Chapter 191

Chapter 191

"Ember, I know you've been wronged." On the other end of the line, Gilly's voice was choked with emotion.

I didn't say anything. I just listened quietly.

"I talked to Gabriel. Honestly, he doesn't want the divorce."

Gilly's emotions intensified. "I don't care what happens between you and that idiot son of mine—I will never accept Azure into the Sinclair family. Not unless I'm dead."

Despite Gilly's emotional outburst, I felt strangely calm.

What she was saying now was just said in anger. If she found out Azure was pregnant, that she was carrying a Sinclair heir, would she still be so adamant?

I spoke slowly, trying to reason with her. "Mrs. Sinclair, please don't be upset. Love doesn't work on a first-come, first-served basis. If the two of them really love each other, I'm willing to let them be together. I hope you can accept that and let them be happy too."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, like she couldn't believe those words had come out of my mouth.

I could still remember my past life—how I'd knelt on the floor crying, begging Gilly to help me, telling her I couldn't lose Gabriel.

"Let them be together?"

"Only that idiot Gabriel would believe Azure is some innocent flower." Gilly's voice was bitter.

Then she added, "The Sinclair family will only accept you as our daughter-in-law."

I believed Gilly was being sincere. But I didn't feel grateful anymore.

If it weren't for Gilly hiding Gabriel's first love from me, I wouldn't have suffered so much in this relationship. I wouldn't have become the target of Gabriel's hatred.

I couldn't get over what happened back then. And I couldn't forgive Gilly either.

After a few more brief exchanges, I hung up.

---

The next morning, I was lying in my hospital bed reading when the door suddenly opened.

It was Azure.

Seeing this uninvited guest, I frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Ember, Mr. Sinclair mentioned you were sick, so I thought I'd come check on you." Azure smiled sweetly, all innocent and bright.

"Feeling better?"

As she arranged flowers in the vase by my bed, Azure asked with apparent concern.

I stared at her expressionlessly, not buying for a second that she was just here to visit.

Seeing my silence, Azure didn't seem bothered. Like we were close friends, she patiently advised me, "If you want to recover quickly, you need to stay in a good mood."

Then Azure seemed to remember something. Her voice dropped slightly.

"Ember, I'm sorry. I should have stopped Mr. Sinclair. I shouldn't have let him announce your divorce while you're sick. I really should have stopped him."

Watching this woman's performance, I couldn't help thinking what a waste it was that she wasn't an actress.

"Well, thanks for being so thoughtful."

I smiled at Azure.

The next second, I grabbed the flowers she'd brought and hurled them at her.

Azure froze, caught completely off guard.

She stared at me in disbelief, a scratch from a stem visible on her cheek.

"Ember, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"

"I know you're upset about Mr. Sinclair announcing the divorce, but—"

"Enough. Gabriel's not here. Who are you putting on this act for?"

I cut her off.

"If you don't get out of my sight right now, I can't guarantee what might end up hitting your face next."

I stared at Azure coldly.

Azure's tears started falling. "Ember, please don't be angry. I'll leave right now."

With that, she turned and left.

Watching Azure's retreating figure, I had a nagging feeling—maybe it was just my imagination—that this wasn't going to end here.

Sure enough, just as I suspected, audio of my argument with Azure was posted online—heavily edited, of course.

In the edited version, I came across as an unreasonable shrew and Azure as an innocent victim.

The audio went viral. More and more people started attacking me online, saying I was some bitter old woman bullying a naive college student.

I couldn't help thinking these internet users weren't very bright.

But I figured Gabriel would come looking for me soon. After all, I'd upset his little girlfriend.

I waited one day. Two days. Three days.

Gabriel never showed up. That was strange.

Whatever. I enjoyed the peace and quiet at the hospital for a few days. Once my body had recovered enough, I finally checked out.

Before I left, the doctor went over daily precautions with me—keep my emotions stable, maintain a balanced diet, don't overexert myself, and so on.

Anxious about almost losing this child, I memorized every instruction carefully.

---

Back at my apartment, I sat on the couch thinking about whether I should take a break from work, or ask Uncle Danny to transfer me to a less demanding position.

Just as I was mulling this over, there was a knock at the door.

I got up to answer it and found Nason standing there looking travel-worn.

Seeing him appear out of nowhere, I was surprised. "Nason? What are you doing here?"

Without answering my question, Nason looked me up and down carefully before finally speaking. "How are you feeling? You look even thinner. Ember, are you even safe going outside on a windy day?"

The questions kept coming.

"So, can you explain why you're back here?" I stared at Nason, confused.

He'd told me just a few days ago that he'd returned home.

"Well... there's some important business here. I might need to stay for a while," Nason said casually.

"How long is 'a while'?"

I looked at him suspiciously. The world couldn't be this full of coincidences.

If Ceria showed up next, my entire social circle from Seashire City would have relocated abroad.

"Probably six months to a year," Nason said slowly.

"Didn't you say before that your company had no plans to expand overseas?" I frowned at him.

Hearing my question, Nason looked at me. "Company strategies are always adjusting. Nothing stays the same."

Too tired to argue with him, I said, "Fine. Whatever you say."

"Actually, there's one more thing I need your help with."

As Nason pulled his suitcase into my apartment, he looked at me seriously.

Back home, he'd helped me out plenty of times, so helping him with something small wasn't a big deal.

I agreed readily. "Sure, what do you need?"

"I came over in kind of a rush and haven't found a place to stay yet, so... could I crash at your place for a bit?"

The moment those words left Nason's mouth, I froze.