8
Perhaps it was my body’s defense mechanism, but the pain in my leg overwhelmed me, and I passed out.
When I woke, I was back in bed–not in the hospital, but at Riverview Estate.
The room buzzed with activity as the elite medical team Gavin had hired worked tirelessly around me.
But no amount of luxury could undo the damage. The reopened wound throbbed
relentlessly.
When Gavin entered the room, I was drenched in sweat, my hospital gown soaked through.
“Aria, I’ve brought in the best doctors, caregivers, nutritionists–whatever you need. Just
tell me.”
“Is this to keep me quiet? So I don’t bother Savanna?”
“No! Aria, the house is more comfortable than the hospital. But if you want to go back, I’ll take you.”
l’ignored his frantic reply, shifting topics abruptly. “Savanna’s quite young, isn’t she?
Fresh–faced, too.”
Gavin’s smile faltered, twisting into something closer to a grimace. “She… helped me during a work trip. I only feel gratitude toward her, nothing more.”
What a convenient coincidence, I thought bitterly.
“And on my mother’s memorial day? Why were you with her?”
“I was on my way to you,” he said quickly. “But she called, panicked about a car accident. She had no family nearby. I couldn’t just leave her…”
When I stayed silent, Gavin reached into his pocket and produced a black velvet box. Inside was a dazzling set of diamond jewelry.
18:57 Thu, Dec 12 RGB
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♡ fo
“Aria, I bought this for you.”
“Expensive, isn’t it?” I asked, glancing at the blinding sparkle before closing my eyes
again.
“For you, nothing’s too expensive.“.
suddenly remembered that Gavin Carter had long since started using money to manage our relationship.
Like a scene straight out of a soap opera, where a wealthy man tosses cash to pacify a cast–off wife, Gavin had developed a habit of using extravagant gifts to soothe his guilty
conscience.
Even now, after everything, he still believed that a more expensive offering could compel me to ignore him and preserve his dignity.
In the next moment, I hurled the diamonds at his face.-
When the anesthesia wore off, a doctor cautiously approached me. “Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter stood by your bedside the entire afternoon while you slept.”
The entire afternoon? Like I did at Willow Hills Cemetery that day?
Ah, but then I remembered–Gavin Carter, the CEO who could make or break empires. How could I expect someone like him to stand around like I did?
But now, none of that mattered.
From the moment he ran to Savanna in front of my eyes, I had stopped needing him.
