Chapter 4

Danielle's POV.

I wore a frown, glaring at him as his gaze narrowed towards me. I could see there was concern in his eyes but I was in no mood for his sympathy. 

"Hand me my coat," I said to Fred who did as I asked. I slid my hands into its pocket and retrieved the divorce papers. I had it with me since the day of the accident, waiting for Jayden to come by. 

I signed my name without a second thought, handing the document to him. "Here, Jayden. We are done. That's the divorce."

Jayden looked at Fred and I with no despicable emotions for a while. He was utterly shocked by my actions and couldn't react.

I turned again towards Fred. "When can I start work at your company?"

Through the corner of my eye, I could see Jayden's jaw drop in disbelief. The concern in his face vanished and he was instantly furious. Fisting his hands and shooting a glare at Fred who smiled calmly, unflinched.

"Why did it take you so long to come, anyway?" I turned to face him.

"I could have come earlier, Danielle." He moved towards me, attempting to sit on the bed. "Her health has been really bad and I just had to make sure she was fine before coming over."

"Of course." My throat was dry. "It's always about her."

“Danielle, I’m so-” Jayden made another attempt to sit but Fred put my coat on the bed. He glared at Fred and the concern on his face disappeared immediately.

"...so what?" Jayden dismissively said. "I don’t care about you." I guessed he was angry because of Fred's behavior and I could sense that he felt slightly guilty.

I was frustrated by his arrogance. There was no genuine remorse in his tone. "fuck you jake!" I flared at him. Jayden recoiled in shock.

"I think I have to leave for a moment," Fred said. I wanted to argue, but it was pointless. He was gone before I could part my lips. I sighed and looked at Jayden, still burning with rage. 

The nurse got ready to leave as well. "Please make sure that she doesn't leave her bed. Give her whatever she needs, it's important that she rests well. Keep a close eye on her. She needs to be hydrated. And if she tells you that she is hungry, start with something light."

Jayden nodded that he understood her, gulping a lump. 

"Are you comfortable sitting? I think you should be resting." He slowly lowered his butt to the bed. 

"I'm good." 

He nodded. There was guilt on his face as he leaned in to slide a strand of hair that lay on my face behind my ear. "How do you feel?" His muscular arm brushed against mine, sending a touch-sent rush through me. I flashed a glance at him, feeling my pulse quicken.

"I'm good," I responded, almost losing my voice. I shifted away from him. "What about you?" The room smelled just like his cologne, the same fragrance I smell everytime he fucked me, every time I slept and woke up on his arm I hated to admit that I had indeed missed him.

"I'm good, too. I guess we should uhm. Talk about the divorce."

That made my heart skip a beat and I didn’t know why I pressed my thighs together. Was he about to plead that I change my mind? I wasn't going to do that. 

"Go on..." I looked at him. 

"Well," He swallowed. "We should discuss the logistics, post divorce arrangements, the baby and everything else you consider necessary."

I heaved. "About the baby..."

He reached out to take my hand, rubbing me softly, "I know. I heard and I'm sorry."

Well, He did sound like he was sorry. His face showed so much guilt.

"Maybe we should talk about the division of our assets, Jayden. I wish to hire a lawyer and secure a settlement." 

He shrugged defensively, "That's okay." 

"I don't want any more fights, Jayden. Let's just do this cleanly." I responded, surprised by the way he handled the situation.

"I understand." He said with a sad smile, looking at me for a while. "Do you hate me now?" His voice was somewhat hoarse. His gaze lingered on me longer than usual. His eyes tracing down my face with an intensity that made me feel tense. 

I swallowed, feeling the weight of his question. Turning to look at him once more, I said,  "I don't have the energy to hate you, Jayden." I looked up at the clock. It was almost six in the evening. Jayden had been with me for four long hours. 

"I suppose I'll leave now.” He leaned closer to tidy up the quilts for me, “Can I… Hug you?” it appeared he hadn't thought it through because he immediately pulled away, anxiety laced in his eyes.  “You don’t want me to be here. I-I’ll get Cindy to look after you. Rest well."

"I understand," I replied calmly, trying hard to not smell his cologne and resisting the urge to ask him for the hug,"Have a great evening." As I watched him leave, I wondered if he was going home—to her.

The moment he left, I stared at the door, feeling a pang of regret. I still loved him but I knew it was time to let go. Tears welled up in my eyes as I drew in air. This was the right decision.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden vibration. It was my phone on the bedside table buzzing. I peered into it. The caller was Cindy, Jayden's sister. She was my closest friend.

"Hey, babes. How are you?"

"I'm awake now," I responded. "I don't feel much better. Jayden just left and to be honest, I'm having second thoughts."

"Do you want to go back to him? That asshole. Fuck him."

"It's not the best thing for me to do, so I won't."

"I know how you're feeling, babes. But I'm with you through this. Stay strong."

My phone beeped. A notification had popped in and it’s from Katherine. I checked it immediately. 

"Guess whose baby he is." She sent me a picture of her child.

I zoomed in closely, feeling a pang of jealousy towards the child. Many questions ran through my mind. When did this happen? Katherine had only just returned. So, she wasn't sick like Jayden had said, she was pregnant! It was all coming together.

How long has this been going on? I felt my hate for Jayden returning with a wild intensity as I continued to look at the child. I could see a slight resemblance between the baby and Jayden. 

And then... Something tugged at my memory. 

What. the. hell.

Not only was the child familiar, the babysitter was familiar. It was the baby from earlier and his babysitter. A gasp left my lips. Was it mere coincidence? 

"Are you okay, babes?" I had forgotten that Cindy was still on the phone with me.

"Yes. I'm good. But I'll never forgive Jake and Katherine." The child was Jayden's as it seemed and Katherine was rubbing that on my face.

"I wouldn't forgive him if I were you, so I'm solidly behind you."

After I hung up, I rang for the nurse to come. "When will I leave this shit hole?" I didn't mean to sound so rude, but the frustration I felt got the better part of me.

The nurse seemed to understand. "Four more days, ma'am. Don't worry too much."

I dialed the number of Fred almost immediately, holding my breath until he picked up. "How did it go with Jayden?"

I had no time to answer, so I went straight to business. "I have decided not to take the job."

"What?" Fred seemed to take it personal. "This is about him, right?"

My fingers tapped softly at the back of my phone as I exhaled slowly. "No. I got a settlement for the divorce.  I am  thinking of launching a cosmetic line, and with your luxury clothing brand, we could create a powerful synergy. What do you say we partner to create something unbeatable?”