When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

### Chapter 110: Figuring Out His Feelings

Aiden Xavier was not happy about Hazel Hawthorne endlessly praising Nathan Miller in front of him. She was practically counting off Nathan’s virtues to Aiden on her fingers. He was a petty man, especially when he saw Hazel laughing and talking with Nathan.

Hazel spoke with animated delight, which left a sour taste in Aiden Xavier’s mouth.

The car screeched to a halt. Seeing Hazel nearly get hurt, he was still worried. He was about to reach out and check if she was injured, but Hazel shoved his hand away before he could.

Hazel said angrily, "Aiden Xavier, are you so upset about me praising another man that you’re trying to murder me?"

Hearing this, Aiden’s face turned ashen with anger. He immediately denied it. "You’re overthinking things. If I murdered you, I’d be charged with a crime. You’re not worth it."

At his words, Hazel suddenly grinned and retorted, "Then what was that just now? Don’t tell me you weren’t annoyed that I was praising Nathan. You were upset. You were jealous, weren’t you?"

’Jealous?’ Aiden’s expression immediately went blank. ’It’s true I was unhappy when I heard you praising Nathan. But jealousy is for kids. How could I possibly do something like that? How could that possibly be happening to me?’

Seeing Aiden let out a cold laugh, Hazel pressed on, "If you weren’t jealous, then why did you have such a big reaction when you heard me praising Nathan?"

"I don’t get jealous," Aiden said in a low voice. He then started the engine and continued driving home.

Hazel stared intently at Aiden’s profile. Under the dim streetlights, his face was a play of light and shadow. Her vision blurred, and she couldn’t make out his expression, nor could she guess what he was truly thinking.

’They always say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but whenever I look into Aiden’s eyes, I still can’t see what’s in his heart. So, the truth is, eyes are not the windows to the soul.’

"Why aren’t you saying anything? Have you run out of words, or do you just not know how to refute me?" Hazel said with a grin. "It wouldn’t be strange for you to admit you’re jealous."

Aiden just let out a couple more cold laughs. He was resolute in not admitting he was jealous.

"I’m driving. Don’t bother me." Aiden stopped talking to Hazel, but her words had stirred something within him. ’Am I really upset because of jealousy? Is that why seeing Hazel laughing and talking with Nathan makes me so agitated?’

He had never felt this way before. Right now, he couldn’t even identify where this feeling was coming from.

When they got home, Hazel walked to her bedroom door. Seeing Aiden still silent, ignoring her and heading for his own room, she couldn’t help but stare at his back and say in a low voice, "Aiden Xavier, you should just admit you were jealous. It’s not embarrassing."

After saying her piece, Hazel smiled, turned, and went back into her room, immediately shutting the door.

She was mainly afraid Aiden would fly into a rage out of embarrassment and come after her.

By the time Aiden turned around, Hazel’s door was already closed. The image of her expression and her actions just now surfaced in his mind. Thinking of this, Aiden couldn’t help but purse his lips into a small smile. ’Maybe.’

’Maybe I am jealous. Maybe I’m agitated because Hazel is too close to Nathan. If I had to use one word to describe it, then ’jealousy’ would be the best one.’

Aiden went back to his room. In the dead of night, it didn’t occur to him that he might be disturbing someone’s sleep. After his call woke Julian Sterling up, he guiltlessly tried to pull his friend into a chat.

"It’s the middle of the night. What is there for two grown men to talk about? If you can’t sleep, we might as well go out for a few drinks. That would be more satisfying."

"No drinks. I just want to talk and ask you a few questions."

Julian Sterling rolled over, phone in hand, and yawned. He asked in a deep voice, "What kind of question is worth losing sleep over in the middle of the night? Tell me. I’m very curious now."

When it came to gossip, Julian Sterling was always full of energy.

"I have a friend..."

Stories often start with "I have a friend." Aiden briefly explained what happened, then asked Julian, "Would you say he’s jealous?"

A low chuckle came from the other end of the line. "This friend of yours sounds a lot like someone I know. Based on my understanding of him, if that’s not jealousy, what is?"

"So you think it’s jealousy too?"

"What else could it be? Possessiveness? Even if it is, that’s still predicated on liking someone. Otherwise, if it’s just possessiveness, all you can say is that the guy’s a total creep." Julian couldn’t hold back another laugh. "By the way, what friend of yours would ask you for relationship advice?"

"You don’t know him, so why are you asking so many questions?"

Julian, afraid he would miss out on the good stuff, quickly continued, "The way I see it, your friend has probably fallen for this woman. That’s why he gets upset when he sees other men around her and gets agitated when he sees her laughing and talking with them."

"Fallen for her?"

Julian hummed in agreement. "Bro, don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you like someone, don’t ever give up."

Aiden was lost in thought for a long time before abruptly hanging up on Julian. He sat stunned on his balcony, thinking about what Julian had said. ’When a man shows signs of jealousy over a woman, it means he likes her. Jealousy requires a foundation of affection.’

Aiden was very clear about his feelings for Hazel. From the first time they met, he’d felt she was a perfect fit to be his wife. In other words, in their three years of marriage, Aiden’s feelings for Hazel had never included aversion or dislike.

He even felt that everything Hazel had done over these three years had been quite satisfactory. It was no exaggeration to say she was indeed a qualified wife.

The night was as beautiful as a painting. From the balcony, the view stretched out into a pitch-black sky dotted with stars. The bright white moonlight was the sky’s most brilliant ornament. As Aiden gazed at the crescent moon, the image that surfaced in his mind was, surprisingly, Hazel’s every frown and smile.

’When I don’t see Hazel, I think about her. When we’re alone together, I feel comfortable and at ease. When I see her with others, ignoring me, I get angry. When other men show up around her, I get angry too...’

’If this isn’t ’like,’ then what is?’

A faint smile touched Aiden’s deep-set eyes, and a look of sudden realization spread across his handsome face. But soon, he thought of Hazel’s attitude toward him and his spirits fell. She was dead set on divorcing him.

Aiden mulled it over and decided to put his own feelings aside for now. He still hadn’t investigated the truth behind his father’s death, and Raina Lowell was still of some use to him. If he let Raina know about his feelings for Hazel, it would only bring danger to Hazel.

With this thought, Aiden couldn’t help but sigh. ’I wonder what Hazel’s attitude is. If Hazel doesn’t like me, that’s fine too. I’ll make her fall for me.’*****