When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 22: Is He Worried About Me?

"Weren’t you the one who started flirting with me? What, are you scared now?" Aiden Xavier’s teasing, sexy voice was like an aphrodisiac in Hazel Hawthorne’s ear. A faint smile played on his lips. Seeing her look so scared and timid, he couldn’t help but smile more broadly.

"You’re the one who wanted to play, and now you’re the one who’s afraid to. You love the game, but you’re just no good at it."

With that, Aiden Xavier flung Hazel Hawthorne’s hand away. Hazel stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. She instinctively grabbed Aiden Xavier’s arm to steady herself.

"Heh, you think I was really worried you’d do something to me?" Putting on a brave face was Hazel Hawthorne’s specialty. "I was just playing along, giving you an out so you wouldn’t have trouble explaining yourself to Raina Lowell when you got back."

"Is that so?" Aiden Xavier couldn’t be bothered to call her bluff. He dusted off the spot she had touched, a look of disgust on his face.

Hazel Hawthorne was furious. She averted her gaze. If she looked at Aiden Xavier for another second, she was afraid her blood pressure would shoot through the roof.

’From now on, if anyone tells me Aiden Xavier is handsome, I’ll think they’re blind.’

’Aiden Xavier is all looks and no substance.’

"Why are you even here? If there’s nothing important, please leave immediately. I need to rest."

"This is my house too. I can come back whenever I want. Why should I listen to you and leave?" Aiden Xavier stared at her coldly. "Ever since Raina Lowell came back, you seem to have a problem with me."

Hearing this, Hazel Hawthorne burst out laughing. "How have I changed? You’re the one who’s changed. Raina Lowell is back. You should be focusing on her. Or what, do you want me to show up in front of her all the time?"

’I was being perfectly considerate, thoughtfully looking out for Aiden Xavier’s interests by trying to stay out of his and Raina Lowell’s way. It’s the best option for all three of us.’

’Seeing each other would just be grating. No one would be happy.’

"Raina Lowell doesn’t have any friends. I was hoping you might have some time to keep her company, chat with her."

"Chat? You want me to keep Raina Lowell company?" Hazel Hawthorne pointed at herself in disbelief. "Are you sure Raina Lowell even wants to see me, let alone chat with me?"

’The way Raina Lowell looks at me, you’d think she wanted me dead.’

"I don’t have much time to spend with her. You have the most free time, so you’re the most suitable person to keep her company." Aiden Xavier said something so outrageous, and yet he was so calm.

Hazel Hawthorne took a deep breath. ’I have the most free time, so I should be the one to keep Raina Lowell company?’ She really couldn’t figure out what on earth Aiden Xavier was thinking. "Let me spell it out for you. Raina Lowell will not enjoy my company. She was supposed to be the one to marry you, but now you and I are husband and wife."

"Emotionally, we’re rivals in love. Relationally, she’s the other woman, and I’m the wife. In what universe do you think Raina Lowell could possibly like me? Aren’t you just deliberately trying to make things awkward for her by making me go see her?"

Hazel Hawthorne thought that perhaps Aiden Xavier didn’t understand the dynamics, so despite her fatigue and headache, she tried to explain it to him clearly. To make it easy for him to understand, she didn’t mince her words.

Aiden Xavier glanced coolly at Hazel Hawthorne. "So what?"

So what?

Aiden Xavier’s serious expression told Hazel Hawthorne that he just didn’t care.

"But... aren’t you madly in love with Raina Lowell? Why would you ask me to keep her company? As long as I’m around, she’ll never get better. If you loved her, you wouldn’t do things that make her upset."

Hazel Hawthorne blurted this out almost subconsciously, but Aiden Xavier’s expression told her that her words were complete nonsense to him.

"Don’t forget, you are my wife."

’That’s the line *I* should be using on Aiden Xavier. *Because* I’m his wife, why is he asking me to take care of Raina Lowell, the other woman?’

Hazel Hawthorne couldn’t understand; she couldn’t figure out Aiden Xavier’s angle at all. She couldn’t help but wonder, ’Could this be Raina Lowell’s idea again?’

’No, that’s impossible. Raina Lowell never gets anything good out of our interactions—on the contrary, she just ends up furious with me. Why would she want me to be around them all the time?’

Hazel Hawthorne’s mind was reeling with questions, but Aiden Xavier clearly had no intention of explaining further. He raised his wrist, glanced at his watch, and said flatly, "I’m not leaving tonight. I’ll sleep in the guest room."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. And remember to keep the window closed when you sleep. If you catch a cold, take some medicine."

Aiden Xavier’s lips opened and closed. Even after he left, his words still echoed in the room. Hazel Hawthorne sat on the edge of the bed, stunned.

’Aiden Xavier isn’t going to the hospital to take care of Raina Lowell?’

’Aiden Xavier wants me to see Raina Lowell more often?’

’He even closed the door properly for me.’

’Was Aiden Xavier actually worried about me just now?’

’He even told me to take medicine if I get sick.’

Hazel Hawthorne suddenly pinched the back of her hand, hard. The pain brought tears to her eyes. This wasn’t a dream. Everything that just happened was real. Which meant what Aiden Xavier said was real, too?

’So what exactly is Aiden Xavier up to?’

’Why is he acting so strangely?’

For a long time, Hazel Hawthorne couldn’t get over what had just happened. As she lay in bed, her mind was filled with her conversation with Aiden Xavier, their close proximity, and the faint scent of tobacco on him that had swept over her like a chill wind.

It stirred ripples in her heart.

In the haze between sleep and wakefulness, she could almost smell the faint scent of tobacco Aiden Xavier had left behind in the room.

Hazel Hawthorne slept fitfully. Her nose was stuffy, and she woke up in the middle of the night, parched. Groggy, she threw off the covers and put on her shoes to go downstairs for some water.

Aiden Xavier had just finished with his work in the study and was coming out when he saw Hazel Hawthorne, her eyes half-closed, walking downstairs with her right shoe on her left foot and her left shoe on her right.

He thought Hazel Hawthorne was sleepwalking. After hesitating for a long moment, he decided not to wake her and followed her instead.

He watched as Hazel Hawthorne swayed unsteadily to the water cooler, fumbled for a cup, and poured herself some water. The cup wobbled in her hand, and half the water sloshed out.

A wave of dizziness suddenly hit Hazel Hawthorne. She lost her footing, and the cup fell to the floor, shattering with a CRASH.

She fell backward, and before she lost consciousness, Hazel Hawthorne vaguely felt herself landing on something warm and soft—not cold and hard like she’d expected.

CLICK. A maid, drawn by the noise, flipped on the living room lights, only to see a stoic Aiden Xavier carrying Hazel Hawthorne straight up the stairs.

"Get the family doctor."

All night, Hazel Hawthorne’s high fever wouldn’t break. She lay in bed, muttering restlessly in her sleep, her words unintelligible, and kept kicking off the quilt.

As instructed by the doctor, Aiden Xavier tried to give Hazel Hawthorne her medicine, but she absolutely refused to open her mouth. She even knocked the water cup over, soaking Aiden Xavier’s clothes.

The maid watched from the side, her heart pounding with fear, wondering if Hazel Hawthorne would be terrified in the morning when she realized what she’d done to Aiden Xavier.

"Young Master, why don’t you let me feed the Madam?"

"Get out." Aiden Xavier’s glacial voice drove the maid from the room.

Only he and Hazel Hawthorne were left in the room. She was burning up. Even after the fever-reducing shot, her body was still frighteningly hot.

Aiden Xavier sat on the edge of the bed. As long as he wasn’t trying to give her medicine, Hazel Hawthorne was quiet and docile.*****