Chapter : 50
Leonard still looked frail. Chemotherapy had taken a visible toll, and he always wore a knitted beanie.
When Ariel arrived, he was sitting on the balcony and basking in the winter sun.
She couldn’t help but be reminded of how she looked when her chemotherapy began. The thought sent her zoning out before she handed over two carefully wrapped gifts.
“Happy birthday, Uncle Leo. These are from me and Jayson.”
She’d chosen a rare set of books on physics as his gift. It’d taken her quite some time to find them.
Leonard was a physics professor and once a prominent name in academia, loved by generations of students. He’d devoted his entire life to physics.
If not for what happened back then, perhaps he would be mentioned in the same breath as Carlos by now.
As for Jayson’s gift, she picked out a luxury foundation pen, worth over ten thousand dollars. It was a practical gift for Leonard and fitting for Jayson’s style.
“Mr. Larkin’s busy?” Leonard casually asked as he accepted the gifts with a smile.
Ariel nodded and played along. “Yeah. It’s the year–end, and he gets busy around these times.”
She knew that now they were divorced, it wouldn’t be easy to convince Jayson to come along and help her explain things to Katie and Leonard. He didn’t love her, so dealing with her family was a waste of his time.
“Just you?” Katie emerged from the kitchen and glanced toward the door. Shaking her head in disappointment, she set down a plate of sweet and sour ribs. “Well then, let’s just enjoy a quiet family dinner.”
A pang of guilt struck Ariel. Her life had gone completely off course, while Katie and Leonard were constantly worried for her.
The thought stung especially when she knew Jayson had never once shown them proper respect.
He hadn’t bothered to come and give any sort of explanation to the elders, even when they got divorced. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them the divorce, as she had yet to come up with a reason that could appease the two.
It was because Nancy, the woman Jayson had cheated with, was the daughter of the woman who once stole Elena’s research and accused her of having an affair with another man, Sarah.
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If Katie and Leonard found out, they’d be devastated.
Pu
She needed Jayson to face this and resolve it himself, but that idea gave her a headache.
Leonard gave her a kind pat on the shoulder and reassuringly said, “Mr. Larkin manages so many companies. It’s year–end, and it’s understandable he’s swamped. A birthday isn’t that important.”
Katie brought her a bowl of freshly stewed chicken soup. “You’re Jayson’s wife, and you don’t have to bother with us. Leonard and I don’t care about formalities. As long as he treats you well, that’s all that matters.”
Leonard frowned and gave Ariel a long, worried look. “You don’t seem well lately. Are you feeling okay? Have you seen a doctor?”
He had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right with her.
Ariel had never been a fan of makeup, but lately she always appeared meticulously done up. Though they couldn’t tell what exactly was off, she’d clearly lost weight on her cheeks.
She was startled. She hadn’t figured out how to break the news of her illness yet, so for now, all she could do was keep it hidden. “I’m fine, just busy with a new job. Nothing to worry about.”
Leonard still looked concerned.
Katie noticed it too. She gently added more food to Ariel’s plate and asked, “Is it the stress? Don’t feel like you have to lower your head in your husband’s family.
“Worst case, I’ll just sell the family home. You’ll have money to invest in the company, and I’ll always be here for you.”
The family home was now worth at least 200 million dollars. That would be Ariel’s safety net even without the Larkin family.
Ariel’s eyes warmed with tears. She shook her head and murmured, “No. Just stay here. We can’t sell this place. You and Grandpa spent a lifetime here, and it means so much.”
Katie patted her hand in distress and said no more.
After dinner, Ariel stayed the night. Even then, she didn’t rest and pulled out her laptop to continue refining her project proposal.
A sudden string of WhatsApp messages from Chad interrupted her focus. He’d sent ten messages in a row.
There was a collage screenshot and a few candid couple shots. The pictures were from Nancy’s latest update, captioned, “Epitome of happiness.‘
The screenshot showed a dinner gathering, photos of the restaurant, the dishes, and a glamorous woman chatting with Jayson. There were three other pictures of just Nancy and Jayson.
Chad asked, “Last time Jayson used his connections to bring Nancy to that dinner with me, we exchanged numbers. Look at this. Are they just flaunting it now?
“Aren’t you two still technically married? They’re not even pretending anymore.”
Ariel instantly recognized the glamorous woman beside Jayson as Nancy’s mother, Sarah. She’d accepted help from Elena, only to rise as one of the top socialites.
No wonder Jayson had firmly said he was too busy to come today for Leonard’s birthday; he’d prioritized meeting
his future mother–in–law.
In the picture, his expression while looking at Nancy was soft and carried a faint smile at the corner of his lips. Their gentle gazes met.
Ariel scanned her memory and realized something ridiculous. In their three years of marriage, she and Jayson had never taken a single picture together, except for their wedding pictures.
Jayson had never liked taking pictures. She’d suggested taking one on an anniversary, but he’d brushed it off and said it was meaningless.
Meanwhile, he appeared utterly relaxed in his pictures with Nancy, and his smile carried a casual fondness.
He loved commemorating every moment with her.