When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

Chapter 20: What Responsibility Could I Have?

The day after Raina Lowell was hospitalized, Hazel Hawthorne went to see her around noon and ran right into a travel-worn Aiden Xavier, who had hurried back.

They bumped right into each other at the elevators. Hazel Hawthorne stared in disbelief at Aiden Xavier, who shouldn’t have been there. He had dropped his business and rushed back just because Raina Lowell was in the hospital.

’What profound love, to inspire such devotion.’

When Aiden Xavier saw Hazel Hawthorne, his face was expressionless. His cold gaze quickly swept over her shocked expression.

His voice was cold and laced with sarcasm. "Here to see if Raina Lowell is dead yet?"

Aiden Xavier’s words snapped Hazel Hawthorne out of her daze. Instead of getting angry, she laughed. "That’s right. And if I see she isn’t dead, I’ll have to finish the job myself."

Every word out of Hazel Hawthorne’s mouth took Aiden Xavier by surprise.

’If she dares to be this brazen to my face—talking about finishing the job, about killing Raina Lowell—I can only imagine how much worse she is to Raina when I’m not around.’

Catching Aiden Xavier’s look, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, Hazel Hawthorne abruptly continued, "And why wouldn’t I be? You were gone for one day, and I abandoned Raina Lowell at home, went out to wine and dine, and then kicked her out on a night of pouring rain."

Then, as if struck by a new thought, Hazel Hawthorne suddenly leaned in closer to Aiden Xavier, her expression enigmatic. "Do you know why I’m at the hospital?"

Without waiting for Aiden Xavier to answer, she continued, "To tell you the truth, I’m here to finish off Raina Lowell. I’m going to wait until no one’s around and stab her to death. You know what’s in my bag? A very sharp knife."

Hazel Hawthorne looked at Aiden Xavier’s utterly baffled expression and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The other people in the elevator, who had heard everything, turned to stare. Their faces a mixture of shock and bewilderment, they looked at Hazel Hawthorne as if she were a dangerous criminal, silently shuffling away to put some distance between them.

Seeing this, Hazel Hawthorne’s smile bloomed.

elevator stopped. Hazel Hawthorne stepped out first, and Aiden Xavier followed close behind. He found himself staring, lost

proportions. If she hadn’t married him, the men

whenever she walked down the street alone, men would approach to ask for her number. She’d attract a crowd of men trying to

just seen too many beautiful women, or

random woman off the street who’s

of a husband being blind to his own

reached the door to the hospital room, before her hand could even touch the knob, Aiden Xavier strode forward, shoved her aside, and opened

to see Aiden Xavier. Her eyes immediately welled with tears as she looked ready to

Lowell’s expression just before it changed. ’If I had been the one to walk in first,’ she thought, ’Raina’s little act would have fallen

passionate embrace,

Lowell was only in the hospital for a cold, not some terminal illness. ’For a cold, you just take some medicine. Why the

looked at Raina Lowell, you’d think she was about to draw

piped up. "Aiden, please don’t blame Ms. Hawthorne. It was all my fault for being so thoughtless. I knew Ms. Hawthorne had things to do, yet I still went out. I should have just waited at home for her

had his back to her, so he

is more important than you," Aiden Xavier said,

Am I supposed to

It was already a

to keep emphasizing it. Any woman would understand: feigning weakness is the ultimate trump

wall, watching Raina Lowell with detached amusement,

Aiden Xavier growled, using her full

I didn’t go anywhere. Why are you shouting? Aren’t you afraid of scaring your precious darling before she’s recovered from

She was dying to see Aiden Xavier go after Hazel

to her strengths, whereas Hazel Hawthorne didn’t even know the meaning of the word ’surrender’ when it came to