Chapter 162
When Ava was brought into the interrogation room, William sat there like a proud lion that never bows its head. He was born to be at the top of the food chain, unfazed by any situation.
The police had her sit across from William.
"Speak up about what happened in the car. As long as it's true, we can help you!"
Ava glanced at William from the corner of her eye. Nothing substantial had actually happened in the car. If she insisted William had assaulted her, the police would have no way to draw a conclusion.
After all, there was no surveillance footage, and words alone proved nothing.
Besides, with William's connections, no one could really do anything to him.
What Ava worried about was that if any word of this got back to Howard, it would be a huge blow to him in his current condition. After weighing her options, she finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, officer. We've been fighting about getting divorced lately. We had an argument this afternoon, but nothing happened."
The older officer snorted in disbelief.
"Women need to know how to protect their rights. In this place, you don't need to be afraid of anyone. You can speak up about anything."
Ava barely hesitated before confirming again.
"Officer, I'm sorry. I'm withdrawing my report."
The officer's gaze fell on William. From start to finish, William had kept his eyes lowered without looking at her once or saying a single word. He posed no threat to the woman beside him.
The woman was withdrawing the report of her own free will.
Left with no choice, the officer had to let them go.
The two left the police station one after the other, William's long legs carrying him ahead.
The city was already shrouded in darkness.
Cicadas in the trees kept chirping, their calls long and continuous, as if telling of the summer night's heat.
The wheels of Ava's suitcase scraped against the ground with a rumbling sound that couldn't be ignored.
William suddenly stopped and looked back at the suitcase, his eyes ice-cold. Just days ago, these two had been showing affection in front of all the company employees. Now, even a bit of intimacy had led to calling the police.
"Where are you trying to run off to this time?"
He was still angry that she'd moved out of SilkGrove Estates without even telling him, just up and left. Running away from home—how many times had this been now?
And to think he'd pushed back his evening meeting, looking forward to getting home early to have dinner with her. She'd already found a backup plan and didn't care at all about that dinner. In fact, she was more comfortable when he wasn't home.
Ava didn't catch the sarcasm in his tone at first. She said, "Huh?" and then answered.
"I'm going back to the hospital to stay with Grandpa."
Her answer surprised William. When he'd just seen her appear with a suitcase, an inexplicable anger had risen in him. Now she didn't report her whereabouts to him at all, and contacting her depended on her mood.
What a Mrs. Morgan!
Hearing she was going to the hospital smoothed down some of his ruffled feathers.
"Grandpa has a caregiver, and Jeremy's there too. You don't need to stay with him day and night."
How could he know that Ava was using every opportunity to show filial devotion to Howard?
According to her plan, she would leave this city the day she got the divorce certificate. With a one-month cooling-off period and over twenty days left, this month would be the longest month of her life.
Every day when she opened her eyes, she would cross off a number on the calendar. She even dreamed about escaping.
Ava lowered her eyes and smiled slightly. "I want to."
William didn't know what she was smiling about. James came over from a distance. Being perceptive, he took the suitcase from Ava's hands.
"Mrs. Morgan, we can't park here. We need to cross the street."
Ava planned to take an Uber. She didn't want to spend another minute with him. Being strangers with the person you knew best—that feeling was truly suffocating.
"James, don't bother. You take Mr. Morgan. I'll just get a ride."
As she spoke, she didn't even look at the person beside her. Her expression was indifferent, her gaze distant. Calling him "Mr. Morgan," each word showed just how distant they'd become as husband and wife.
James didn't dare get involved in the couple's affairs. He glanced sideways at William, who had a stony face with an unreadable look in his eyes. Even after all these years by his side, James couldn't figure out what he was thinking right now.
So, should he take Ava to the hospital or not?
One firmly said no need, the other stayed silent.
A phone ringtone broke the stalemate. Ava took her phone from her bag and answered calmly.
"Okay. I'll be right there. Please wait for me by the road."
Her Uber had arrived.
James looked up at William again. He still had the same expression. James was really anxious for his boss, thinking, Mr. Morgan, stop being so proud, just humble yourself and make up with her—your wife is about to run away!
When a woman stops fighting, stops making a fuss, stops being clingy, and doesn't ask the man for help with anything, the relationship is basically beyond saving.
The three walked out of the compound in silence and turned onto the street. Not far away, a Volkswagen had its hazard lights on.
Ava walked quickly around to James's side to get her suitcase.
"James, I'll take it. Thanks for your help."
James cleared his throat lightly, wanting to say something but finding himself at a loss for words. The situation now was that he, an outsider, was the only one anxious, but he couldn't even be anxious about the right thing. From his experience, Ava was determined to leave this time.
Seeing James hesitate, Ava said a few more words.
"James, give it to me. Don't waste Mr. Morgan's time."
William, who had been silent the whole way, finally spoke.
"Give it to her!"
That one sentence made James let go immediately.
With that, William strode across the street on his impossibly long legs toward his eye-catching, limited-edition Bentley parked on the other side.
James jogged to catch up, looking back from time to time. Ava had already pulled her suitcase into the Uber and was struggling to stuff it into the trunk.
James sighed.
"Mr. Morgan, should I take down the license plate number?"
"No need!"
James got into the driver's seat and quietly memorized the license plate number in front of them. There had been a lot of negative news about Uber recently, so it didn't hurt to be cautious.
He knew William was in the middle of being angry. As his assistant, he couldn't be careless.
William got in the car and leaned back in his seat with his eyes half-closed for a few minutes. Even without the AC on, the car felt cold as ice.
He looked out at the colorful city nightscape, and some memories drifted into his mind.
Just a few months ago, she had complained to him with furrowed brows that he came home too late every day and couldn't take her up the mountain to see the night view even once.
Emerald City's night view was famous nationwide. Many tourists who came here had to climb the mountain to see the spectacular night scene.
When the neon lights rose, they would search for their own special light.
Now, that light in Ava's heart had gone out.
William came back to his senses and realized James was following the Volkswagen ahead at a leisurely pace, not turning around until the car stopped at the hospital entrance, then heading toward the company.
He didn't scold James for taking matters into his own hands. In his heart, he approved of what he'd done.