When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 109: There Must Be Something Wrong With Your Eyes

When Hazel Hawthorne saw Aiden Xavier walk into the private room and appear right before her, she still couldn’t believe he had actually come. Nathan Miller was sitting right beside her, and as it happened, he was in the middle of pouring her some tea.

Just moments before, the two of them had been chatting and laughing happily. Now, seeing Aiden walk in, the smile on Hazel’s face froze instantly. Sharon Winters, however, acted as if nothing was wrong and quickly beckoned for Aiden to sit on Hazel’s other side.

The situation now was that Nathan and Aiden were each sitting on one side, with Hazel sandwiched in the middle.

Sharon even gave Hazel a subtle wink. ’I have no idea why I agreed to play this stupid game with Sharon,’ Hazel thought. ’What good will it do to know whether Aiden cares more about me or Raina Lowell?’

By the end of the meal, Hazel felt drenched in sweat. Even though the private room’s air conditioning was on, she couldn’t stop dabbing her forehead with a napkin. This was especially true when Aiden placed food on her plate. She stared at the mountain of food piled in her bowl, having completely lost her appetite.

"You don’t like it?" Aiden asked in a low voice.

He asked the kindest of questions in the coldest of tones. Hazel racked her brain but couldn’t understand how Aiden’s expression could remain so monotonous.

She glanced at Aiden. She didn’t like bitter melon, and she didn’t like cilantro, but Aiden didn’t know that. That was why she hadn’t touched her chopsticks.

But Nathan, sitting on her other side, quietly spoke up. "Hazel doesn’t like bitter melon or cilantro."

The moment he finished speaking, the expression on Hazel’s face shifted dramatically. She suddenly felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees, a chill that seeped into her bones more than the air conditioning ever could.

Aiden stared at Hazel, his own expression unchanging, as if asking, ’You really don’t like it?’

The corner of Hazel’s mouth twitched. ’How am I supposed to answer that?’ Unsure of what to do, Hazel decided to be a silent lamb. ’I’d rather die than attend another dinner party like this. This was all Sharon’s terrible idea.’

This wasn’t about testing Aiden’s attitude at all; it was a test of her ability to handle a crisis.

Seeing that Hazel didn’t answer, Aiden’s expression shifted slightly. He already had his answer.

On the drive home from the restaurant, Hazel once again became a silent lamb. Aiden, who was driving, didn’t say a word either. He occasionally glanced at Hazel out of the corner of his eye, but seeing her blank expression and her silence, he didn’t speak.

Suddenly, the silence in the car was broken by the PING of a notification.

Hazel fumbled around in her bag for her phone, only to hear Aiden’s deep voice beside her. "Your phone is in your hand."

Hazel let out a couple of awkward laughs and opened WeChat. It was Sharon, checking in on the situation.

"Didn’t Aiden ask why you were having dinner with Nathan again?"

Afraid Aiden might see, Hazel replied cautiously. ’I really need to get one of those anti-peeping screen protectors.’ "No, he’s acting completely normal. No reaction at all. He didn’t ask me anything, and he hasn’t brought up tonight’s dinner."

"Why?"

Staring at the question mark from Sharon, Hazel wanted to ask "why" as well. ’Why did I go along with Sharon’s crazy plan? Why did I have to test Aiden’s feelings? Why make our relationship so complicated? All I have to do is be a proper wife. Besides, we might get divorced at any time anyway.’

"How should I know why? I can’t just go and ask Aiden myself."

"True. Well, leave it for now. It seems this method doesn’t work on Aiden." Sharon sent a smiley face emoji. "I’ll think of a new plan for next time."

Hazel quickly replied, "Don’t bother. Your ideas are all terrible. I’m not curious about Aiden’s feelings for me anymore. It’s just like you said: if he really liked me, he wouldn’t be so indifferent right now."

Aiden’s continued indifference could only mean one thing: he really didn’t like her. Since that was the case, his attitude was already clear. Why should she keep trying to test his feelings? Did she need him to spell it out for her before she would finally believe it?

’Things are fine like this,’ she thought. ’As long as certain things are left unsaid, it won’t get awkward.’

Sharon sent another message. Just as Hazel was about to read it, Aiden, who was sitting beside her, suddenly spoke. "Are you chatting with Nathan?"

"Huh?" Hazel stared at Aiden blankly.

"Who are you so happy chatting with?"

"Huh?" Confusion was written all over Hazel’s face.

Aiden sneered. "Weren’t you having a great time chatting with Nathan at dinner?" ’You even ignored me, your actual husband, sitting right next to you.’

"What are you trying to say? I feel like you’re implying something." Hazel put down her phone. "Your questions are strange. I was happy chatting with Nathan because we were talking about work."

"It seems you and Nathan get along very well at the office, then. To have so much to talk about."

Hazel mulled over Aiden’s words, faintly detecting a hint of jealousy. "Nathan is a great guy. He often helps me out at work, and on top of that, he’s handsome. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a handsome guy?"

Aiden’s gaze turned cold. ’Hazel actually called another man handsome right to my face. A handsome man like me is standing right in front of her, and we’ve lived together for three years, but I’ve never once heard her compliment me.’

’And now she’s praising another man’s looks right in front of me.’

"There must be something wrong with your eyes. I’m taking you to the hospital to get them checked tomorrow morning."

It seemed Hazel understood now, and she couldn’t help but laugh. "There’s nothing wrong with my eyes. You can’t deny that Nathan is a handsome man. He’s a charming one, too—and he’s gentle with people and never loses his temper for no reason."

"Is that so? Is Nathan that perfect in your eyes?"

"He’s pretty good. I can’t deny that he’s one of the nicest men I’ve met. He has a great personality, and a lot of the women at the company like him."

"It seems the women at your company are rather sheltered."

Hazel recalled what Sharon had told her and suddenly became interested in sparring with Aiden some more. "In your eyes, you’re the only one who’s handsome," she said.

Aiden nodded without a hint of shame. "That’s an undeniable fact."

"Haha, well, thank you for that. Have you ever heard of the word ’humble’?" Hazel rolled her eyes. ’I can’t believe someone as narcissistic as Aiden actually exists in this world.’

Aiden took his confidence to the extreme. "Don’t tell me you like Nathan too?" He paused, then continued, "Didn’t I tell you to spend less time with him? We aren’t divorced yet. Are you that desperate to be with him?"

’If only I could,’ Hazel thought. She had become someone’s wife before she ever got to experience a sweet romance. She didn’t even know what it felt like to be in love. It was a major regret of hers, and she wondered if she would ever get the chance to experience it after divorcing Aiden.

"What woman wouldn’t?"

The car screeched to a halt, catching Hazel completely off guard. Her body lunged forward. Thank goodness she was wearing her seatbelt; otherwise, her face would have slammed into the dashboard, and she might have been disfigured.*****