Charles’s POV:
“No matter what you say, I won’t let you leave!”
“Have I upset you in any way, Charles? Why are you being so cruel to me?” Scarlett asked and stared
at me with red eyes.
“We don’t need to be hostile to each other. You‘re still my wife, Scarlett. I‘m willing to compromise as
long as you’re willing to make a concession.”
“Your wife? You’re treating me like I’m your prisoner! You torment me, and you seem to get off on it. But
I won’t give in. You better perish your foolish ideas now.”
“How did we end up like this?” I asked her. I reached out and pulled my collar impatiently.
"You have changed. You used to be gentle and considerate, and you took good care of me. But
somehow you’ve turned into a real devil!” Scarlett yelled, her voice trembling.
“Enough!” I snapped. I really didn‘t understand how Scarlett and I got into a bitter argument. Scarlett
stopped talking, but she still stared at me. Her hands were shaking. I took a few deep breaths to calm
myself down. Then, I turned around, walked to her, took her phone, and left the ward.
The next day, I finished lunch at noon, and I was on my way back to the hospital when I saw Nina from
a distance. She was also headed to the hospital. I rushed over to her and caught up with her before
she could jump into the elevator.
“What‘s up?” Nina said coldly.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
We went to a cafe near the hospital and sat down. I told her what happened before me and Scarlett
lately, especially our argument last night.
After hearing me out, Nina looked at me with wide eyes and in slack-jawed amazement. She said, “You
should comfort Scarlett instead of saying harsh words to her all the time, Charles. You‘re only upsetting
her with your behavior.”
“So she’s being reasonable by using William to irritate me?” I backfired, tightening my grip on my coffee
cup.
“Well, haven’t you provoked and hurt her by being intimate with Rita?”
“At this point, I don‘t mind being the villain in the story as long as I can make her completely give up on
William,” I replied, evading Nina’s question.
“With all due respect, Charles, you’re being a massive jerk,” Nina muttered and shook her head. I didn’t
say anything. I just drank up the rest of my coffee and let the bitterness ravage what was left of my
heart, “You know what, when I first met you, I thought you were a real gentleman. I even felt jealous of
Scarlett for landing such a wonderful partner. I used to admire you for being so kind and loving toward
your wife, but now I’m finding that maybe you don’t know Scarlett at all. Maybe you should let her go,”
Nina added.
“No way.”
“If you want my advice, Charles, here it is: Set your damn pride down and ease off Scarlett. If you
continue down this path, you’re only going to make her drift further away from you.” Before I could
reply, Nina stood up and left the cafe.
Scarlett’s POV:
I stayed in my bed the whole morning as I stared at the scenery outside the window, and its beauty
wasn’t enough to cheer me up.
There was a gentle knock on the door. Thinking that Charles had come back, covered myself with the
quilt.
“Scarlett, may I come in?” Nina‘s voice came from outside. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come in!” I called and quickly sat up. Nina walked in with a big smile on her face She said, “Hi,
Scarlett. How are you doing?” Nina‘s arrival made me feel ecstatic. “Oh, I‘m so happy to see you, Nina.
I‘m doing well, thanks for asking. Why are you here?”
“I have a bit of free time during lunch break, so I thought I‘d come visit you. I‘ve missed you.”
“I‘ve missed you, too. So how have you been?” I asked and beckoned Nina to sit on the edge of my
bed. She looked at me for a while and said, “I‘m good. Wow, you look terrible. Did Charles pick a fight
with you again?”
Tears started to well up in my eyes. I averted my gaze and stifled by sobs. I replied, “I‘m fine.”
“I have an idea that will allow you to be with the kids every day and avoid Charles,” Nina started and
patted me on the shoulder held her hand excitedly and asked, “Really? Well, let‘s hear it.”
“You go back to Garden Street. I’ve already spoken with Charles. As long as you don‘t leave there, he
won’t come and bother you.”
“But I don‘t trust him now. Do you know what he‘s done to William?”
“William is fine. I just talked to him on the phone this morning. If you don‘t believe me, you can check,”
Nina said, took out her phone, and showed me her call log.
“Then why hasn‘t he contacted me?”
“He has work to deal with. He will come see you when he‘s less busier.”
“I see,” I muttered, feeling hugely relieved.
“So, do you want to go ahead with my plan?”
“Let me think about it first,” I answered, unsure what to do. I trusted Nina, but I didn‘t trust Charles
anymore.
“Scarlett, listen. You can‘t leave with your children on your own. Remember the day I brought James
here to see you? On my way here, I saw eight bodyguards trailing me like I‘m some politician with a
mountain of death threats. Charles is going overboard with his idea of protecting you. If you return to
Garden Street, you can have some peace of mind while spending time with your kids. Plus, you can
regroup and make another plan.”
“But I‘m still afraid...”
“Don‘t be. This is the best option you have right now. If you try to leave with your kids, they will be taken
away from you, and you may not be able to see them again for the rest of your life. Is that what you
want?” The thought of my children being taken from me made me shiver and broke my heart. If I didn‘t
see them again, I would die “No, that’s not what I want. But are you sure that Charles won‘t bother me
if I return to Garden Street?” I asked and looked up at Nina
“Yes, I am, and I’ll make sure he keeps up his end of the bargain,” Nina assured me and looked straight
into my eyes.
As I breathed another sigh of relief, tears streamed down my face. Nina quickly took out a tissue and
wiped off my tears. She comforted me in a soft voice, “Oh, honey, it’s okay. Don’t
cry. That jerk isn’t worth crying over. I’ll always be here for you.” “I just feel a little frustrated,” I
confessed in between sobs. “I know. Come on, cheer up. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay. What do you have in mind?”
“Abner hopes that you can come back to work at the TV station as soon as possible. Before you left,
you planned a program, and it really doesn’t make sense to hand that program to another host. You
should do it. After all, money is essential, and you need it to raise your kids.”
“That actually sounds like a terrific plan. I miss being on the job, and I can’t wait to return to work.” After
a few hours of catching up with Nina, I felt a lot better. In the evening, Charles had dinner with me in
the ward. I had a lot of things in my mind, so I wasn’t really in the mood for some spaghetti. Charles
remained silent as usual.
After dinner, he said, “As long as you return to Garden Street and stay there, I will keep my promise
and let you live there in peace. I won’t come and disturb you.”
“Fine.”
“But I want to reserve the right to visit the children,” he added. “Of course you can come see them once
a week. Just inform me in advance.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Charles said and then turned around and left.
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