Elly Campbell didn’t want to say too much to Adam Jones. The thought of how he had forcefully taken her son away just a few hours earlier made it impossible for her to feel grateful to him, even though he personally brought her to the hospital.
"Do you, President Jones, expect me to ask you to stay and keep me company?"
A trace of sarcasm lingered in Elly’s eyes, and when she uttered those words, Adam Jones was momentarily at a loss for a response.
A voice inside him told him that he did indeed want to stay by her side, but on what grounds?
Just because he was her ex-husband, did that give him the responsibility and obligation to stay and care for her?
And her current attitude suggested that she probably really didn’t want him to stay.
Suddenly, Adam Jones found himself loathing the words "ex-husband," as those words had begun to make him feel passive in many situations.
Indeed, the next thing Elly said pierced straight into his heart.
"Let’s not even say we’re officially divorced now. Even if we weren’t, with your distinguished status, President Jones, there’s no need for you to stay here and look after me, right?"
When she was sober, her gaze was cold and decisive. Even when she spoke to him with a smile, the distant attitude hidden within made her seem even more aloof.
Adam Jones grew increasingly irritated, especially upon realizing how easily his emotions were stirred by the woman before him, a feeling that intensified his irritation.
"Since you don’t need me, then I shouldn’t meddle."
After dropping these cold words, he opened the door to the hospital room and walked out.
The low sound of the door closing gently landed upon Elly’s heart.
Elly turned around and quietly gazed at the now-closed door, her expression vacant, a mix of bewilderment and melancholy.
Moments later, she collected her gaze, suppressed the bitterness that surged in her heart, and looked out at the pitch-black night beyond the window.
The silent night exacerbated the oppression and amplified the solitude and melancholy within her heart. Elly stared blankly, letting out a quiet sigh.
After sitting for a while, she lay back down on the bed, raising her hand to cover her eyes, pushing down the rising sourness.
She had drunk quite a bit tonight, not even knowing how she was brought to the hospital, only vaguely remembering that the car seemed to have crashed after she left with Helen. Then what?
Thinking of Helen Melendy, whose condition was unknown, she abruptly sat up. The sudden movement made her brain reel with dizziness.
After recovering for a while, she barely managed to reach for her phone to call Helen, only to find that her phone was not with her.
Elly’s brows furrowed. She hurriedly got out of bed to leave, and the moment she opened the door, she froze at the sight of the tall figure leaning against the doorway. A flicker of surprise unwittingly crossed her eyes.
Why was Adam Jones still here?
Hadn’t he left ten minutes ago?
Similarly, Adam Jones hadn’t expected Elly to suddenly open the door, and their gazes collided unexpectedly, sending a flash of guilt through their hearts.
Confronting Elly’s look of astonishment, Adam Jones felt uneasy, touched his nose guiltily, and with a stern face, said, "I’m not staying here to keep you company."
After speaking, he couldn’t help but frown, sensing that his too-obvious denial was just drawing more attention to the truth, making him feel even more uncomfortable.