Chapter 14

“Come, there's something I must tell you. Jayden… he got into an accident. Jayden, he's…” 

“What did you just say? What happened to Jayden?” Aria interrupted her mother-in-law, eyes bulging and full of shock and fear. 

“Let's find somewhere private to talk first,” Mrs. Audrey said, and she turned to lead Aria away. 

“Can I see him first? I was just with him last…"

“He's in his ward; he's currently sedated and sleeping. That's why I need to talk to you first. Jayden…he is not the same as he was before,” Mrs. Audrey said, cutting her off and trying her best to mask the annoyance in her voice. 

She was just pretending with her daughter-in-law, but instead of Aria obediently following her, here she was, asking questions. 

Unknown to Mrs. Audrey, interrupting Aria had made it so that Aria couldn't complete her sentence. She had just been about to reveal that she was together with Jayden the previous night. An impossible occurrence since Jayden was lying immovable on the hospital bed. 

Aria thinks Jayden got into an accident this morning after he left her alone in the suite. She has no idea what she is about to find out in a few minutes from now.

“What do you mean by that, Mother?” Aria asked, her heart beating wildly in her chest. 

Mrs. Audrey ignored her and continued to walk towards a bench, which she sat on. Aria quietly followed her mother-in-law and sat beside her on the bench. 

“Did you receive divorce papers from Jayden yesterday?” Mrs. Audrey asked as soon as Aria sat down.

Aria lowered her gaze and nodded slowly. 

‘Ha! What a joke; it seemed she was overthinking; her mother-in-law's attitude had only changed because her son was finally divorcing her. Here she was thinking the woman was finally accepting her,' Aria thought self-deprecatingly.

Mrs. Audrey grabbed her hands, causing Aria to lift her gaze to stare at the woman in surprise. 

“Jayden sent those papers to you because of his current condition; don't blame him. He has regretted it for not letting you know and making the decision for the both of you,” Mrs. Audrey said, making Aria confused.

“What condition are you talking about, Mother? What happened to my husband?” She asked. 

“Jayden's accident made him unable to move from his neck downwards. He's paralyzed from his neck downwards, and yesterday, when he found out about his condition, as soon as he came out of the operation theater, he decided to set you free,” Mrs. Audrey began, not paying attention to how Aria was staring at her in shock and bewilderment. 

“Jayden loves you so much. He thinks you're too young to be stuck with a useless man like him and that he should let you go and find your happiness with someone else. But I can see he misses you terribly and is regretting his actions. He has been calling for you in his sleep, and even the doctor said it's affecting him psychologically. Please forgive him and stay with him. He's sorry, and he needs you,” Mrs. Audrey concluded. 

Tears were falling from Aria's eyes, hearing her mother-in-law's words. 

‘Jayden has been here since yesterday? Then who had she spent the night with just a few hours earlier? Who did those things to her? She had enjoyed it. She had cheated on her husband and enjoyed it.' 

Aria could already guess who it was yesterday night in the hotel suite with her, but she refused to believe it. She refused to believe Kayden was out of prison and had done something so abominable to her.

“M—Mother, you… You said Jayden was here yesterday?” she asked, her voice choking. 

Mrs. Audrey nodded sadly. 

“Yes, Jayden had been admitted to the hospital since yesterday morning. He was so angry at the world and in pain, but he thought of you first and decided to do what was best for you, and that was setting you free.” 

“Why? ... Why didn't anyone call me when he got into an accident and was first admitted? Why did you wait for such a long time to tell me my husband was in such a serious accident?” Aria asked, her voice high and her anger palpable. 

“It must have been you; you must have kept it from me on purpose. Look at what happened because of you!” Aria added angrily, pointing at the older woman and causing her mother-in-law's eyes to widen.

She didn't know her usually soft-spoken daughter-in-law had such a side to her. 

‘But wasn't she exaggerating? Why was she acting as if she had lost a fortune?'

“I know you are angry, but I'm still your elder, and you must show me some respect,” Mrs. Audrey said sternly. 

Aria ignored the woman, pulled out her phone, and walked away, dialing Cara’s number.

“Where are you, bestie? I'm already here in the hospital lobby,” she said. 

“Robert would come down and get you,” Cara said, and Aria nodded. 

“Got it.” 

Mrs. Audrey heard Aria's call and saw her walk away as if she were invisible and gritted her teeth in anger. 

‘Did Aria think she could throw her weight around just because her son is now a vegetable? Humph, she would soon teach her her place. She was the matriarch of the Hunt family, and her word must be obeyed.' 

~~~ 

Aria found out from Cara that she had called her because she found something was amiss. Aria's suspicions were confirmed after she had a chat with Cara. 

Her mother-in-law was behind her predicament, but even though she was angry at the woman, Aria had always known that the woman despised her, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but why would Kayden sleep with her?

What was wrong with that man? Jayden had always told her his brother was a psychopath, and she had seen it herself when she had seen him kill that man.

Was Kayden taking revenge on her because of her testimony? Did he hate her that much that he would do something so abominable to her? 

‘She was his sister-in-law for crying out loud. Why did he do it? Was playing with her fun?'

Aria couldn't help the rage that was boiling within her like volcanic lava. 'She was going to kill Kayden with her bare hands when she saw him… The man would regret treating her like that,’ Aria promised.