Chapter 142: Nothing Happened Between You and Benjamin, Right?
A large hand gripped Mia's wrist and yanked her straight into his arms. Through gritted teeth, he coldly reminded her, "Mia, don't forget our agreement."
"What's wrong with you!"
Mia's body was still uncomfortable. Hearing the hint in his words, she immediately jabbed her elbow into his stomach.
Benjamin had been sitting in his car, glancing outside at James, who had clearly misunderstood the situation.
He had thought Mia was getting divorced.
But when she suddenly moved back, he pulled back his feelings.
Women—if he wanted them, he had plenty of options.
No need to wreck someone else's marriage.
"She wasn't feeling well just now."
Benjamin pushed open the car door and got out, explaining to James.
"Mia is my wife. It's not your place to care about her."
He'd been annoyed with Benjamin for a long time now.
His woman, and he dared to touch her.
Now, right in front of him, showing concern for Mia—openly provoking him.
James released Mia and strode toward Benjamin, eyes bloodshot.
"James!"
Mia immediately reached out to pull him back.
She didn't have the strength, and stumbled as he dragged her along.
James noticed and immediately stopped, nervously pulling her into his arms.
Benjamin watched this and glanced at the stubborn Mia.
"At work, Mia is just my secretary. In private, we're just ordinary friends."
Benjamin explained calmly.
Seeing Mia like this, he didn't want to add to their misunderstanding because of him.
"Mr. Smith, you don't have to believe what others say, but Mia is your wife. Don't you know what kind of person she is?"
Benjamin left it at that, not getting too involved in their marital affairs.
He opened the car door and got in.
Mia couldn't be bothered with James. She tried to push him away to go to the office.
She was going to be late.
This time she couldn't break free and was pulled back by James.
"Go home first."
How could she go to work in this condition?
"James, don't you forget what's in the agreement either."
He couldn't interfere with her work.
Mia looked at him coldly.
As the two were at a standoff, Benjamin rolled down his window. "The company doesn't need employees who come to work sick. What I need is work efficiency."
With that, he rolled up the window and drove away.
"Get in the car."
James half-forced Mia into his arms and led her to the car.
She always arrived at the office very early, so it wasn't work time yet, but if they delayed any longer, they'd easily run into colleagues.
She didn't want others to see her with James.
Shaking off his hand, she opened the back door and got in.
James didn't force her to sit in the passenger seat, letting her treat him like a driver.
He glanced at Mia in the back seat, thinking about the atmosphere between her and Benjamin just now.
And Benjamin's words.
"Mia, you did it on purpose that night, didn't you? You and Benjamin—nothing actually happened."
This wasn't a question but a statement of certainty.
Hearing this, Mia opened her eyes and looked at him coldly.
From his expression, she knew he was already sure.
But she didn't want to give him that satisfaction, even though she knew denying it again wouldn't mean much.
"You've already chosen to deceive yourself to feel better. Does what I say even matter?"
James looked down at her stubborn face.
Now, if she didn't needle him for even a moment, she wasn't comfortable.
After speaking, Mia closed her eyes again, refusing to continue communicating with him.
James looked at the uncomfortable Mia in the back seat. He didn't go home but drove straight to the hospital.
When the car stopped, she was about to get out when she realized it was the hospital.
She was terrified of hospitals.
"Go back."
She refused to get out, saying coldly.
She knew what was wrong with her. She just needed to go back and rest properly.
But James forcibly half-carried her out of the car and brought her into the hospital.
From the moment she stepped into the hospital, Mia's face grew worse and worse.
The smell of disinfectant reminded her of the scene when she lost the baby.
James thought she was very uncomfortable and called Louis directly to get him an appointment with a specialist.
When he heard the doctor explain why Mia was uncomfortable, he was completely thunderstruck.
Leaving the hospital, all the way back, James's mind was full of one question: why?
Back at Luxe Haven, Mia didn't wait for him and went home first.
After getting home, her body was still terribly cold.
She walked to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of hot water.
Just as she was about to drink, James came back and strode toward her, reaching out to grip her hand. His force was strong, hurting her. "Why?"
"Let go."
Mia struggled but couldn't break free.
Seeing he wouldn't let go, she splashed the hot water she hadn't drunk directly onto his arm.
Half of it landed on the back of his hand, and his grip clearly loosened.
Mia poured another cup. When he asked why again, she looked at him with a cold laugh. "James, you tell me why?"
"You clearly love children so much—"
So did he.
James's voice was full of helplessness.
Last night he deliberately didn't use protection because he wanted her to get pregnant again.
This time, he definitely wouldn't let any accident happen.
With a child, they would surely slowly return to how things were before.
"Yes, I do love children. But James, no matter how much I love children, I will never have one with you!"
"You don't use protection—I can't control that, but I can take pills.
James, I'd rather ruin my own body than ever get pregnant with your child again!"
She would never give him another chance to tie her down with a child.
Even though she so desperately wished her baby could come back to her belly.
James looked at Mia's stubborn face.
A deep sense of helplessness enveloped him.
He grabbed Mia's purse hanging nearby and opened it. Sure enough, there was a box of contraceptive pills inside.
He gripped the box tightly.
Inside was a receipt—she had gone to the pharmacy herself while he was away.
Even after the doctor said she had already hurt her body, that she really shouldn't take contraceptive pills anymore as they could damage her fundamentally and possibly cause infertility in the future, she still went to buy them.
"From now on I'll wear condoms! Don't take pills anymore!"
James had no way to deal with her!
Just because he deliberately ignored her reminder last night, she was torturing herself like this.
After speaking, as if afraid she would still take them, he took the pills, turned and went into the bathroom, dumped them all into the toilet, and flushed them away.
Mia stood outside and breathed a sigh of relief.
She was just being stubborn. Knowing the pills would hurt her body, that's why she specifically got the contraceptive pills from the hospital.
When James came out of the bathroom, Mia handed him the receipt for the pills. "Money for the medicine."
James looked at the receipt, still feeling helpless. He was about to say the money had always been in the same place.
Her card too.
But he remembered that after Mia came back, she never touched the drawer in the master bedroom where the money was kept.
He took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a few bills, and handed them to her.
Mia only took one, and while putting it in her wallet, she took out change from her own wallet and gave it back to him.
"You don't need to—"
James had just started to speak when Mia just looked at him with mocking eyes.
Clearly saying again: If you can waive this kind of change, then waive the four million dollars too.
He reached out and took it. Mia turned and went upstairs to rest.
James stood there, watching helplessly as she disappeared from his sight.
They were still husband and wife, but with such clear accounting, they were more like strangers.
What he should pay, she would directly ask him for.
What he shouldn't pay, she wouldn't take even a dollar.