When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 19: Just Fine, Not Dying Anytime Soon

The weather in March changed on a whim. A torrential downpour suddenly began, and a cold wind howled.

It was already 10 PM when Hazel Hawthorne drove to Raina Lowell’s house. Aiden Xavier’s calls had been coming in intermittently, but she hadn’t answered a single one.

Aiden had given her the passcode for the door. She entered the code, and the door creaked open.

The inside was pitch-black, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, and no light shone into the house.

In the darkness, Hazel fumbled for the light switch at the entryway and flicked it on.

The house was instantly flooded with light.

This was her first time visiting the place where Aiden kept his mistress. Like a tourist, she took in the decor—so pink it was practically bubbling over. It was clearly Raina’s style.

Aiden hated pink more than anything. For Raina, he could actually stand being in such a horrifying place every day. It was proof of just how much he loved her.

Hazel walked through the house but found no sign of Raina. Suddenly remembering something, she immediately walked to the front door. When she saw the takeout food tossed by the entrance like garbage, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Turning back inside, Hazel called Raina, but there was no answer.

Just then, Aiden’s call came through. She hesitated for a long moment before answering.

"Hazel! Is this how you take care of Raina? Don’t you know she still hasn’t fully recovered?"

"I told you I’m no good at taking care of people. But you insisted I come look after Raina, so what was I supposed to do?" Hazel said dismissively. "She’s a grown woman. Is she going to run off and get herself lost?"

"Hazel, you go find Raina right now. If anything happens to her, I won’t let this go."

Aiden’s harsh words still ringing in her ears, Hazel frowned slightly. She had known him for three years and had never heard him speak to her in such a tone. A wave of anger washed over her. "Since you’re so worried, why don’t you find someone else to take care of her?"

"If Raina hadn’t said she gets along with you, do you think I would have asked you?"

’Fuck! So it was Raina who wanted me to come.’ Hazel’s anger flared even hotter. She knew Raina was up to no good, trying to trip her up while Aiden was away.

Hazel didn’t even want to talk to Aiden anymore. If Raina was deliberately trying to make trouble, she had the perfect opportunity right now.

Going missing, playing sick—these were all tricks she could use.

The rain outside was getting heavier. In Aiden’s eyes, Raina was a fragile figure. Forget getting caught in the rain—if she even missed a single meal, he’d probably think she had one foot in the grave.

Left with no other choice, Hazel had to take the initiative and call Raina.

Even though she knew Raina wouldn’t answer, Hazel stubbornly called a few more times before grabbing her car keys, intending to go out and look for her.

The minutes ticked by. She hadn’t found Raina, but she did get a call from Aiden.

"Raina’s at the hospital." Aiden’s voice was as cold as the wind pouring in from the window, and it made Hazel’s mind feel startlingly clear.

"If anything happens to Raina, I’ll make your life a living hell."

Hazel hung up without another word. This was exactly what she had expected. Whether Raina was in the hospital for getting caught in the rain or for starving, it would ultimately be blamed on Hazel’s failure to take proper care of her.

Aiden would definitely pin the blame on her.

When a woman gets ruthless, she’ll even harm herself. On that point, Hazel had to grudgingly admire Raina.

She would do anything to achieve her goals, stopping at nothing, even if it meant hurting herself.

When Hazel arrived at the hospital, Raina was already awake in her room. A nurse was changing her IV drip. Her face was pale and her lips were colorless, looking as if she might shatter at the slightest touch.

"Raina, have I been underestimating you?" Hazel crossed her arms, looking down at the woman who appeared so weak it tugged at the heartstrings. "Playing the disappearing act? Faking an illness?"

"Ms. Hawthorne, I don’t know what you’re talking about." Raina slowly sat up. After the nurse left, she continued, "I just wanted to find Aiden."

Hazel yanked out the chair beside the hospital bed, sat down commandingly, and stared intently into Raina’s teary eyes.

"That act of yours might work on Aiden, but it’s useless on me. There’s no one else here, so you can drop the pretense."

Raina chuckled lightly. "Ms. Hawthorne, I really don’t understand what you mean. I was scared all by myself at home. I wanted you to come back sooner, but you were busy, and I really didn’t want to bother you. So, I thought I’d go to the airport to find Aiden."

Hazel couldn’t stand Raina’s act. "Raina, even if you wanted to go find Aiden, you could have just told me. I would have driven you."

"You... you would have driven me? But Aiden is so busy. I didn’t want to disturb his work."

Hazel was usually good-natured, but when faced with Raina, she couldn’t control herself. "All you wanted was for Aiden to give me a hard time. Well, you succeeded." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Ms. Hawthorne, how can you say that? I really didn’t do it on purpose."

Raina’s delicate, damsel-in-distress act thoroughly disgusted Hazel. She couldn’t stand to be here for another second, especially with Raina playing the whore while demanding a monument to her virtue. She had truly never met a woman like Raina, one who could disguise herself so perfectly.

’No wonder Aiden dotes on her so much. Isn’t this just the kind of thing men like?’

Kind, gentle, weak, obedient, and knows how to act coy.

"Actually, I don’t mind if you call me Mrs. Xavier," Hazel said suddenly. "After all, Aiden and I are husband and wife. You always call me Ms. Hawthorne, which seems a bit distant, especially since we ’get along so well’."

The moment Raina heard the two words, "Mrs. Xavier," her triumphant smile vanished. Her face darkened as she said contemptuously, "Mrs. Xavier? You think you’re worthy of that title? If I hadn’t had to go abroad for treatment, do you think it would have ever been your turn?"

"Done with the act?" Hazel sneered. "Now that you’ve dropped the pretense, our conversation can be much more pleasant."

Raina didn’t even spare Hazel a glance. "I’m in the hospital. Aiden won’t let you off the hook. It’s your fault this happened—you’re the one who abandoned me at home."

"Mm, I know. So what? Are you going to make Aiden divorce me?"

Inwardly, she couldn’t wait to divorce Aiden. But she had brought it up so many times, and he always refused. It wasn’t that she was clinging to him; he was the one who wouldn’t agree.

Raina was back, yet Aiden still wouldn’t agree to a divorce. Hazel couldn’t understand it. ’Doesn’t he want to marry Raina as soon as possible?’

"You... Hazel, Aiden divorcing you is only a matter of time. I just need to make him see what a vicious woman you are."

"Alright. In that case, you might have to try a little harder to bring out my vicious side." Hazel rose slowly to her feet. "I can’t wait to see my vicious side either."

Raina hadn’t eaten dinner and had been caught in the rain. She already had a stomachache, and now the chill had made it even worse.

Provoked by Hazel, however, a bit of color actually returned to her cheeks.

"Your dear Aiden is still in Freyburg, terribly worried about you. I need to go report back to him now. What do you think I’ll tell him?"

As Hazel was leaving, she casually swiped Raina’s phone. Then, at the end of the hallway, she called Aiden back.

"How is Raina?"

Hazel answered without a moment’s hesitation, "Just fine. She’s not dying anytime soon."

*****