Chapter 14: Chelsea Had a Heart Condition

At that moment, Nathaniel felt a wave of doubt wash over him. 'Chelsea always said Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were the best parents ever. What could Aurelia have done to make Mr. Thompson so mad?'

"Why did your dad hit you?" Nathaniel asked.

Aurelia was taken aback, thinking, 'Has Nathaniel found out that Norman's been pushing me to divorce him so Chelsea can marry into the Heilbronn family?'

"You already know?" Aurelia asked.

"Yeah, Betty told me."

"Then why are you asking me if you already know?" Aurelia, usually so gentle, suddenly turned firm.

Nathaniel didn't push it. Aurelia was on edge, and he didn't want to start a fight. Since Aurelia didn't want to talk, he'd just have to figure it out himself.

Aurelia's vomiting held them up for half an hour. Knowing she was messing up Nathaniel's plans, she urged, "Zack, drive. I'm okay now. Don't let Mr. Heilbronn's important stuff get delayed."

Aurelia's words made Zack feel a bit guilty, knowing Nathaniel was just going to see Chelsea. Zack couldn't say anything. He felt like he was going to break down sooner or later. Knowing everything but not being able to say anything was torture.

Just then, Nathaniel's phone rang again. Aurelia remembered Nathaniel mentioning something urgent earlier and felt a bit guilty for holding him up. She was about to apologize but stopped when she heard a soft, charming voice on the phone. "Nathaniel, when will you be here? I feel really unwell."

"Sorry, I got held up. I'll be there soon," Nathaniel said.

"Okay, I'll wait for you, Nathaniel." Chelsea's voice was so sweet it sent a shiver down Aurelia's spine, let alone Nathaniel, who'd grown up with her. Zack listened, feeling a chill run down his spine, awkward as ever.

Nathaniel walked over to Aurelia and brushed her hair aside. "Feeling better? Let's get in the car."

Aurelia didn't answer but asked, "The urgent matter you mentioned earlier was to see Chelsea?"

Nathaniel nodded. "Chelsea has a heart condition. We need to go immediately."

"Are you sure it's 'we'? She probably only wants to see you, not me." Aurelia's voice was still weak. She took another sip of water and leaned against the bench's armrest.

Nathaniel frowned. "What's with the attitude?"

"If you don't like my attitude, go find Chelsea."

"Stop throwing a tantrum. Chelsea's heart condition can't wait; if we delay, it could be serious." Nathaniel said.

Aurelia closed her eyes, not wanting to see Nathaniel. "I feel awful. I don't want to get in the car."

Nathaniel forcefully pulled Aurelia into his arms and carried her to the back seat. "You don't get to refuse with me."

Aurelia, weak from vomiting and naturally not as strong as Nathaniel, only struggled a little before nestling into Nathaniel's arms.

Nathaniel changed into fresh clothes, and the refreshing lemon scent made Aurelia feel a bit better. She was too exhausted to resist and just nestled in Nathaniel's arms.

'Fine, since we're getting divorced anyway, I might as well enjoy this one last time,' Aurelia thought. She and Nathaniel rarely had tender moments; it was usually just straightforward sex.

With her head against Nathaniel's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, Aurelia felt her own heart race, and her nausea was pushed aside by her nervousness.

The rest of the journey didn't seem so unbearable. Aurelia glanced out the window and realized the road looked increasingly familiar. "Did you put your mistress in Jade Community?"

Nathaniel replied, "Chelsea is not my mistress."

Aurelia snorted inwardly, 'Come on, they even have a kid together, and he still says she isn't his lover. Who would believe that?'

Aurelia didn't bother arguing with Nathaniel. From his answer, she confirmed that Nathaniel had indeed placed Chelsea in Jade Community.

The apartment in Jade Community was a wedding gift from Reed, a shared asset between Aurelia and Nathaniel, but they had never lived there. Aurelia didn't expect Chelsea to be living there.

Aurelia found it laughable that a mistress was living in her house, wondering whether Nathaniel did it on purpose to disgust her. The heart that had just been racing for Nathaniel instantly turned cold again.

Zack drove quickly and steadily, and they soon arrived at Jade Community. Fortunately, Nathaniel still had some decency. He went upstairs to see Chelsea alone and didn't drag Aurelia along. Aurelia sat quietly in the back seat, while Zack stayed obediently in the driver's seat.

In the past, Aurelia might have initiated a conversation with Zack, but today she was too nauseous to muster the energy and leaned weakly against the door.

Nathaniel's scent still lingered faintly around her, but the thought of him upstairs with Chelsea while she waited downstairs made her feel sick.

With this thought, even the lemon scent started to make her nauseous. Aurelia rushed out of the car and squatted on the ground to vomit again.

Zack nervously followed her out, feeling helpless. "Mrs. Heilbronn, are you okay? Do you need me to do anything? Just let me know!"

"Go get me a cup of lemon water," Aurelia said weakly, leaning against a tree.

"Okay, I'll be right back. Please wait a moment." Zack quickly ran off. There was usually a store in the community, and it would take him less than five minutes to run there and back.

As he sprinted and returned in four minutes, Aurelia was gone. "Mrs. Heilbronn, Mrs. Heilbronn." Zack called out a few times but got no response. He felt nervous but thought it was daytime, and the area was safe, so Aurelia shouldn't be in any danger.

Thinking about Aurelia's weakness and inability to walk far, Zack decided to call her. The phone rang twice before she answered. "Mrs. Heilbronn, where did you go?" Zack asked anxiously.

"I went home," Aurelia said calmly.