CHAPTER 12

I stared at him in confusion, and he snorted, "So you were just pretending" "What?" I didn't get it. "You said you don't love me anymore, right?" Damon reached out, rudely touching the corner of my mouth, raising an eyebrow "Seems like you're just playing a part in front of friends, Eliana. Changing your tactics now?" So he was testing me, and with such an embarrassing method My senses quickly returned, I hurriedly got fully dressed, trying to remain composed. "Do you really need to do that?" I looked up at him, my heart filled with a sense of sorrow and absurdity "Damon, I'm not playing any hard to get games with you. You're just not used to my cold attitude yet. It's like I used to be a loyal dog, now suddenly no longer wagging my tail behind you. You must be a bit upset, but in time, you'll get used to it." "Are you a dog?" Damon joke, seemingly unaffected by my coldness. "Isn't that something you've always assumed?" I held the collar of my disheveled clothes, replying in a low voice with my head down. Damon was no innocent boy, he must've known my feelings for him. I'd even confessed to him many times. But he never took it seriously. There were so many women who liked him. The only difference was that I happened to have the chance to marry him. Damon chuckled, seemingly satisfied with the results. Suddenly in high spirits, he said, "Go take a shower." With that, he left the bathroom. I quickly shut the bathroom door and rushed to the mirror. When I saw my flushed face, I wanted to slap myself. How could I be so pathetic? Damon was just teasing a bit and I almost lost control.

I took three minutes to reminisce about the past, finally calming down completely. Then, I quickly took a shower and went to bed.

Damon had already left. I could hear the sound of a car engine downstairs. I stood by the window, watching his car disappear into the night, feeling a bit restless. Damon probably wouldn't be back for a while. Tonight's events confirmed for him that I was still under his control and that he could continue to toy with my feelings. To regain my emotional balance, I asked James to take me to the hospital as soon as I woke up. I changed into a mature champagne-colored dress, dressing in an elegant and sexy style. I couldn't pull off Ariel's pure and cute style, and I'm sure Joshua had seen plenty of it. I didn't need to compete. At the hospital, I placed a bouquet of flowers by Joshua's bed, asking in a gentle and charming voice, "Joshua, is your leg feeling better?" Joshua was playing a game on his phone. Seeing me, he quickly put it down. "Eliana, I'm much better. The doctor said I can be discharged tomorrow. I just need to come back in about a week to get the stitches removed." "That's good," I sat by his bed, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Didn't your girlfriend come to see you today?" "She's still at work. We're both working hard to lessen the financial burden on our families." Joshua smiled, his smile filled with the vitality unique to young boys. I nodded, making small talk. After a while, I glanced at my phone, feigning surprise. "How did my phone run out of battery so quickly?" "I have a charger here." Joshua pointed to the drawer by his bed. I opened the drawer and took out the charger. The socket was a bit above the head of the bed. I deliberately bent over to plug in the charger, my body almost hovering over Joshua. From the side, it looked quite suggestive. By the time I sat back down, Joshua was blushing, not daring to look at me. I sighed inwardly, "He's so innocent." Just then, I noticed someone at the door of the ward. I turned to see Jones standing there, looking at me with a dark gaze. When did he come? Did he see me plugging in my phone? That was such an obvious move to get closer and flirt. Feeling a bit awkward, I smiled, "Dr. Jones, what brings you here?"

"I'm on duty" Jones came over, answered briefly, checked Joshua's injury, and gave a few simple instructions. I watched, feeling a bit uneasy. Jones was special to me. In my past life, our only interaction was when we worked together against Damon. Before that, we were complete strangers. He never did anything wrong to me, even helping me find a doctor in the end. "Step out for a minute." He glanced at me. "Sure." I reluctantly stood up and Jones took me to his office, where the other doctors were absent. He was reviewing patient files, asking me, "How have you been" His hair was black and shiny, in great condition. I could see the tip of his high nose. I casually replied, "Same as always." and Damon has been lately?" "Marriage is like that, which is why people seek excitement, but often end up paying a high price." Jones's voice, like his nature, was calm and somewhat distant. I frowned, asking "Why don't you talk to Damon?" I've tried. He won't listen to me. Jones closed the file, finally looking at me properly. "Well, I won't beat you either." I suddenly realized my tone was a bit harsh. Jones's gaze flickered, seemingly startled by my sudden harshness. I quickly returned to my normal tone, "You're his good friend. You know better than me what he's been up to these years. I've never argued never been rude I've done my duty. That boy, I accidentally bumped into him, so I came to see him. I have no other intentions" I was temperamental in front of Damon because I wanted a divorce. But I didn't want to lose my composure in front of others. After all, I still had to continue living. Jones looked at me intensely, as if he didn't quite believe my words. When the other doctors returned to the office, Jones averted his gaze and waved his hand "Right, he'll be discharged tomorrow There's no problem" Why did talking to him feel even more awkward than talking to Damon? When facing Damon, I was prepared for the worst. The worst outcome was divorce, which I'd been waiting for anyway But facing Jones, I felt like my secret was out as if I had done something hush hush and he'd found me out. After leaving Jones's office, I planned on visiting Joshua in his hospital room, to continue seducing him, but I stopped in my tracks, swiftly returning to Jones's office. "Dr. Jones!" I sat across from him, lowering my voice, "How about we grab a bite together? I've been quite troubled lately about my situation with Damon, and I'd like to talk to you about it." Did I really want to talk? Hell no. What I was thinking was to let Jones meet Ariel sooner, to give him a head start over Damon in getting to know her.