Ariel was already at the airport. She checked in her luggage before replying, “About 4:30 pm.”

Jayson fell silent for a moment. “I see. Wait for me when you reach. I’ll give you a ride back to the city.”

Ariel thought that he must be calling only because Betty urged him to.

Because of the incident last night, she was hesitant.

Jayson sensed it and smiled knowingly. “Grandma told me to.”

At the mention of Betty, Ariel frowned. “When are you going to tell Grandma about it?”

“Jayson, we’re boarding now.” Nancy’s voice suddenly came through the receiver, followed by a dead tone.

Jayson ended the call. Ariel wasn’t even sure if he’d heard her.

He seemed unruffled about what happened last night.

If she wasn’t mistaken, judging from the announcement she heard on his side, it seemed they were on the same flight as her.

Ariel had a sudden urge to laugh.

He was with Nancy, so how could he give her a ride back to the city?

She didn’t allow herself to linger on that thought.

The trip back to Eldoria from Halread took about two hours. After touching down, Ariel went to retrieve her luggage.

She remembered Jayson’s offer to give her a ride back to the city.

Betty must’ve said something to him.

Taking a seat, she called him, but he didn’t answer.

Thinking that he would return her call when he was ready, she stopped worrying about it and continued her work on her laptop.

She wasn’t going to waste her time as she waited for his reply.

Her environment wasn’t exactly an ideal one for working. As time passed unknowingly, she massaged her stiff neck and checked the time.

It had already been 40 minutes, yet Jayson hadn’t contacted her.

Not even surprised, and unwilling to wait any longer, Ariel shut down her laptop and walked out.

She had just reached the cab stand when Janice called. “I must’ve walked under a ladder today! I’ve only come to the hospital to take an IV drip for my tonsillitis, yet I ended up bumping into Jayson and his mistress!”

Ariel ‘slowed down and looked up at the cloudy sky. A wave of coldness washed over her.

Withdrawing her gaze, she pulled her coat tighter around her and hopped into a cab.

Chapter &

That made sense.

Jayson had already left with Nancy. He didn’t even inform her or answer her call. He had left her hanging and forgotten entirely about her.

She couldn’t understand. Why would he offer to give her a ride if he couldn’t walk the talk?

Ariel shut her eyes and expressed her concern about Janice’s condition. “Are you feeling better?”

Given that Jayson and Nancy were at the hospital, something must’ve happened to Nancy for Jayson to forget about Ariel like that.

Janice coughed. Miffed, she grumbled, “I couldn’t talk at first. I had such an urge to yell at someone when I saw them that it cured my tonsillitis. Oh, right. Chad said you’ll be arriving around this time. Are you home yet?”

Ariel answered softly, “I’ve just got into a cab.”

Puzzled, Janice asked, “Weren’t you supposed to arrive at 4:30 pm? It’s already 5:30 pm, and you’ve just only gotten into the cab now?”

For a moment, Ariel didn’t know what to say. A wistful expression crossed her eyes. “Something held me back. I’ll come and keep you company in a while.”

“There’s no need to. The hospital is for sick people. I don’t want you to get infected. Go home and take a rest.”

Ariel didn’t insist.

She had just arrived home when she received the doctor’s message. It read, “Ms. Walker, you can come for your first radiation therapy next week.”

She affirmed her attendance before going to bed.

These two days had drained her energy. Exhaustion filled every corner of her body.

She knew she was on the edge of breaking down, so she requested a day off from work. However, she wasn’t idle. She started planning for Elena’s third death anniversary.

Katie viewed the third death anniversary with great importance. It signified a closure point of the grieving process, and it was a significant occasion for the older generations.

It was two weeks to Elena’s third death anniversary. Ariel still had time to prepare.