Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dead at Heart: Kabanata 611 - Kabanata 620

Jayson's tone had relaxed quite a bit now.Ariel paused for a second. When she looked up at him, their eyes met.Something about Jayson seemed different, but she couldn't put her finger on it.She decided not to respond and went ahead to bandage his hand. Only then did she notice a cut on his neck.He had fair skin, and tiny beads of blood were seeping from the cut. It was probably from the glass shards when that bottle shattered.She pulled out another alcohol swab. "Tilt your head a little."Jayson cooperated.Ariel leaned closer and carefully cleaned the cut. He must have felt the pain as his Adam's apple bobbed. She eased her touch a little.But he frowned and suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her to sit beside him. "I've got this.""Can you see the cut? Did I hurt you?""No, your breathing's just distracting." Sitting with his legs apart, he opened the iodine and dabbed it on carelessly.Ariel was rendered speechless for a moment. "I'm a living person, not a parameciu

Ariel was caught off guard by Jayson's words, but he had already turned and walked out.She went to lock the door. When she glanced through the peephole, she saw him entering the unit right across the hall.He opened and closed the door in one smooth motion, not lingering a second longer.Ariel stood there, stunned.Jayson lived across the hall? Was he out of his mind? He actually left his mansion behind to squeeze himself into this shabby little apartment? Did he really go that far to explain things to Betty?But Ariel only thought about it for a moment. Whatever Jayson chose to do was his freedom, and she had no right to interfere. Even though he had been acting strangely today, Jayson had been injured because of her.She didn't like owing anyone a favor.After making dinner, Ariel thought for a moment, then packed an extra portion into a thermal food container. She set it outside his door, knocked lightly, and went back home without waiting for him to answer.…The next mor

Ariel ended the call and sat in the car for a few moments before a sudden thought struck her. She hurried upstairs. In her bedroom, she rifled through drawers until she found the divorce certificate she had carefully kept.There it was, black and white and stamped with the official seal.She couldn't understand how this problem could have happened.Ariel sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, frozen in place. Countless possibilities flashed through her mind, but each one seemed utterly bizarre.She didn't want to overthink. Brushing her hair back, she let out a slow breath. There was nothing to do but wait for Jayson's call now.Outside, rain began to fall. Sitting and stewing would only make her anxious, so she decided to take a shower.She kept telling herself that there must have been a mix-up somewhere along the process.She occupied herself for almost three hours, yet Jayson still hadn't called. It only made Ariel's anguish grow.Just as she was about to try callin

Ariel hadn't slept at all the previous night. Plus the emotional turmoil, her whole body felt weak.She drank a glass of water to moisten her throat and then lay back down in her bedroom.Anger and shouting really took it out of her. She was realizing she couldn't handle these kinds of crises the way she used to.Sleep came fitfully.Around noon, the doorbell rang.Dragging her tired body to answer, she found a deliveryman outside, but she didn't remember ordering anything."Ms. Walker, you have a parcel to sign for."Ariel checked the label. It was indeed addressed to her, with her phone number on it.She took it. "Thank you."Once she closed the door, she weighed the box. It wasn't too heavy.The shipping label showed it came from a relatively remote town, and it was sent a week ago.Ariel opened it to find a document envelope on top. Inside was a certificate. The moment she unfolded it, she froze.It was a donation certificate, accompanied by various receipts.But the d

This was a gamble on Jayson's part. He knew that Ariel couldn't avoid a political review when joining the national research engineering team. Letting her go through it without interference was a bold gamble even he couldn't fully explain.At the core, he wanted to know whether she still had feelings for him. But her indifference was right there, plain as day.The pain he had buried deep in his heart for years began to ache again."Eat first. We'll have plenty of time to talk later." Jayson turned around and opened the meal box, making a small gesture of concession.Ariel considered herself calm enough today. She had no intention of arguing with Jayson. By now, everything was clear. The schools of hope offered some explanation, and Jayson's string of actions now had context.However, these weren't enough for her to forget the suffering she had been through."Your way of doing things terrifies me. You always quietly strike without a word. Jayson, there's no going back for us." Her