Chapter 137
Joshua thought Ava was completely hopeless.
Too lazy to explain further, he hung up and quickly drove off to find Ella, wanting to ask what she really meant by those words.
He went to the Lewis Villa but no one was there, so he rushed to the hospital.
Finally, he found her in Rhea's hospital room.
Joshua greeted the elders first before turning to Ella, "Ella, come out. I need to ask you something."
Ella acted like she didn't hear him and continued feeding Rhea.
Rhea's injuries weren't life-threatening, so Heath and Mason had left early for the company.
Seeing her ignore him, Joshua lost his patience. He walked over, took the bowl from her hands and set it aside, then grabbed her hand and forcibly led her out of the room.
Ella reluctantly followed, shaking off his hand at the doorway, "I already made everything clear with your mom. I'm sure she told you, so why are you still here?"
Joshua pulled out his phone and played the recording.
After it finished, he stared at Ella with dark, hurt eyes, his voice trembling, "This whole time you were being nice to me, you were just using me? You don't love me at all?"
Joshua couldn't believe it.
They used to have feelings for each other.
Even though he'd done things that hurt Ella, she'd done plenty of things that hurt him too.
He could let the past go—why couldn't she?
Joshua felt his heart go cold.
"Yes."
Ella's face was expressionless as she looked into Joshua's eyes, firm and unwavering, "I don't love you. Forget love—sometimes I even wish you were dead. If it weren't for you, my Aurora would never have left."
"Being nice to you was just to get revenge on Scarlett. Now that Scarlett's in jail, I don't have to force myself to stay by your side anymore."
If Joshua hadn't forced himself on her four years ago, she wouldn't have gone abroad, and she wouldn't have had Aurora and Dorian.
Thinking about how this man refused to save his own daughter.
How could Ella possibly forget the past and make up with such a cold-hearted man?
For the rest of her life, she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
"Ella."
Joshua was dazed, unable to accept what he was hearing.
The woman he loved to his core didn't love him at all and even wished he were dead.
Her kindness toward him was all just manipulation.
Joshua suddenly felt his heart being squeezed, and then, in an instant, it exploded.
The pain shattered his entire chest, leaving it bloody and raw.
"You're lying, right? You wouldn't be this cruel. You can tell that my feelings for you are real."
He tried to reach for Ella.
Ella coldly stepped away.
She didn't even want to look at him anymore.
"Joshua, don't act all devoted in front of me. It makes me sick. Just go, and don't ever show up in front of me again."
Ella didn't want to waste any more words on him. She went back into the room and closed the door.
Joshua stood there frozen, his chest so tight it felt like he was suffocating.
He looked lost, unable to process what had happened for a long time.
But eventually, he left alone, dejected.
Joshua didn't know where to go.
He just felt that leaving was the only way to preserve what little dignity he had left as a man.
Inside the room, noticing Ella's pale face, Rhea asked, "What did he say to you?"
Remembering how Joshua had shown up to save her and Dorian when Scarlett held them hostage, Rhea now felt somewhat favorable toward him.
Ella kept her head down and answered casually, "Nothing much. I drew a clear line with him. We won't have anything to do with each other anymore."
Rhea was a bit suspicious, "Why? But our families signed so many partnership projects, and you're the project leader. It's impossible not to have contact with him."
Ella told the truth, "I'm going to leave the company. Mason is better suited for the CEO position anyway."
Once Scarlett was sentenced and sent to prison, she'd take Dorian and leave.
She'd tell Rhea then.
Better not to create any complications in the meantime.
Hearing this, Rhea panicked, "Ella, are you planning something? Why do you want to leave the company again? Your dad and Mason put you in charge because they trust you."
If Ella didn't want the company, they'd feel guilty, like they could never make up for all the suffering she'd endured these years.
And she was also afraid Ella would leave.
Rhea quickly grabbed Ella's hand and pleaded, "Ella, if you have any thoughts, can you tell Mom? Whatever you want, Mom will give it to you."
Seeing Rhea suddenly become anxious and worried, Ella comforted her, "I know they trust me, but if I'm managing so much at the company, when would I have time to be with Dorian? I don't want to neglect Dorian."
"You've already given me so much. I have everything I need now. I'm very satisfied."
The only thing Ella wasn't satisfied with was that her Aurora could never come back.
She wondered if Aurora had been reincarnated yet.
She really, really wanted to see her one more time.
"Alright, we'll respect your choice."
Rhea still felt uneasy. She held Ella in her arms, earnestly telling her how much she loved her and couldn't bear to lose her.
Ella listened, but her heart remained unmoved.
Her mind told her she would still leave.
Joshua returned to Tranquil Villa.
It was the house where he and Ella had lived together for a year during their marriage.
Karen had already left.
In the entire villa, he sat alone on the living room sofa.
Thinking about the cold words Ella had said to him at the hospital, they really were like sharp knives, stabbing into his heart one by one.
Ella didn't have him in her heart.
Was there any point in him persisting?
It would only make her more disgusted.
For the sake of his dignity, Joshua decided to let go.
He got some alcohol and sat in the living room drinking alone.
In the evening, Samuel called him. Hearing he was at Tranquil Villa, he rushed over with some documents.
Walking into the living room, he smelled the strong scent of alcohol.
Looking up, he saw Joshua drunk and leaning on the sofa, calling out Ella's name.
Samuel walked over and sat beside him, pushing his shoulder, "Joshua, I have the results for what you asked me to do."
Joshua woke up in a daze, staring at the ceiling for a long time before gaining some awareness.
Samuel's voice was heavy, "Are you sober? If you are, look at the documents and listen to me."
Joshua sat up straight, rubbed his temples, and drank a glass of water before speaking, "Go ahead."
Samuel handed him the test results, "You and Dorian—you're father and son."
When he got these results, he was shocked and couldn't react for a long time.
He really didn't expect Dorian to be Joshua's child.
If that was true, didn't that mean Aurora was also Joshua's child?
What had they done to Aurora back then?
Thinking about Aurora's death, and that Aurora was Joshua's child, Samuel wanted to slap himself.
"What did you say?"
Joshua suddenly became alert, turning to stare at Samuel, thinking he'd misheard.
He must have misheard.
He definitely misheard.
Dorian couldn't be his child.
He didn't deserve it.
"I said, you and Dorian are father and son. Dorian is your biological son, and Aurora was your biological daughter too."
Saying these words again with certainty, Samuel's voice was hoarse.
He hated his own coldness.
He hated that back then, because of a personal grudge, he ignored the severely injured Aurora, causing the child to leave this world at such a young age.
Samuel now deeply regretted it, ashamed of being a doctor.
Hearing Samuel's words clearly again, Joshua was thunderstruck.
He immediately grabbed the test results.
Seeing clearly that he and Dorian were indeed biological father and son, his heart felt like it had been critically wounded.
Dorian was his child.
Dorian was actually his biological son.
He had refused to save his own biological daughter back then.
No wonder Ella hated him so much.
How could someone like him deserve to be around her and the children?
Joshua held the test results, unable to control his grief and regret. He buried his head in his knees and broke down in tears.
Aurora and Dorian were his children.
But when he first learned of their existence, how had he cursed Ella?
He'd even blamed Ella for Aiden's death because of those two children.
Thinking about Aurora's death, Joshua cried his heart out, filled with regret.
Samuel beside him couldn't help but tear up too.
He really didn't expect fate to play such a cruel joke on them.
Their coldness back then, the truth now—it was complete retribution.
He and Joshua might never get over Aurora's death for the rest of their lives.
After who knows how long, Joshua steadied his emotions and shakily stood up, looking dazed as he headed for the door.
Samuel got up to support him, following him out, "Where are you going?"
Joshua's voice was hoarse, tears still in his eyes, "Take me to the cemetery. I need to see my daughter."
Samuel agreed.
It was already dark. After learning the truth, the two men thought that if they just went to the cemetery to see Aurora, it might ease some of their guilt.
But Aurora wasn't coming back.
No matter how guilty or regretful they were, what good would it do?
Ella had also returned to the Lewis Villa from the hospital.
Heath was at the hospital with Rhea, but Mason had come back.
Ignoring Zachary's presence, he came to Ella's side and asked, "Mom said you want to leave the company. Why?"
Ella told Mason the same thing she'd told Rhea.
She needed to be with Dorian, so she couldn't keep working at the company.
Before Mason could try to persuade her, she asked, "When will Scarlett be sentenced?"
Mason's expression changed slightly as he explained, "She still won't admit guilt. It might take some time."
Ella was a bit angry, "The evidence is right there in front of the police. What does she need to admit? Mason, I don't care how you do it, but get Scarlett into prison as soon as possible."
To appease Ella, Mason nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll make sure the court issues the sentence soon."