐ འཋ ཚེ
Meanwhile, when Ariel had fainted right in front of him, he hadn’t even flinched.
It seemed that in the eyes of someone who didn’t love her, even if she hung herself, he’d just think she was playing on a swing.
Nancy nodded gracefully to Lucas. “I’ll go see the doctor first. You all talk.”
She didn’t talk to Ariel at all. Despite her calm and gentle demeanor from start to finish, there was a hidden disdain beneath it.
Ariel didn’t want to endure any more awkward exchanges with Jayson or Lucas, so she stood up and said, “You two go ahead.”
As she turned to leave,
Jayson finally looked at her.
It seemed like she had lost quite a bit of weight.
The suit jacket from Chad hung loosely on her frame, making her look even more fragile and slender.
Her behavior had shifted noticeably too. She didn’t try to strike up conversations with him or speak to him in the soft, affectionate tone she once had.
Lately, she had grown distant.
He found himself staring at her for a moment.
Tilting his head, Lucas looked at him. “Mr. Larkin, you’ve been so focused on Ms. Stanton lately. Ariel’s over here running a fever, and I’m the one who has to take care of her. Have you been pushing her too hard?”
Jayson answered coldly, “Ariel is no longer an employee of Bluum Corp. Haven’t you heard?”
Lucas hadn’t known.
He was stunned for a moment.
In the past, whenever Ariel had any issues, big or small, she would always tell him everything. Lucas thought that she just didn’t have time to mention it.
Meanwhile, Ariel was back at her temporary bed looking for her phone.
Chad returned with a bottle of water. “I’ll take you home after the IV is done.”
Ariel didn’t want to stay in the hospital either. After all, she might be spending more time there in the future. “Okay. Thanks, Chad.”
Chad looked at her and scoffed. “I’m way more reliable than your husband, aren’t I?
“Back then, my dad was all for us getting together. He was practically begging me to marry you and be your live- in husband. But you just had such bad taste. You actually turned down such a prime catch like me.”
Ariel laughed.
Carlos had placed high expectations on her. He always said, “Chad’s not good enough for you. He much ability, but he’s responsible and won’t let you down.”
may not have
Even Chad, a top–tier genius, was belittled by his own father as if he were worthless. It just showed how much Carlos had valued Ariel back then.
However, Ariel and Chad had never been romantically inclined. They’d spent long nights working on papers, testing data, and debating over technical problems.
When they were younger, they admired each other but also engaged in a fair amount of one–upmanship. Their bond was strong, but that didn’t mean it had to be romantic.
As they headed downstairs, Ariel saw a Cullinan pulling out of the parking lot and leaving the hospital.
It was Jayson’s car.
Soon after, Ariel received a message from Jayson’s work number. “Do you need me to stay with you?”
She glanced at the car that was already leaving and gave a silent, bitter smile.
He clearly wasn’t concerned about her. This was just a perfunctory question.
But looking at the message from his work number reminded her of how she had blocked his personal one. She had completely forgotten the existence of his work number.
She blocked it without a second thought.
M