Chapter 10

My footsteps faltered for only a second. In the next moment, I continued walking without hesitation. The elevator doors opened, and William and I stepped inside. Ding— Another chime echoed as the doors slid shut. That woman had still chosen to leave with William. She chose to walk away. All the anger in Jasper’s heart crystallized into ice the moment she left, only to shatter and transform into sharp knives, stabbing deep into his chest. The pain was so excruciating it felt like it might tear him apart. The instant I stepped into the elevator, my body went limp, and I collapsed to the floor. Fortunately, William caught me just in time, stopping me from hitting the ground. "Arabella, are you okay?" William asked, his voice filled with concern. I shook my head, my mind blank—so empty that I could barely feel my own body or existence. It felt as if my soul had been stripped away, leaving me dizzy and confused. In a haze, I had no idea when William had taken me to his home. When I finally came to, the sky outside had already darkened completely. "You're finally back with us?" William said, handing me a cup of hot coffee. "You sat on the couch in a daze the whole day, not moving an inch." I moved my stiff fingers and looked down at the steaming coffee, sluggishly replying, "Thank you." William sat next to me, observing my pale, weary face for a moment before silently looking away. His voice carried a strange tone as he asked, "You obviously care about Mr. Jasper. Why did you still choose to leave with me just now?" I gripped the coffee cup tightly, pressing my lips together. I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak; I simply didn’t know how to explain. Two years of marriage, and Jasper had been cheating for two years. I wasn’t some doll with no dignity, who could just watch as the man I loved embraced other women while turning cold and cruel toward me. He even insulted me, telling me I was disgusting—that I was just a bought pet, a captive to be used and discarded. To him, I was nothing more than a worthless object, to be mistreated at his whim. I’d had enough. Seeing that I remained silent, William didn’t press me further but softened his tone, offering advice with a subtle, ambiguous edge. "If two people aren’t suited, forcing it won’t lead to happiness. If you really can’t stay with him anymore, you should leave and choose a better life." As he spoke, he stared into my eyes, his gaze filled with an expectation I couldn’t quite understand. But I kept my head down, unaware of what he was searching for. Respecting my space, William didn’t push the topic any further, instead asking if I wanted something to eat, since I hadn’t had anything all day. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t feel like eating, but after much coaxing from William, I reluctantly agreed to have dinner with him. However, as soon as I stood up from the couch, everything went black. A buzzing sound filled my head, and my body stiffened as I collapsed. "Arabella!" William exclaimed in shock, quickly catching me and lifting me into his arms before rushing me to the hospital. I had fainted from low blood sugar and exhaustion after being drugged. Having gone an entire day without food or water, my body had reached its breaking point. Once again, I found myself in the emergency room. I slept for a full 24 hours at the hospital. When I woke up, it was already the third day. Meanwhile, a storm was quietly brewing during my unconsciousness. I had relied entirely on the IV fluids, not eating a thing. When I woke up, I felt completely drained—so weak I could barely sit up. William helped me sit up and spoon-fed me soup, one bite at a time. After finishing a bowl, I finally felt like I could breathe again. My strength slowly returned, and I immediately pulled myself out of William’s arms. "CEO Caldwell, I’m really sorry for troubling you these past few days," I said, feeling guilty. William, as always, took his work more seriously than anything else. Now, with things delayed for several days because of me, I felt embarrassed, but there was also a quiet fear that once I recovered, he would push me hard to catch up on work, like the work machine he was. "It’s good you know," William said after setting the soup bowl down. "Once you’re better, come work overtime with me." I silently groaned inwardly. William didn’t linger in the room long. After about ten minutes, he left without a second thought. I was left alone to rest, and the peace lasted only about half an hour before there was a knock at the door. The person at the door was my insidious stepmother, Charlotte. As soon as I saw her, I immediately went on guard. I clearly remembered that night when she drugged me. Charlotte entered with a thermos, wearing a fake, overly enthusiastic smile. "Arabella, I heard you’ve been sick, so I made some nourishing soup for you. Try it—see if you like it?" I barely glanced at the soup she brought, coldly asking, "What do you want?" Charlotte maintained her fake concern. "I just wanted to check if you’re hurt…" "You’ve seen it now. You can leave," I said bluntly, dismissing her. Charlotte’s face immediately soured. She twisted her lips into a forced, ugly smile, continuing shamelessly, "Actually, there’s one more thing…" I ignored her, turning my gaze away. Charlotte continued, "Arabella, I know you and Mr.Jasper and I aren’t divorced yet. So, could you talk to him and ask him to let Maximus go? The banks have been targeting our company these past few days, and your father’s company is about to collapse." I looked at her, expressionless. "Well, how fortunate. My life isn’t exactly a walk in the park either." Charlotte froze, her expression hardening as anger began to burn in her eyes. "Arabella, I’ve been speaking to you nicely. Don’t be ungrateful!" After pretending to be civil for a few minutes, Charlotte couldn’t hold back her true, hypocritical nature any longer. I met her gaze calmly, even though I was lying flat in bed, clearly shorter than she was. Yet, the aura around me seemed to overpower her, standing there with her hands on her hips like an angry shrew. "Sorry, I’m just that ungrateful. If you want to plead with him, go talk to Jasper yourself." I smirked. "And since you know Jasper and I aren’t divorced, why are you still provoking me? Aren’t you worried he might come after you later?" I subtly invoked Jasper’s name, knowing that bastard wouldn’t find out. At the mention of Jasper, Charlotte visibly deflated. No matter how arrogant she was, she didn’t dare act that way in front of him. She could only swallow her frustration and leave, seething. Once Charlotte was back in her car, the phone calls from various banks started flooding in, and she dared not answer any of them. Since the Maximus incident, Charlotte had been blacklisted by the banks, and the loan requirements had become extremely stringent. Her already struggling company was now in even more trouble. Charlotte turned off her phone, fuming even more with every passing thought. It was all Arabella’s fault—that vile woman—and now she even dared to use Jasper to threaten her... This humiliation... Charlotte swore she would make Arabella pay for it. With a dark glint in her eyes, she slowly curled her lips into a sinister, cruel smile.