Chapter 15

Aria sat beside Jayden, holding his hand in hers in his VIP ward. She saw how almost half of his body was wrapped in bandages and casts. And how he looked sickly, lean, and pale in just a few days since she had seen him last, and her heart ached for him. 

‘This was her kind husband, always thinking of her and putting her first.’ 

Aria was angry at Jayden for making such a decision on her behalf, but she still felt sad that he found himself unworthy of her and decided to set her free even when he needed her most. 

Did Jayden think she'd reject him or deny him as her husband because of his current condition? Did he see her as an ungrateful woman who would just abandon him because he was no longer important to her? 

“Oh Jayden, sweetheart, why would you do that? Why would you decide to break us up without asking for my opinion first? I love you; I'll always love you, honey. Don't you ever do that again, okay?” She said to the sleeping man. 

Aria kept talking to Jayden in his sleep until he couldn't help but hear her one-sided conversations as she continued to talk to him and fuss over him. 

Jayden thought he was dreaming at first until he slowly opened his eyes and found Aria in front of him. He didn't even want to blink, afraid he was imagining it.

“Aria,” he called out hoarsely, his voice full of disbelief. 

“You are here? You really came back to see me,” he added, and Aria nodded, her eyes full of tears. 

“Yes, where would I go if not by my husband's side? Why would you make such a decision without consulting with me first? Do you know that I nearly went crazy yesterday?” Aria scolded him, but her voice was soft and indulgent. 

Jayden saw his mother signaling him with her eyes behind Aria and mouthing some words to him, making him confused for a moment there. 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything,” Jayden finally said, repeating his mother's words.

“Aria, dear, please get Jayden some warm water from outside to soothe his dry throat. The water here is too cold and not good for his health,” Mrs. Audrey said, approaching Aria. 

Aria had indeed noticed how hoarse Jayden’s voice sounded and nodded and went out of the ward to get Jayden some warm water. 

“Ok honey, I'll be back in a jiffy. Wait for me,” Aria said and hurriedly went out with a kettle in hand. 

When Mrs. Audrey saw that Aria was out of earshot, she leaned in and whispered to her son, 

“Jayden, Mother did everything for your own good, so please listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you; your wife might return any moment from now,” she began. 

Mrs. Audrey hurriedly explained everything that had happened with Aria to her son, confirming his earlier suspicions, but after seeing how much his mother helped solve the problem with the divorce, he decided to settle scores with her later. 

Jayden had no idea that it would take him just 24 hours to see how much Aria meant to him. He realized he had fallen in love with her without realizing it, and he had just mistaken it for a game he entered because of his brother. 

He loved Ariana Gray and didn't want to lose her. He needed her more than ever now that his brother had his freedom and was a full man, unlike him. 

Aria realized there was something wrong with the atmosphere between mother and son after she returned, but she felt she was overthinking it and put it at the back of her mind. 

Aria kept Jayden company. She fed him and conversed with him, talking about nothing and everything until it was about 5:00 pm when he finally went back to sleep after his medication.

Aria saw that Jayden was finally asleep and left to go home for a change of clothes and to freshen up. Her main agenda was to find her son-of-a-bitch brother-in-law. 

Aria wanted to look him in the eye and ask him why he did that to her. Why must he do something so inhumane to her?

She left the hospital in long strides. Due to Aria's agitation about everything that has happened to her since yesterday, she was yet to realize that her mother-in-law and husband were both lying to her because according to them, Jayden had supposedly sent over the divorce papers after his operation, but the man couldn't even move his fingers due to the accident, so how did he manage to sign the divorce papers in that situation? 

~~~ 

The doors to the elevator swung open at the CEO floor of Hunt Corporation, and Aria stepped out in her long, long-sleeved turtleneck straight dress and made her way to the desk of the secretary. 

“Good eve…” Aria subconsciously paused when she saw a blond woman coming out of the CEO’s office. The woman looked like she was dressed for the runway for a mini-dress collection. 

The red sleeveless dress she wore barely reached her thigh, but she still managed to have a slit on one thigh, and Aria could swear the woman wore no bra and panties underneath that short dress. 

Her face was also full of makeup that one could hardly tell her real features underneath the thick wall of her makeup.

'Who was this woman? Why was she coming out of the CEO's office'? Aria thought.

“Sorry, are you Miss Ariana Gray?” The secretary asked, causing Aria's gaze to return to him. 

The woman was just about to reach them, and Aria couldn't help but feel she was staring at her with hostility in her eyes. 

“Yes, I'm Ariana,” Aria answered simply, taking note of how the secretary was using her maiden name. 

“Please come with me; I'm Mike, Mr. Hunt’s secretary,” Mike said and led the way. 

Aria nodded and followed after Mike and felt someone bump into her. She turned and found the blond woman glaring at her before yelling at her angrily.

“Don't you have eyes? Can't you watch where you are going?” 

Aria stared at the woman in puzzlement. ‘Wasn't she the one who bumped into her?’ 

“Excuse me…” 

“Miss Vanessa, she's the boss's esteemed guest; please mind your manners,” Mike said to Vanessa, interrupting Aria, and turned to her. 

“I'm sorry, madam, please come with me,” Mike said. 

Vanessa glared at Mike and said sarcastically, 

“We shall see.”

Mike approached the door and gently tapped on it.

“Come in,” a deep voice responded.

“Boss, the young mistress is here,” Mike said. 

“Let her in,” Kayden said without turning. He was currently standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and staring at the bustling streets below. 

“You can go in, please; the CEO is expecting you,” Mike said respectfully. 

“Thank you,” Aria said, and heard Mike's footsteps fading away with the door clicking shut after him. 

Aria stared at the man whose back was facing her and felt like drilling holes through his skull with her eyes. If looks could kill, Kayden would have been a dead man. 

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me without talking?” Kayden asked nonchalantly as he finally turned to face her. 

“Kayden Hunt, you are the scum of the earth, and I curse the day I crossed paths with you!” she yelled, her voice full of venom. 

Kayden's eyes darkened, and he stared at the woman as if she were meat on a chopping board. 

“Repeat what you just said,” he growled dangerously in a cold voice that sent shivers down her spine, but Aria was too angry to read the blaring danger signs in front of her and hissed, 

“I said you are the scum of the earth, Kayden Hunt!