Chapter 4

The look on Jazlyn's face was no warmer than Ethan's. She pulled up her sleeve to reveal her bandaged arm and coolly said, "I'm injured, so I can't make anything."

Ethan was about to snap at her, but the words became lodged in his throat when he saw the bandages. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

She smiled self-deprecatingly. What was the point? He had never cared when she fell sick or got injured in the past three years.

She still remembered the time she'd had appendicitis. Neither Wanda nor the driver had been around, so Jazlyn had called Ethan to ask him to take her to the hospital. However, he'd been about to board a flight to Ingleria and had told her to deal with it herself.

Left with no choice, Jazlyn had called an ambulance. Even after the surgery, all Ethan had done was hire a carer for her while she was in the hospital. He hadn't bothered visiting her at all.

She no longer harbored any hope for him, not after being disappointed so many times. Fortunately, this farce of a marriage would soon be over.

The ringing of Ethan's phone broke the silence between him and Jazlyn. He glanced at the screen before heading to the balcony.

Jazlyn watched him, vaguely hearing him gently calling Rebecca's name. The wind from the balcony made its way into the bedroom, making her feel a little cold. She slipped on a cardigan and headed downstairs.

Wanda had texted her in the early hours to request the day off. Her grandson was ill, so she couldn't be there that day. Jazlyn told her not to worry about it and that she would be fine alone.

She grabbed a packet of instant oats from the cupboard and scooped a portion into a bowl. Then, she added a dollop of peanut butter on top. Lastly, she topped it off with fruits, nuts, and skim milk, leaving everything to soak for a while. Three minutes later, her breakfast was ready.

She walked out of the kitchen with it and was about to dig in when Ethan came downstairs. He was slightly displeased to see that she'd only prepared breakfast for herself. At the same time, he didn't think that it would be right to reprimand her, seeing as she was injured.

He stepped closer to see what she was eating and frowned when he realized that it was just a bowl of oats. "Is that all you're having?"

Jazlyn didn't even look at him as she said coolly, "You'll have to figure out your own meals for the next few days. I'm sure your capable assistant can satisfy your needs."

Ethan originally wanted to ask her how she usually made her fruit smoothies so that Katie could make one and bring it to Rebecca. However, he decided against it when he saw how cold she was acting.

He turned away, wanting to head to the hospital. "I'll be at the hospital with Becky for the next few days. Call Katie if you don't feel well."

Jazlyn munched on some nuts. "Got it."

Two years ago, when Ethan had first snapped out of his depression and gone back to work, she'd called and texted him daily to check on him and ask when he would be home for dinner.

However, her concern had only gotten on his nerves. He later blocked her number so she could never call him again. Sending him WhatsApp messages was the only way she could reach him.

Since then, she'd stopped contacting him unless necessary. He, on the other hand, would use Katie's phone to call her whenever anything urgent cropped up.

…

When Ethan arrived at the hospital, Katie was also there with breakfast. She said, "Mr. Ford, I bought these from The Grand Pavilion and Cloud Court. There's the fruit smoothie you asked for and some other dishes."

He nodded and told her to take the things to Rebecca's hospital ward.

Rebecca had just finished putting on a light "no-makeup" look when she heard someone knock on the door. She quickly put her makeup away and lay back down on the bed before calling out, "Come in."

She only slowly sat up when she saw Ethan and Katie enter the ward. She yawned.

"Are we intruding, Becky?" Ethan hurried forward to hold Rebecca's hand.

She smiled at him. "Of course not. Jazlyn wasn't mad at you for spending the night here with me, was she?"

He faltered. Her words made him realize that something was off with Jazlyn. Even though nothing had happened between him and Rebecca, he thought that it was odd how unfazed Jazlyn was. She should've…

He couldn't imagine how she should've reacted, though.

In the end, he said, "She's so mild-tempered that she won't get mad. Come on, it's time for breakfast."

Rebecca nodded. "Eat with me, okay?"

"Okay." Ethan placed the fruit smoothie before her. He tasted some of it before she did, but something about it was off. Now that he was used to having Jazlyn's food, he couldn't help finding that food prepared outside seemed to lack something.

Noticing his frown, Rebecca asked, "What's wrong? Does it taste bad? This is from The Grand Pavilion, isn't it? We used to go there all the time as kids, and the taste is the same as it was back then."

Ethan didn't voice out his thoughts. Instead, he said tenderly, "Nothing's wrong. You go ahead. I'm not too hungry."

He put down his cutlery and didn't touch any of the food anymore. Then, he stood up, headed to the balcony, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. It was only after taking a deep drag that he felt the annoyance in him ebb slightly.

Katie approached him and said, "You have a meeting at 9:30 am, Mr. Ford. Should I postpone it?"

"No." Ethan couldn't help thinking of Jazlyn's gentle, demure face. He said to Katie, "Let Alex deal with the meeting, Katie. I want you to bring Jazlyn here so she can have her arm checked."

Katie was taken aback. She was used to helping Ethan handle some personal matters, but he had never asked her to care for Jazlyn. Still, it was an order from him, and she had to comply.

She said, "Yes, sir. I'll head to your villa right away."

Ethan went back inside the room and gave Rebecca a heads-up before leaving the hospital. Katie tidied the food containers and was about to leave when Rebecca suddenly said, "I have a headache, Katie. Can you stay here with me while I get it checked?"

Katie weighed the pros and cons. Rebecca obviously meant much more to Ethan than Jazlyn had. Since Rebecca was unwell, Katie had to prioritize her well-being over Jazlyn's. Besides, she didn't think that Ethan would get mad even if she neglected Jazlyn for Rebecca's sake.

She smiled politely and said, "Of course, Ms. Jett. I'll ask your attending doctor to arrange for you to get a checkup."

Rebecca smiled in satisfaction when she saw Katie acting the way she'd expected.

…

Jazlyn had nothing to do at home, so she invited Penny out for a meal. She figured that they could also discuss her future job while they were at it.

They met at a cafe. Penny gave Jazlyn a huge hug when she saw her. "Jazz, it's been ages since we last saw each other."

They chatted about many college memories, eventually growing wistful. Penny said, "You know, it would've been great if you'd focused on your career back then, like me. You won several national competitions, and even Mr. Wood wanted you to be his graduate student."

Jazlyn was reminded of the past. She couldn't help thinking about how so much had changed. Marrying Ethan back in the day was a choice she'd made without having much of an actual choice. Stanley had just passed away, and Julie needed astronomical sums to pay for her medical fees.

Fortunately, Jazlyn was about to be set free from her torment soon enough.

Penny continued telling Jazlyn about her new job. The music institution Penny worked at was called Symphonia Arts Center, and a wealthy heiress owned it. The heiress rarely got involved in the institution's daily affairs, leaving Penny and her other partners to run the show.

Symphonia Arts Center had money, resources, and connections, so their clientele generally came from the upper crust. The teachers there were also paid well.

"You won't have to worry about your mother's medical bills once you start working here. Symphonia pays the highest wages in the industry, and the year-end bonuses for teachers are extremely generous.

"Still, it's a double-edged sword. Because our clientele is wealthy, you'll come across many children and parents with bad tempers. You might have a hard time at first before adjusting."

Jazlyn nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best to adapt."

She'd spent three years by Ethan's side, putting up with his bad temper. She felt she was well-trained in tolerance.

Penny sipped her coffee before asking, "So, when do you intend to start?"