Chapter 70
Ava's heart pounded so hard she could hear her own heartbeat.
"Stop it, Howard is outside."
She brought up her grandfather to keep him in check.
William let out a soft laugh. "Grandpa left ages ago. Believe it or not, he's not only not outside the door, he's also making sure no one comes upstairs."
"Are you going to help or not? If not, I'll go ask Isabella for help."
"You really don't treat my mom like an outsider, huh? With all those marks on your body, you dare let her see?" William's one sentence completely blocked her way out.
He moved the zipper pull up and down a few times, freed the fabric caught inside, and smoothly pulled the zipper all the way up.
Ava breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
William turned her around to face him.
"If you're going to thank me, show some sincerity. Move back to the master bedroom and stop this nonsense. Can you even sleep by yourself?"
He grumbled inwardly—this heartless woman just moved out like that. After sleeping in his arms for three years, could she really get used to being alone? He had trouble adjusting when he rolled over in the middle of the night and found his arms empty.
She used to be afraid of the dark, afraid of rain and thunder. Now look at her—afraid of nothing.
When she was being difficult, there was no limit. When she was being heartless, she was truly heartless.
"I'm not being difficult. I'm serious. You've had your fun for three years. With your status and position, what woman can't you find? Besides, Sarah is back now. Let's part on good terms and not make everyone unhappy."
William's heart sank. He instinctively reached for his pocket, looking for a cigarette. After a few seconds, he stared blankly at the woman before him. She was calm, composed, without a trace of joking.
"Do you really want to leave me, or have you already found someone else?"
Ava was so angry her chest hurt. She loved him to her bones and had never thought about betraying him. The person she fell for when she first opened her heart to love had amazed her entire world.
If she hadn't been hurt completely, why would she be trying every way to leave him?
"William, I've never done anything to wrong you. I've never even thought about it."
The fire in William's heart subsided a bit, but he still didn't understand.
"Then why?"
"You don't know why I want a divorce? Why did you make me sign a divorce agreement in the first place?"
She threw the question back at him.
William fell silent for a moment, then lifted one corner of his mouth, looking at her like she was an idiot.
"You care that much about Sarah?"
"Of course."
Just thinking about that woman made Ava feel terrible. Sarah was like a tumor in their marriage, and he wasn't willing to completely remove it.
She cared too much.
"She's not worth it," William said.
Ava let out a cold laugh. "Put yourself in my shoes. What if I had a first love, and we kept in touch from time to time? He comes to have meals with me every day, we go out and have fun, and when we're happy, we take photos and send them to your phone. Do you think our marriage could continue like that?"
William felt suffocated by her words. "I don't have meals with her every day or go out and have fun, and I haven't taken photos with her."
That was his explanation.
Ava saw he was still making excuses. Men's mouths stay hard until they die—they'll never admit to cheating unless caught in bed.
"But you slept with her, didn't you?"
William was completely speechless. He was in the wrong on this matter. He'd never had those kinds of thoughts about Sarah and didn't even remember any details from that night.
He now deeply regretted drinking with Sarah that night. If he hadn't drunk, none of this would have happened.
And he still hadn't thought of a perfect solution.
Sarah didn't want a car, a house, or money. She wanted him.
"Ava, give me some time to handle this."
"Once you've slept with someone, you're tainted. Time doesn't flow backward. How can you fix it?"
William clenched his fists. This was the first time he'd heard such harsh words from her mouth. She said he was tainted, and he had no words to defend himself.
That night, he couldn't recall at all how it happened. Sometimes he wondered if this was a lie Sarah had made up, but then he thought a girl wouldn't use her own innocence to make things up.
For the first time, he felt powerless. Things that could be solved with money were small matters. What he faced now was beyond what he could handle.
The atmosphere in the walk-in closet grew tense. His phone vibrated in his pocket.
William opened it—it was a call from Sarah.
Ava saw the three letters "Sarah" on the screen and smiled bitterly, quickly turning her head away.
That smile seemed incredibly mocking to William. She had moved from hating Sarah to an attitude of indifference and giving up.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he still answered the call.
"Don't call me unless it's important from now on."
He said.
Sarah, on the other end, paused, her voice tearful. "William, I'm not feeling well right now. Can you come keep me company?"
"If you're not feeling well, go to the hospital. I'm not a doctor. Also, if you're not healthy, you should move back in with your parents. That way, someone can take care of you."
After saying this, he hung up. Each word was cold and emotionless, leaving Sarah with nothing to say, as if he was trying to prove something to the woman in front of him.
The two maintained their positions, neither moving, standing so close they were almost touching. Ava could clearly hear Sarah's words on the phone.
"She's not feeling well. Aren't you rushing over to check on her?"
William locked his phone screen and put it back in his pocket.
"Ava, her life isn't my responsibility. I've known her for over ten years, and she saved my life. It's impossible for us to completely cut off contact. Can you understand that?"
Ava licked her lips. Even mentioning Sarah made her tongue feel numb.
"You mean you only see her as someone who saved your life and nothing more?"
William made a sound of agreement. "Or maybe there's friendship too."
After all, with over ten years of connection, saying there was only gratitude was impossible. In his youth, he thought that was love and had even promised to marry her and protect her for life.
Recently, when trying to divorce Ava, he suddenly realized his feelings for Sarah weren't love at all. When facing her, he'd never had that heart-fluttering feeling he had with Ava. He just wanted her to be happy, joyful, and safe. That was all.
Of course, Ava didn't believe him. His credibility with her was now zero.
"William, do you think a man with normal values would get a good friend pregnant? Or is that common in your circle?"
William frowned. He didn't understand what she was saying.
"Who's pregnant? Speak clearly."
Ava was speechless. Even at this point, he was still playing dumb.
"Sarah is pregnant with your child. As a father-to-be, don't you know? You must be really looking forward to your child together, right?"
William took a breath, feeling somewhat suffocated.
"What are you talking about? How is she pregnant? Even if she is, it's not mine."
In his anxiety, his words came out harshly. He just wanted to express that Sarah couldn't be pregnant.
After he left JadeDragon Bay Residences that day, he specifically had James go upstairs to deliver medicine. James personally watched Sarah take it. She couldn't be pregnant, and even if she were, it was too soon to tell.
He realized the misunderstanding between them wasn't just about Sarah as a woman.
"How did you confirm that Sarah is pregnant with my child?"