My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The confusion

Inside the ward…

Unaware of Gianna’s nasty plan, Ava muttered curses under her breath, fuming in anger. “Who wants your food, anyway? I’d rather starve.” She huffed and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to block out her anger and disappointment.

Several minutes later, Justin entered the room, holding a tray with a bowl of steaming soup. “I brought some soup for you,” he said softly, placing the tray on the bedside table. “Please have it.”

Ava raised an eyebrow, her mind instantly recalling Dylan’s earlier promise to bring her food himself. But instead, he had sent his assistant. Her suspicion flared. Certainly, he might have gone to attend his dear, Gianna. A sneer formed in the corners of her lips.

“Where is Dylan?” she asked as she sought confirmation of her suspicions.

Justin’s smile faltered, his hesitation palpable. “He had some urgent matters to attend to,” he said carefully. “But please, drink the soup.”

Ava’s eyes flicked to the bowl of soup, her frustration bubbling over. “Urgent matters?” she scoffed with sarcasm. “Has he gone to see Gianna?”

Justin froze, his wide eyes betraying his discomfort. He didn’t reply, but Ava got the answer. Her mouth turned bitter, and she lost her appetite.

The fleeting concern Dylan had shown earlier now felt like a cruel joke. He again proved that Gianna was what mattered to him. And Ava – well, she was nothing to him – a time pass maybe.

“I don’t feel like eating,” she muttered. Despite knowing the truth, the ache in her chest still throbbed. She had fallen for the wrong man, and now she was paying the price for that mistake.

Justin gently urged, “Sir personally sent this for you and instructed me to make sure you finish it.”

Ava’s lips formed a sneer as soon as those words filled her ears. ‘Yet, he couldn’t be bothered to bring it himself,’ she thought.

Shaking her head, she turned away. “If he has sent the soup, I won’t have it. Take it away, Justin. Tell him to feed it to his beloved Gianna.”

Justin couldn’t tolerate Ava’s hurtful comments against his boss. Every fiber of his being urged him to tell Ava the truth, to let her know how much Dylan had done behind the scenes. How he had swiftly punished the women responsible for the attack, how he had sent Erica away to ensure she couldn’t hurt Ava again. But he couldn’t—Dylan had strictly forbidden him from revealing any of it.

“He hasn’t eaten anything since the morning, but he has made sure you don’t stay empty stomach for a long time. I even told him to eat first, but he refused.”

Ava rolled her eyes, her anger still simmering beneath the surface, especially after the way Dylan had treated Ethan. She had no intention of eating.

“Whether you believe it or not, he cares about you,” Justin continued to say. “But there are certain things he has to take care of, and he is doing that as a part of his duty. I hope you will finish the soup.” Having said that, he slipped out of the ward.

Ava huffed, staring blankly at the door as it closed behind him. “Yeah, his duty is always about protecting Gianna, making sure she is alright,” she muttered under her breath. She cast a brief, dismissive glance at the soup bowl before turning away and pulling the blanket over herself.

Ava tried to sleep, but the ringing of her phone disturbed her.

She grimaced too frustrated to talk to anyone. She snatched up the phone, answering with a sharp, “Hello?” without even checking who it was.

“Ava! What happened? Did someone bully you again?” Ethan’s anxious voice came through the line.

His voice made her blink, surprised. Only then did she glance at the screen and notice Ethan’s name. They had met just an hour ago; why was he calling again?

“No, it’s not like that,” she said, brushing off his concern. “What is it? Why are you calling me?”

“There is an update,” Ethan replied, his tone shifting from worry to seriousness. “Those women who attacked you—they’ve been handed over to the cops.”

Ava bolted upright, her heart racing as the news hit her. “What? The cops already have them! That fast?” She blinked with a mix of disbelief and shock. She hadn’t expected things to move this quickly.

“I have been checking on it,” Ethan explained, “then I’ve found that Dylan’s men had taken those women, beat them up, and then turned them over to the authorities with enough proof of what they did to you.”

Ava’s ears seemed to buzz, her mind swirling with a bitter twist of confusion. She hadn’t expected this at all—Dylan, the very person she had doubted and resented, had acted swiftly to ensure her attackers were brought to justice. It left her frozen, emotions swirling inside her like a storm.

But a pressing question bubbled to the surface: what about Erica? Ava couldn’t shake off the nagging thought of Erica’s involvement.

“Any update on Erica’s involvement?” she asked, anticipation brimming within her. “Had those women revealed her involvement?”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Ethan sighed. “No, there is nothing on Erica. The women confessed to the police, but according to them, they acted on their own after hearing the rumors about you hurting their idol, Gianna. They were consumed by rage and decided to take matters into their own hands. But they didn’t say anything about Erica.”

Ava grew thoughtful, her heart sinking with disappointment. Had she suspected Erica wrongly? But then she recalled the women’s claim. No, she was certain someone had orchestrated this attack, but the lack of evidence made her feel helpless. Who else could that be if not Erica?

Just as she was wondering, Ethan’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. “But I’m not going to stop digging. Those women entered the office building and assaulted you. This is a security breach that couldn’t have happened without someone on the inside facilitating their entry. Right now, there is no trace of Erica’s involvement, but I will uncover everything soon.”

His resolve was palpable in his tone as if he was determined to prove himself worthy of her trust so that she wouldn’t rely on someone else, especially Nicholas.