Chapter 171
After everyone left, only Ella and Joshua remained in the hospital room.
An awkward silence filled the air. After a long while, Joshua finally spoke, "I'll give you all my assets, for you and the kids to inherit."
He wanted to live, but not as someone useless in Ella and the children's eyes.
He wanted to leave, and after he recovered, reappear before Ella and the children as a completely new person.
Hearing this, Ella actually thought he was planning to end his life. She snorted coldly, "You think I want your stuff? Joshua, you're in your thirties―can you grow up a little?"
She didn't care about his things at all.
She was already too busy with her own company to have time to deal with his.
She just wanted to provoke him since he didn't dare to keep living, to make it clear to him that even if he died, no one would care.
"Whether you want it or not, I'll leave it to you and the kids. Don't worry, even if you take those things, I won't ask you and the kids to take care of my parents in their old age."
"Just consider it compensation for the hurt I caused you and the kids."
Joshua leaned against the headboard, his face ashen, his whole being radiating a desperate sense of not wanting to live anymore.
Ella looked at his half-dead appearance and felt anger rising within her.
"Fine, give it all to your two kids then! Since you want to die, I won't stop you. At least I won't waste any more time coming here to wait on you hand and foot."
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
She really didn't have the patience or desire to keep persuading him. You can't wake someone who's pretending to sleep.
Everyone has their own fate―why should she force it?
"Ella." Joshua called out to her, his gaze following her slender, graceful figure. She was more mature and composed than before. He said sincerely from his heart, "I do love you, very much. I want to be with you forever, to grow old together."
"But I'm sorry. Forgive my selfishness. I really don't dare to face you and the kids in this condition from now on."
"After you go back, tell Aurora and Dorian that if there's a next life, they shouldn't choose me as their father. I don't deserve it."
His tone sounded like he was giving his last words, his expression tragic, his voice low.
Listening to him, Ella suddenly felt terrible inside, though she didn't know why.
But she didn't respond, just left the hospital room directly.
She was afraid that if she stayed longer, she would soften, would sympathize with him. She might even say something stupid about encouraging him or being willing to get back together with him.
She had finally escaped her and found herself―she didn't want to be tied down by him again.
Even knowing Joshua had suicidal thoughts, Ella left decisively, as if she had long ago kicked Joshua out of her world.
Nothing about him had anything to do with her anymore.
Watching Ella leave, Joshua felt desolate inside.
He called Samuel over and told him, "Arrange for me to get treatment somewhere else, somewhere no one except you and Brian can find."
He would cooperate with treatment in an unfamiliar environment.
If after a year there was still no improvement, he would quietly leave this world.
By then, the people around him might have gradually forgotten him and wouldn't be sad about his departure.
Samuel didn't understand. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Joshua looked at him and told the truth, "I don't want Ella to see me looking so useless and worthless. I'm willing to cooperate with your treatment, but I need to avoid everyone."
In the end, it was still his damned pride at work.
With his legs disabled, he really couldn't let Ella come every day to wash him and handle those most intimate physical needs. It made him feel ashamed, made him unable to hold his head up.
Leaving was his most dignified choice.
Samuel understood.
He respected his wishes and immediately went to make arrangements.
Ella was angry that Joshua didn't have the courage to live, so she didn't want to go to the hospital for the next couple of days.
Every day on the way home after picking up the two kids, Aurora would always ask, "Mommy, aren't we going to see Daddy today?"
"Mommy, I miss Daddy. Let's go see Daddy."
"Mommy, I got a hundred on my test today. I want to show Daddy."
Each time, Ella had to explain to Aurora several times before she would settle down.
A week later.
Having heard no news about Joshua at all.
Ella went to the hospital again.
But when she reached Joshua's hospital room door, the room was already empty―Joshua was gone.
Ella thought it couldn't be that Joshua had died.
If he had died, it would have caused a sensation throughout Emerald City.
After all, he was the richest person in Emerald City, and the Thomas family couldn't possibly hold his funeral quietly.
So Joshua had been sent away.
As for where, Ella didn't care.
As she turned to leave, she suddenly bumped into someone.
The other person was carrying a thermos, blocking her way, wearing seven or eight centimeter high heels, looking arrogant.
"It's you? What a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into you here."
Ella looked at Opal and only then remembered that Mason was in the next room.
A whole week, and he still hadn't been discharged.
But she was also angry that Mason was still with Opal.
He really never changed.
Thinking about how Mason refused to leave the marriage with nothing and leave custody to Vida, dragging out the divorce.
Ella felt she needed to see Mason.
"Mason still has money to support you?" Ella glanced at Opal's clothes―still all expensive brands.
Seems Mason had given her quite a bit back then.
"What do you mean?" Opal raised her chin, proud. "Mason loves me, so naturally he gives me whatever I want."
Ella laughed coldly. "Do you know he's penniless now and doesn't even have a place to live?"
"Also, you're just a substitute after all. When he gets tired of you, he'll throw you away anytime. Don't think you're so special."
Feeling it was pointless to waste words on her, Ella turned and pushed open Mason's hospital room door.
Opal's face turned white with anger, and she rushed in too, complaining to Mason.
"Mason, who is this person? She actually said I'm a substitute and that you're penniless now. What's your relationship with her?"
Mason was leaning against the headboard, laptop on his legs, handling company matters for Joshua.
No choice - now that Joshua was gone, the Thomas family company was in crisis.
He had been kicked out by Heath, and everything in the company had been given to Ella.
If he wanted money and wanted to live comfortably without the Lewis family's support, he had to work hard to earn it.
Fortunately, Joshua trusted him enough to let him run the company, with an annual salary of tens of millions of dollars.
But Mason didn't know that Joshua had already transferred the shares to Ella.
In other words, he was now working for Ella.
Seeing the two women who suddenly appeared, Mason's handsome face darkened.
He casually told Opal, "My sister."
Opal was shocked, quite unexpected.
Mason ignored her and looked at Ella. "What are you doing here?"
Ella didn't answer his question directly. "Why won't you go finalize the divorce with Vida? Mason, if you have the guts to keep a woman on the side, you need to pay the price for your actions."
Look, Opal was standing right there.
Sometimes she really wanted to tear apart all these men who cheated during marriage.
Mason looked at Opal and gestured to her. "You go out first."
Opal didn't want to, crying coquettishly. "Mason, she was the one who hit me before and ruined my fifty-thousand-dollar bag."
"And she said I'm a substitute―what does that mean?"
Mason had no patience to explain so much to her, his voice cold as he scolded, "I told you to leave. Can't you understand human speech?"
Because he only kept her as a substitute for Scarlett to look at, to ease his lovesickness.
So Mason had no feelings for her and wouldn't cherish her at all.
Opal was startled. No matter how angry she felt inside, she didn't dare say anything more and could only leave in a huff.
After she left, Mason looked at Ella again.
"Mind your own business. Isn't it good enough being the CEO of the Lewis Group?"
If he really got pushed too far, taking back everything from the Lewis family would be easy.
"Nobody wants to mind your business, but I have to mind Vida's business. If you like women on the side so much, hurry up and divorce her so you can be with those other women. Why are you dragging Vida along?"
He was just bullying Vida for being weak and submissive.
If no one stood up for Vida, who knows how badly she'd be bullied.
Anyway, she just couldn't stand watching Mason bully people around her.
"Ella, I'm telling you, I can divorce, but leaving with nothing is not happening, and there's no way I'm giving up visitation rights to the child."
Mason wasn't stupid. He knew that once this marriage ended, he might never be able to return to the Lewis family for the rest of his life.
Vida's child wouldn't acknowledge him in the future either.
He was already in his thirties with just that one child―he had to think about the rest of his life.
What man at this age ends up with nothing?
He also didn't want to just abandon his parents.
But asking him to apologize and admit his mistakes―he couldn't do it.
So in the end, he just gave up and dragged things out.
"You like women on the side so much, if you want kids, go have them with those other women. Weren't you the one who signed the divorce agreement? What, now you want to back out?"
Ella couldn't stand this kind of person the most.
Daring to do it but not own up to it.
It was clearly his fault, yet he still had the nerve to fight for custody. Where did he get the face?
Mason and Joshua from back then were really birds of a feather.
Mason knew he couldn't out-argue Ella and didn't want to keep debating with her, so he changed the subject.
"You came to see Joshua, right? He left long ago and probably won't come back for the rest of his life. You should think about whether your kids will resent you when they grow up without a father."
He was trying to get Ella to focus on Joshua so she wouldn't focus on him.
But Ella no longer cared about Joshua's life or death.
Anyway, she had already done everything she could.
If Joshua wanted to die, she wouldn't stop him―it wasn't her business.
"Stop changing the subject. Mason, I'm telling you, after you're discharged, hurry up and finalize the divorce with Vida. Don't delay her from finding her next happiness."
Too lazy to keep entangling with Mason, Ella threw out those words and slammed the door as she left.
Mason sat at the headboard and snorted coldly.
Delay Vida from finding her next happiness?
That kind of weak, incompetent woman who had already given birth―what man would want her?
When it came to Vida, Mason felt very confident.
In fact, Vida was now working hard to change herself.
She left the child with the nanny and went to work at the company with Ella every day. She also took on design projects and was now completely focused on her work.
When Ella got home, Aurora immediately rushed over and hugged her legs, looking up with her little head and asking softly, "Mommy, I miss Daddy. Can you take me to see Daddy?"
She hadn't seen Joshua for several days now.
Joshua hadn't called her either.
If this continued, she would forget what Joshua looked like.
Ella took Aurora's hand and walked toward the living room, patiently explaining, "Your daddy went abroad for treatment. He probably won't be back soon. When he recovers, he'll come see you."
She figured Joshua was just afraid of losing face and didn't want to stay around them anymore.
Jasper and Ava hadn't made any moves, so Joshua couldn't have died.
Hearing this, Aurora's little face showed sadness. "When will I get to see Daddy? I miss him so much."
Dorian couldn't stand listening anymore and spoke up from the side, "What's there to miss about him? He's not good, he never took care of us, and he bullied Mommy. Aurora, don't be so emotional."
He felt that someone with Aurora's personality would definitely be easily fooled by men when she grew up.
Joshua was so annoying, yet Aurora still liked him.
Dorian couldn't understand it.
Aurora looked at Dorian and wrinkled her little face.
"Brother, I'm not being emotional. I just want a daddy."
"Then have Mommy find us a new one."
Dorian looked at Ella. "Find a young one―handsome, obedient, who won't spend your money, and can just be there to keep Aurora company every day."
Everyone fell silent.
The two-year-old baby sat nearby and said in a baby voice, "Mommy, I want a daddy too."
Vida felt heartbroken and picked up her son to hold him, not knowing how to tell her two-year-old baby that Mason didn't want them.
Rhea felt sorry for Vida and got up to take the child.
"Let me. Baby has Mommy, has Grandpa and Grandma, and has a brother and sister and auntie. What do you need a daddy for?"
Heath watched his wife carry the child away and looked at Vida.
"Mason still hasn't contacted you to go get the divorce certificate?"
Vida shook her head.
She didn't know what Mason was thinking. When he signed the divorce agreement, he signed it so readily.
But then he kept dragging his feet about going to court with her.
She didn't know what the point of his delay was.
"That bastard, even if he regrets it, it's useless. Unless he reforms himself and recognizes his mistakes, he can forget about stepping foot in this house for the rest of his life." Heath couldn't help cursing again.
Thinking of something, he looked at Ella and immediately changed his tone. "Ella, what's the situation with Joshua?"
Before, Ella used to go to the hospital to help Joshua often, but recently she seemed to have stopped going.
He wanted to understand the situation so he could help Ella.
Ella smiled lightly, not caring at all. "Like I just said, he probably went abroad for treatment."
Did he think that by not telling her, she would be sad and upset about his departure?
He really underestimated her.
Now, no man could stir up any waves in her heart anymore.
And with this departure, Joshua was gone for a whole year.