Chapter 69
Aaron by the door rolled his eyes hard enough to impress an owl. Ada’s whole “damsel in distress” routine was as old as dirt, and only someone with the romantic IQ of a toaster could fall for it. He couldn’t stomach another second of her whiny act, so he did everyone a favor and shut the door, muffling the sound.
Jason frowned slightly as he saw the door close. ‘Now I’ll be damned, he thought.
“Jason…” Ada’s voice stretched thin, like taffy being pulled. “It’s all because of this weak body of mine. One minute I’m here, the next I could be gone. If my heart wasn’t a ticking time bomb, I wouldn’t be messing with your marriage to Sophia. I only came back because I was afraid that no one would take care of my child if I died.” Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over like a leaky faucet, making her the picture of pathetic. Oscar–worthy performance, truly.
Jason, bless his heart, ate it up. He pursed his lips and shuffled over to the bedside, grabbing a tissue from the table like a knight rescuing a damsel from a spool of thread. He dabbed at her tears with the gentleness of a brain surgeon. “Don’t cry. You need rest, remember? Doctor’s
orders.”
Ada, the waterworks factory, cranked it up a notch. Tears streamed down her face like a monsoon. “Maybe being weak is good. At least if the baby… if we lost it, it wouldn’t be on our hands, you know?”
Before Jason could process that, she flung herself into his arms, sobbing like a banshee. “Jason, I can’t take it! The doctor said that old stab wound from five years ago messed up my heart. I could die any day! Death isn’t scary, but leaving nothing behind… I just want this baby so much.”
Jason’s face remained calm as a glacier, but he did put an arm around her and pat her back awkwardly. He’d considered the abortion route, but seeing her so fragile, he couldn’t go through with it. After all, he owed her his life. Plus, the doctor said an abortion would mess her up even more. So much for making things right with Sophia. Guess their marriage was destined to be a constant warzone. “Ada, after the baby’s born, you’re going back to Vrun City. Better medical care there.”
Ada’s grip on his collar tightened like a vise. Her internal monologue was a hurricane. “What the heck does that mean? Dump us overseas? Does he already have googly eyes for Sophia and wants to clear the decks? Nah, can’t be that fast. Otherwise, with his temper, he wouldn’t let me keep the baby. Jason’s all or nothing. No love, he’s ice–cold. Love, he goes all knight in shining armor. Even with that “saving thing, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut me loose, Can’t fight him now, can’t let him hate me. Still seven months until the baby comes. Plenty of time to send that bitch Sophia to hell in a handbasket. Gotta play it cool.”
“Jason, even if you didn’t say anything, I was thinking the same thing. Wilson Group needs to expand overseas, and a messy divorce wouldn’t exactly be good PR. No need for me to make things harder on you,”
Jason’s jaw clenched tighter as Ada’s soothing words washed over him. The more considerate she seemed, the guiltier he felt about his Intentions. “Don’t worry,” he muttered, his voice strained. “I’ll make sure you’re looked after.” Ada burrowed deeper into his embrace. ‘Mrs. Wilson, that’s the endgame, Ada thought, a sly smile playing on her lips. “No gilded cage overseas for me. Just you wait, this man will be mine, body and soul.”
Later that night, Jason pushed open the master bedroom door and found it empty. A knot formed in his stomach. He scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on the dressing room. In the distance, a slender figure sat on the floor, cradling something in her arms. Her head hung low, lost in thought. He walked closer, a glimpse of what she held sending a jolt through him. His pupils dilated, and a wave of pain ripped through his chest, almost knocking him off his feet.