Chapter 12
Before Clay could speak, Ethan cut him off coldly,
you at all.
“Clay, Maya doesn’t want you anymore. She’s done with you, man! She doesn’t love you You’re all about Riley anyway. Maya doesn’t need your charity, and you don’t deserve the way I treat you!”
“You didn’t cherish her; I do. She’s my treasure. Isn’t Riley enough? Maya’s already let you go, so what’s the point of dragging her back into. your mess?”
As soon as those words hit, Clay went dead silent..
He knew how much I cared for him, how much I loved him–he knew it better than anyone. Now I was married, no longer clinging to him, never appearing by his side again, no longer needing him to atone for his mistakes, what more could he want?
He didn’t know.
All he knows was, if he let me go, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
That was what he thought, and that’s what he said.
Ethan didn’t want to waste time on pointless arguments.
“She’s moved on. If you can’t let her go, I won’t let you off the hook. I’m telling you, don’t come messing with our lives. We’re happy now, and we don’t need you barging in.”
Ethan was about to hang up when Clay heard my voice.
“Ethan! Didn’t you say you’d cook for me? I’m starving…”
Back in the day, I only acted cute and vulnerable with Clay. Later, to help him land more deals, I learned to be calm and collected, and I stopped leaning on him like that.
Clay was lost in thought. He couldn’t remember the last time I acted sweet and needy with him.
If I could hear what he was thinking, I’d tell him straight: I stopped depending on you because. you let me down too many times. I couldn’t count on you.
He could abandon me at any moment for Riley. So I wouldn’t, and couldn’t, depend on him.
But Clay didn’t know this; he only felt a multitude of tiny needles piercing his heart. Why was he so distressed hearing me depend on Ethan? Since I didn’t need him; he should be happy.
Soon, Riley would have his child, and they’d be a family; maybe she’d marry him, and they’d be happy.
That happiness wouldn’t have me in it. That was what Clay used to dream about. But now, all he felt was this ache he couldn’t explain.
Clay tried to push me from his mind, lying down to rest.
<Chapter 12
But the whole night, he’s wide awake. The villa was eerily silent, it was almost scary.
He’d been with Riley for days, barely eating irregularly. In the dead of night, stomach acid churned, a sharp pain doubling him over. His face paled, his body drenched in cold sweat. “Maya, stomach medicine…I need my stomach medicine…”
Clay gritted his teeth, weakly calling out my name. But only silence answered.
He’d forgotten; I was gone and married to Ethan.
Waves of pain nearly drove him mad.
Men
After what felt like forever, Clay managed to get up, shakily opening a drawer, searching for his
medicine.
“Where is it? She always kept it here…”
He realized, belatedly, that I was gone.
Clay stumbled out; the butler rushed to his side, giving him medicine and pleading.
“Sir, no matter how busy you are, you have to eat on time. Your stomach’s not good, you have to take care of yourself…”
“Sir, are you feeling better? Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll ask Tina to prepare it.” After taking the medicine, Clay’s color returned.
“I want ginseng chicken soup,” he blurted out. The rich, savory taste was deeply etched in his
memory.
