Chapter 165
William cracked the door open just a sliver, squeezed himself through sideways, and the next second the door closed again.
Ava looked at the person who suddenly barged in, her face full of wariness.
"What are you doing?"
She didn't try to cover herself. Instead, her instinctive move was to put one hand protectively over her belly.
William looked at the completely naked woman, his throat rolling slightly.
"Did you fall?"
Ava watched him warily, slowly moving away from the wall behind her and standing up straight. Just one step away, a towel hung on the rack. She wanted to grab that towel to at least cover herself a bit.
Although they were both familiar with each other's bodies, this one-sided nakedness made her feel really awkward.
She took a step forward, and without warning, her foot slipped again. This time, she fell straight into William's arms. Luckily, he was quick and caught her.
Ava cleared her throat awkwardly and tried to struggle out of his embrace.
William's large hand held her waist and wouldn't let go. He didn't say anything, just stared at her in a daze.
Whether from embarrassment or the hot steam, Ava's skin was flushed an unusual pink all over. Her fox-like eyes were misty with moisture, looking especially alluring.
"Let go!"
Ava said with a red face, and William snapped back to reality.
"This bathroom floor isn't slip-resistant. Looks like I need to give the hospital some feedback."
William let go. This time, Ava moved carefully and finally managed to hook her finger around that lifesaving towel.
She wrapped herself up completely before daring to look up at him.
"Aren't you going to leave?"
William scoffed. She used him and now wanted to kick him out. That look on her face was like she was guarding against a thief, as if he were some pervert who came in to peek.
If he hadn't heard her fall, he wouldn't have come in. It's not like he hadn't seen it before—what's so special about it!
William opened the door and left. Ava breathed a sigh of relief.
She pulled off the towel to change into something else. Looking at herself in the mirror, from the side, it was really obvious—her lower abdomen bulged with a small bump.
After getting dressed and coming out, William was leaning back in a chair, one leg crossed, casually looking at his phone.
Ava quietly sat down in the empty seat next to him. Their agreement clearly stated that they would hide the divorce from Howard and play the part of a loving couple in front of him.
She still had to keep up appearances.
Seeing both of them there, Howard told William, "Raise my bed up."
William tossed his phone aside and did as told.
Howard sat propped against the headboard. His eyes moved between the two of them for a moment before he spoke.
"You two don't need to pretend anymore. Aren't you tired of it?"
At these words, William and Ava exchanged a knowing glance. Clearly, from Howard's tone, he knew everything he needed to know.
"If you can't make it work, just get divorced. Save yourselves the trouble."
Marriage was like a fortress—only those inside could understand what torture it was to live with the wrong person. Better to part on good terms while everyone was still young.
William's eyes widened as he watched Howard's emotions closely. He was terrified that if Howard got upset, he might have another episode, and then he'd be the eternal sinner of the Morgan family.
Ava lowered her head in silence. Combined with the strange things Howard had said these past few days, she suddenly realized that Howard had known about their divorce all along—he just hadn't called them out on it. And they'd been putting on an act in front of him the whole time, never able to fool his sharp eyes.
Only after seeing that Howard's emotions were stable did William speak up.
"Grandpa, what if you took Ava as your goddaughter? No matter what happens between us in the future, she'll still call you Grandpa, and I won't treat her badly."
As for their divorce agreement, Howard had already heard most of it that day when the young couple was chatting by his bed. He was fairly satisfied with the property division. The fact that the boy was willing to give up shares surprised him.
Howard's eyes showed a faint expression.
"How Ava and I get along is none of your business. Just remember what you said when you proposed the divorce, and don't regret it later. Ava is a good girl, and I have other plans for her."
Ava didn't know what to say, so she stayed silent.
William took a deep breath, not daring to meet Howard's eyes, rarely showing such a guilty side.
He asked himself silently—would he regret it?
If he kept holding onto this marriage, Sarah would die along with the baby. If that happened, he might regret it even more. Soon, that hesitation in his heart settled down. For the dead end he was stuck in now, divorce might be the only solution.
The only thing he could think of was to wrong her.
So he met her demands. She wanted shares; he gave them.
After finishing with his grandson, Howard's expression softened as he turned to face her.
"Ava, I've found several promising young men. When you have time, take a look. I'll make the decision for you, and no one will dare look down on you."
Then he told Jeremy beside him, "Give me my phone."
Ava didn't expect Howard to be serious. He'd actually found some age-appropriate men and had his assistant make a spreadsheet—family background, occupation, hobbies, height, weight... all kinds of information, like an emperor selecting concubines.
Ava was completely unprepared for Howard's move.
"Grandpa, for now I..."
Before she could finish, Howard cut her off.
"Don't overthink it. Out with the old, in with the new. The best way to get over a breakup is to start a new relationship. You're at the best age for a girl right now. Don't waste your youth holding onto the past when it's not right."
Ava rubbed her forehead. Howard's words were quite trendy.
William's face darkened terribly. Howard was really something. The divorce wasn't even final yet, and he was already working on finding a new man for his grandson's wife.
Whose grandpa was this anyway?
He snatched the phone from Ava's hand and pressed the lock button, his expression extremely ugly.
"Grandpa, you can't force these things. Besides, these guys all look like bad news."
Howard snorted.
"I think any one of them is better than you. Don't underestimate this spreadsheet. Every young man on it was carefully selected by people I hired. Their upbringing and character have all been thoroughly investigated—there's nothing wrong with them."
William ran his hand through his hair helplessly. Was Howard implying that his upbringing and character were problematic?
"Grandpa, what era is this? Why are you arranging marriages? You should ask Ava's opinion. Haven't you noticed she's not interested in any of those people you listed?"
Howard's gaze sharpened.
"Who says Ava isn't interested? Ava, you tell me—do you want to pick one or not?"
Caught between them, Ava felt like any answer would be wrong. If she said no, she'd embarrass Howard. If she said yes, she wasn't ready to find a stepfather for the two babies in her belly.
"Grandpa..."
Ava looked troubled.
Howard backed her up again.
"You don't need to be afraid. He won't dare do anything to you. Go ahead and pick!"
Ava looked up at William's fierce expression. His face seemed to be warning her—you dare pick one and see what happens?
Being honest with herself, she really didn't dare.
Setting everything else aside, she was pregnant now and couldn't handle him making trouble.
She knew what the consequences of making him angry would be.
"Grandpa, let's wait until after the divorce is finalized. After all, I'm still Mrs. Morgan right now. It would look bad if outsiders found out."
Ava's reasoning made sense, so Howard stopped pushing her.
The conversation was interrupted by Ava's two consecutive sneezes. She'd felt her head getting stuffy on the way back—sure enough, she'd caught a cold.
Ava quickly stood up and backed away several feet.
"Grandpa, I think I got chilled. I don't want to give it to you."
Howard's expression became anxious.
"I told you, you careless girl, you didn't even bring an umbrella when you went out. William, take her to the outpatient building right now and get her checked out. Don't delay."
William had been wanting to escape that suffocating conversation, but couldn't find an excuse. Finally, here was his chance.
He stood up and said to Ava, "Let's go?"
Ava's heart was pounding. She was pregnant and couldn't just take any medicine. If the doctor asked questions in front of him, what would she say?
She had a sinking feeling that her secret might be exposed.