Chapter 213

Joshua knelt on the cold floor, his deep eyes filled with pain as he looked up at Ella.

She seemed to enjoy being surrounded and pursued by men, and that superior attitude stung him. Even so, he willingly chose to submit.

"As long as you're willing to stay and give birth to the baby, I'll do anything you need me to do."

Ella's heart clenched suddenly, and for a moment, she didn't want to see him so humble.

But her brain pulled at her consciousness, leaving her no reason to do what she didn't want to do.

She felt like her brain was being controlled, yet she didn't know how to deal with it.

In the end, she just followed her impulses, doing things she didn't understand herself and even found disgusting.

"Right now, you really do look like a dog." Ella looked down at him proudly, no longer wanting to eat. She lay down and ordered, "Get up and give me a massage!"

Joshua set down the fruit plate. Maybe it was his age, but after kneeling for a while, his knees had actually gotten stiff.

He pushed himself up using his legs and sat on the edge of the bed, massaging her with moderate pressure the way Ella used to massage him.

Ella lay on her back for a while, then on her stomach.

Then she said to Joshua, "I love someone else. I only want to be with him. Why would you want a child from someone like me?"

"If I were you, I'd let me go and find someone who's completely devoted to you. Wouldn't that be better?"

Joshua kept his head down, focused on massaging Ella.

Every inch of her seemed to glow, delicate and soft, her skin white as snow.

Hearing what Ella said, he suppressed the bitterness in his heart and said in a low voice, "I love you. I'm already very grateful that you're willing to have this child for me."

"I can't control your heart. If you still want to leave after the baby's born, I'll let you go."

Ella didn't care about his "I love you."

Her mind was only filled with Michael now.

Other people's love was just a burden to her. She didn't want it.

Feeling a bit sleepy, Ella drifted off comfortably under Joshua's massage.

Joshua gently pulled the blanket over her, looking at Ella's delicate face in the light—her features beautiful, her lips like pink petals.

His heart stirred, waves of bitterness rising.

He wondered if he could find a good hypnotist to break Ella's hypnosis before the baby was born in a few months.

He wondered if Samuel could develop a cure for Aurora's condition soon.

Joshua sat by the bed watching over Ella, sometimes feeling exhausted and drained.

Other times feeling he couldn't give up.

When he had his accident and lay in bed for three years, Ella never gave up on him.

Now Ella was just hypnotized—what right did he have to give up on her and their child?

Joshua encouraged himself, just like the kids said, everything would be okay.

He just had to wait.

No matter how Ella treated him from now on, he had to hold on.

Once Ella got better and returned to normal, they would definitely be like before again—loving each other, living happily together.

After making sure Ella was asleep, Joshua got up and left.

He first got Aurora and Dorian to bed, then took a shower himself. After that, he returned to his study to finish his work before going back to the master bedroom and getting into Ella's bed.

As soon as he lay down, Ella moved closer to him on her own, nestling into his arms.

Joshua was stunned.

He hadn't expected that even now, Ella would still move toward him on her own.

He gently raised his hand, holding her in his arms and kissing her forehead.

But the next second, Ella murmured, "Michael, I love you too."

These words made Joshua feel like his heart was torn open with a huge gash, and even his breathing stopped. His arms around her became stiff, unable to move.

For a long time, he still didn't push Ella away.

He lay there, tears unknowingly spilling from his hollow eyes.

But Ella wasn't done. She lifted her chin and burrowed into Joshua's neck, kissing him while calling another man's name.

"Michael, I want you."

"Will you help me?"

She panted, her hands pulling at Joshua's clothes.

Joshua felt no desire, only the dull pain of his heart being torn apart inch by inch.

He couldn't bear to become another man's substitute, to satisfy her twisted fantasy. Finally, he pulled her hands away and suddenly sat up from the bed.

His movement was quite abrupt.

It woke Ella up.

She opened her eyes drowsily, only seeing a tall, resolute figure about to leave.

Her sense of shame told her she shouldn't care.

But the strange emptiness and longing in her body made her call out uncontrollably, "Joshua."

Joshua, who had reached the door, stopped but didn't want to turn around.

He was angry.

But he wouldn't lose his temper at Ella—he just wanted to be alone to calm down.

Ella said to him, "Come back."

No matter how frustrated and angry Joshua felt inside, he still turned and came back to the bed.

The two buttons on his pajama top that Ella had undone moments ago were still unfastened, vaguely revealing his tan skin, sexy and solid.

Ella looked at him, still young and handsome, with a well-proportioned figure and tall build, and unconsciously swallowed.

She was clearly pregnant, but at this moment her body was especially hungry.

She wanted it.

Regardless of who the other person was.

Ella said, "Didn't you say you'd do anything for me? Come here and kiss me."

Joshua stood frozen by the bed, his eyes bloodshot, his expression dark.

"Do you know who I am?"

Ella laughed, "I'm not blind. Of course I know who you are."

"So you're willing to do it with me?"

Ella felt indifferent. "I'm already pregnant with your child. This kind of physical need is normal, isn't it?"

In other words, she didn't care.

Her body needed it, and it didn't matter who the other person was.

Joshua didn't know how Ella had become like this.

But she had needs now—could he not satisfy them?

If he didn't, she might be clamoring to find Michael the next second.

To keep Ella calm and have her stay to give birth, Joshua could only endure the humiliation of pleasing her and satisfying her.

During this time, he would feel something too, have needs too.

But Ella wasn't willing to help him.

She only wanted to be pleased.

After being pleased, she'd fall asleep, while he could only slink off to the bathroom to take care of himself.

Although Ella's heart held someone else, her body didn't resist Joshua.

After Joshua came back from the bathroom, she moved into his arms again on her own.

It seemed that only by holding someone warm could her heart feel at ease.

But when she woke up and didn't see Joshua, Ella lost it.

She shouted toward the door, "Someone come here."

The household staff heard and walked into the room, bowing respectfully, "Mrs. Thomas."

Ella asked, "Where's Joshua?"

The servant said, "Mr. Thomas took Aurora and Dorian to school for their exams."

Ella glanced at the time—it was already eight o'clock.

She thought she should go back to work at the company too.

She didn't stay in bed any longer. After getting up and washing up, she ate a little breakfast and took a car to the company by herself.

But she held a grudge against Joshua in her heart.

Heath had heard about Ella's situation.

After learning Ella had come to the company, he came to her office to talk to her. "Ella, that Michael isn't a good person. Joshua was hurt so badly by him before, and he imprisoned you and the kids. Why do you still want to go find him?"

Ella used to have principles in everything she did.

He didn't know why she was being so stubborn this time.

She had already agreed to Joshua's proposal and was pregnant with Joshua's child again.

By all rights, their family of five should be very happy, but Ella suddenly started acting up again, wanting to find another man.

As her father, Heath really didn't understand what Ella was up to now.

Ella kept her head down working while telling him, "Michael may not be good to others, but he's very good to me. Plus, the medicine Aurora needs is in his hands. I have to go."

"Are you just going to get the medicine, or do you like him and want to be with him?"

Heath had heard from Mason and Vida before that Ella was having an affair and wanted to find another man.

He didn't believe it.

So he had to ask clearly.

Ella looked up at him, very honest: "After I give birth to this child, I'll go find Michael. I love him and will be with him forever."

However, hearing this, Heath's heart jumped.

He could hardly believe what his ears were hearing.

This daughter who had always been self-respecting and principled was actually cheating on Joshua while pregnant with his child, falling for another man.

Though he didn't know Michael well.

But according to Mason, Michael was no good and had several lives on his hands.

How could Ella like such a desperate criminal?

Heath couldn't understand. He looked at Ella with heartache and asked again, "Ella, have you really thought this through? If you go find another man, what about the kids? What about your mother and me?"

Ella didn't care at all.

"Aurora and Dorian don't want to come with me. They'd rather be with Joshua. I won't force them. As for the child I'm carrying, it's Joshua's. I won't take it either."

"You and Mom still have Mason, don't you? You don't need me to stay and take care of you in your old age, right?"

Heath looked at Ella's attitude toward him and the words she was saying.

He just felt hurt and couldn't believe it.

They could understand if she had problems with Joshua and didn't want to stay with him.

But how had she become so cold even toward her family?

Heath was very sad. "Ella, can you really bear to leave us?"

Ella was getting impatient and said even more hurtful words.

"I didn't grow up with you from childhood. Our bond isn't as deep as you imagine. And you probably don't know—I once fell into the sea and nearly died. It was Michael who saved me."

"Without Michael, there wouldn't be the me and Aurora of today. I love him. Even if it means going against the whole world, I'll still return to his side."

"Dad, you don't need to try to persuade me. My mind is made up."

She went back to her work, completely disregarding Heath's feelings.

Heath felt his heart shatter.

As he quietly walked out of the office, he couldn't help but cry.