“Since when did you know each other?” Jackson was puzzled.
“Four years ago!” she looked at John while explaining. “Four years ago, if Mr. Stanhope and Ms. Stanhope did not lend a helping hand, I wouldn’t be able to survive. I am happy to be able to meet you two today and say thank you.”
I had a feeling that her intention at the moment was not that pure, but I couldn’t tell why.
John frowned as if he had forgotten her existence a long time ago. Nevertheless, he did not speak much and kept his thoughts to himself.
Meanwhile, Hannah hesitated for a while but remained silent once again.
Just then, Emery studied Yvonne and raised her eyebrows. “The two of you are truly kind. This girl’s life was transformed because of you. Props to you two!”
Obviously, this phrase was meant for me and John.
After a pause, she continued, “Ms. Wilde, I’d reckon you to not worry about it since they probably had long forgotten about it as well.”
Yvonne grinned and responded, “I was rescued, so how could I possibly forget about it?”
Hearing that, Emery teased, “In that case, you should give yourself to him!”
Yvonne blushed for a while and did not know how to react to this abrupt joke.
At that, Emery curled her lips. She had always been a very straightforward person. “The best way to be grateful is to leave your savior alone. Otherwise, it might be more like revenge, isn’t it, Mr. Stanhope?”
Why does it feel like there’s another meaning to this?
Nonetheless, John continued to keep mum. Just then, the waiter had brought in the soup and placed it in front of Hannah, silently acquiescing to Emery’s words.
After we finished dinner, it was already quite late. Since Emery always went to bed early, she dragged Hunter and left together instantly.
On the other hand, Jackson and Nick appeared to have some business, so they left, leaving Yvonne behind alone. She seemed to feel a little awkward.
Before Nick left, he asked her to take a cab. But it was a private restaurant, so it would not be easy to find a cab around the area.
At the same time, Anthony did not seem to care for that at all as he led me into the car and prepared to leave too.
I noticed Yvonne was saying something to John and Hannah at that moment. As soon as she finished, John nodded, appearing to agree about something.
Then Yvonne got in the car, and John got in too. The car left right away, but Hannah was left alone.
I was shocked by what I saw. What the heck just happened? Did they quarrel? How could he leave Hannah all alone?
“Turn around!” I pulled at Anthony’s clothes forcefully without hesitation.
Anthony glanced into the rearview mirror. He also frowned when he saw Hannah standing alone in the chilly wind.
Immediately, he turned the car around and head towards the restaurant.
As soon as we reached, I got out of the car and stared at Hannah. Her cheeks had become reddish due to the windy weather. “What’s the matter? Why are you still here?”
Hannah replied softly, “He’ll be sending Ms. Wilde back, and their chauffeur will pick me up in a while.”
I was left speechless at that.
Is John out of his mind? What the hell?
Trying hard to control my anger, I helped her into Anthony’s car and asked her to told the chauffeur not to come.
Then, I dialed John’s number furiously.
After a few rings, the phone connected. “Hey, Sienna! What’s wrong?”
“John, are you freakin’ crazy? Did you just leave your wife all alone to send another woman home? What’s the matter with you?”
Hannah didn’t expect that I had called John. Clearly startled, she tried to stop me from saying anything further. “Sienna, don’t. I’m alright.”
I patted her hand and whispered, “It’s okay!”
On the other end of the call, John was taken aback momentarily. “I’ll send someone to pick her up. Don’t worry.”
I tried to keep my anger at bay, even though I felt that he had really gone overboard. “For goodness’ sake, John, this is your pregnant wife! What’s wrong with you?”
What on earth was going on in his head that made him leave his wife along the road while he sent another unknown woman home?
“Sienna, I have no intentions of marrying her. She’s just a reproductive tool to me. You don’t have to treat her as you would a sister-in-law. Once I’ve met the woman I want to marry, I’ll introduce you to her. Besides, don’t worry, our chauffeur and maid will take good care of Hannah. I know how I should treat her too. Right now, I just want you to rest well and don’t overthink things.”
John may not have been speaking loudly, but Hannah was seated close enough to me that she could hear every word he said.
The call ended right after that, and I was left speechless.
I looked up at Hannah, whose face had drained of all color. She was clearly hurting on the inside, but she still put on a smile and reassured me that she was alright.
I could see tears welling up in her eyes as she averted my gaze and looked out the car window. Was she trying to hide her pain from me?
My heart went out to her as she reminded me of my old self.
Silence filled the entire journey as Anthony sent her back to John’s villa. As soon as we reached, a maid came out to greet us and bowled us over with her impeccable service.
After saying our goodbyes, Anthony and I drove off. He realized how quiet and teary-eyed I was and got rather concerned. “What are you thinking about?”
His voice brought me back to my senses. Then, I leaned back in my seat and turned to him. “Anthony, do you still remember the day you picked me up from the hospital four years ago?
He pursed his lips, gently tapping the steering wheel as he tried to recall. “Yes. I do remember.”
When I didn’t offer a reply, he added, “What about it?”
“I had just done my ultrasound scan that day, and the baby was six weeks old. I didn’t expect you to be waiting to pick me up. When I got in the car, I kept wondering if you’d change your mind about the divorce if you had known I was pregnant. Then again, I was so conflicted about it. If I used the baby as a means to trap you in our marriage, that would have been highly unreasonable of me.”
Not making eye contact with him, I lowered my gaze to my nails. They seemed rather long now.
I continued after a moment of silence, “After Rylee had a miscarriage, I saw how you pampered and cared for her. I was determined to get that divorce and keep the baby, and so I faked an abortion. But little did I know that you would fall for me in the end, and…”
The car came to a gentle stop by the road. After that, Anthony tilted my chin up to meet his brooding gaze.
I was so stunned by the gesture that I didn’t know how to respond.
His eyes darkened as he spoke in a low, raspy voice, “I wanted a divorce because I wasn’t sure if I could take good care of you wholeheartedly. I didn’t want to invest too much emotion in it, for fear of it hurting even more when we broke up.”
Right then, his breath that landed on my face felt especially hot. “Do you blame me?” he asked.
I shook my head at that. “That’s all in the past now. I was only thinking about how similar Hannah and I are, standing by someone who doesn’t love us. How much lower can we go?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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