Jayson didn’t refute her words. However, he had begun to notice the slight changes in Ariel’s attitude. From a distance, he kept his eyes trained on Ariel as if he were trying to discern whether the expressions on her face were a true reflection of her honest feelings.

Yet, Jayson’s phone’s ringtone broke the silence just then. It was a call from work.

At first, Jayson was going to answer the phone right away. However, he paused and looked at Ariel. “Can I take the call first?”

It sounded as though he was asking for Ariel’s permission first.

Ariel could not be bothered with minor details like that at the moment.

She was starting to break out in cold sweat on her forehead. The pain in her lower abdomen had intensified by the folds.

Ariel nearly let out a moan in pain. Under the dim lights, her lips were turning pale. Her breathing became uneven as she gave a slight nod.

Jayson turned away slightly and picked up the phone.

A man’s voice came down the line. “Mr. Larkin, Ms. Stanton has been working on fixing her data today. However, the tests haven’t been going well. Ms. Stanton is still in the office now, and she hasn’t eaten for a whole day. I think she won’t leave unless she’s finished her work…”

A small frown creased Jayson’s forehead.

Behind him, Ariel was completely drenched in cold sweat. She had no strength left to walk over to the front door and fetch the medicine from the bag she had left around there.

She mustered the little strength she had and inched toward Jayson. “Jayson…”

Ariel had no idea who he was speaking to on the phone, but Jayson had a grim look on his face. He did not seem to hear her calling him.

Ariel was not sure what was happening to her body, and she could not afford to take any risks. She slowly lifted her hand to tug at Jayson’s sleeve.

However, just as she grabbed his sleeve, Jayson ended the call and turned further away. He bent forward and grabbed his jacket from the couch.

Jayson was moving very quickly. He unknowingly shoved Ariel’s hand away while he was grabbing the jacket.

He had not noticed Ariel’s condition at all as he strode toward the door. “Something urgent came up. You should go ahead and rest. Don’t wait for me.”

There was the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut.

Ariel swayed slightly after she got pushed away. She directed her gaze toward the door. Jayson was already gone. He had left in quite a hurry.

Ariel’s pale face was devoid of emotion. She averted her gaze from the door. Then, Ariel curled into a ball on the couch. She was hoping to reduce the immense pain by curling herself up.

It took about 20 minutes before the pain finally subsided a little.

Ariel climbed to her feet and dragged herself toward the cupboard by the front door. She opened her bag, tossed the painkillers and targeted drugs into her mouth, and swallowed them dry.

She did not at any point feel sad or angry whatsoever. She calmly accepted what had happened without losing her temper.

Ariel went back over to the couch and sat down. She was not interested in knowing where Jayson had gone off to.

Soon enough, Ariel felt a lot better as the drugs‘ effects quickly kicked in. She rinsed her face with cold water. Then, she went back to where she was sitting and picked up her phone.

She typed one last message and sent it to Jayson.

“You’re free to buy Nancy any rings or jewelry. However, I can’t let her wear my mother’s wedding ring. I’m willing to pay any amount of money for the ring if you’re willing to sell it. Otherwise, I’ll just request that it be given to me through a division of our shared assets after we get divorced.”

As long as they had not gotten the divorce certificate, Ariel would have the right to claim any item that Jayson had purchased for Nancy.

Ariel had not considered resorting to this method at all. However, Jayson had left her with no other options.

As she sat on the couch, Ariel received Chad’s WhatsApp message. “Can you get in touch with Mr. Chapman of Nexura Solutions? He hasn’t sent us the data report for our previous project. Can you remind him about it?”

Faye Tech and Nexura Solutions, one of Jayson’s companies, had collaborated briefly on a project.

Ariel and Janice had been to Nexura Solutions‘ office before. They had also created a group chat between their staff and some of Nexura Solutions‘ staff.

Ariel sent a message to Tom’s WhatsApp number.

Tom replied with a voice message. “I’m so sorry about it, Ms. Walker. I got held up with some other matters today. I’ll send it to you in a moment.”

Ariel could not be bothered with listening to his excuse.

She typed another message. “Can you give us a precise time for when you’ll send it, Mr. Chapman?”

Tom responded, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Walker. I’m not trying to fool you with some excuse. It’s about Ms. Stanton, the lady you met when you came to our office last time. Do you remember her?

“She’s encountered some issues with her work. She’s been working the whole day without eating anything. She’s really dedicated to her work.

“Mr. Larkin has just rushed over to our office. Since he was worried that Ms. Stanton might wear herself out, Mr. Larkin had all of us work overtime and help Ms. Stanton with her tests. So, I’ll have to ask for your kind

understanding.”