My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: You are falling in love with Ava.

A blush rose to Ava’s cheeks. She squirmed, muttering, “Jerk!”

But Dylan only held her tighter, his gaze playful. “Are you blushing?” he teased, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

Ava threw him a hot glare, her cheeks turning even redder.

“Just a while ago, you were begging me to take you,” he went on, unable to hide his smirk. “Now, suddenly, you want to escape!”

She pushed against him, her attempts feeble against his strength. The mix of embarrassment and anger roiled within her. Who would have thought that her drink was spiked? This entire situation felt surreal—she never should’ve touched that wine in the first place. It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.

“Don’t move,” he commanded, reaching for a towel and gently rubbing it over her damp hair. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen you like this,” he continued. “And relax—I’m not going to take advantage of you.”

Ava’s heart was in disarray, with conflicting emotions swirling within her. This was very unlikely for Dylan to take care of her.

Ava felt the fight drain out of her, the warmth of his touch chasing away the last shivers of cold. Though she wanted to push him away, part of her melted into the steadiness of his embrace, conflicted.

This tenderness, this care—it was everything she had once longed for, but now it only left a hollow ache in her chest.

‘Late affection is not useful,’ she muttered to herself.

With a steely look, she snatched the towel from his hand, wrapping it firmly around herself. “I can manage on my own.”

Dylan opened his mouth to argue, but her stern expression silenced him.

She pushed him away, her posture rigid as she walked out of the bathroom. And walked out of the bathroom. As she made her way to the bedroom, she drew in a shaky breath, holding herself together, refusing to let him see how much his sudden concern affected her.

Dylan, with his hands resting on his hips, let out a frustrated sigh. The sharp ring of his phone snapped him back to reality, and he quickly glanced at the screen, recognizing James’ number. His face turned serious as he answered the call and strode out of the room.

Meanwhile, Ava emerged from the changing room just in time to see him exit. She froze for a moment, watching his hurried departure with a curious frown. ‘Where could he be rushing off to at this hour?’ she thought.

A hint of unease crept in. But she shrugged it off, her expression hardening as she muttered under her breath, “Who cares?”

She climbed into bed, pulling the blanket over herself as she settled in. “Maybe he is going to see Gianna.”

She wanted to believe she didn’t care his sudden show of concern meant nothing. But no matter how much she told herself it didn’t matter, an unwelcome pang of disappointment gnawed at her heart.

“Why did he even bother bringing me here if he planned on sneaking away?” she muttered bitterly, her fingers clutching the blanket tightly. “Pretending to care… as if I’d fall for it.” She shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to sleep. But the hurt lingered, making her restless, even as she tried to let go.

Dylan, on the other hand, came to the study. “What is the update?” he asked, his gaze steely as he awaited James’ update.

“I reviewed the surveillance footage,” James said seriously. “The video is a bit grainy, but it’s clear enough to see Gianna speaking to a waitress in a corner. Shortly after, the waitress heads to the bar and slips something into a wine glass. I can’t tell if the target was you or Ava, but it’s obvious Gianna ordered the drink to be spiked. I’ve emailed you the footage—take a look.”

Dylan quickly opened his laptop, his jaw clenching as he clicked on the attachment. The video began to play, and under the strobe lights, he saw Gianna whispering intently to a waitress. A moment later, the waitress moved to the bar and discreetly added a powder to a glass.

The next scene showed her walking toward him, just as he had been in a heated argument with Ava. The reality hit him like a cold wave—the drink was meant for him, not Ava.

“So Gianna wanted to drug me!” he exclaimed with disbelief.

James sighed dejectedly. “It seems like that. She is desperate to be with you, to marry you. But you were not giving her the chance. Out of desperation, she resorted to drugging you and sleeping with you. Unfortunately, Ava just ended up with the wrong drink.”

Dylan’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, watching every second of the footage with a darkening expression. The moment Ava’s hand had mistakenly picked up his spiked drink, his fists clenched involuntarily, feeling the sharp pang of anger twist inside him.

“Shit!” Dylan cursed under his breath. If he hadn’t found Ava in time, she would have gone with Nicholas. Whenever he thought of her in that situation with another man, his insides twisted painfully.

“Where is that waitress?” Dylan growled. “Stop her. Don’t let her escape.”

“Ern – she is nowhere to be found.” James hesitated on the other end, sounding nervous. “I think she ran away before I ordered the guards to close the gates.” After a moment of pause, he added nervously, “And Gianna is also not here. She might have run away when she realized her plan had failed. She might have also told the waitress to leave soon.”

“Damn it.” Dylan slammed his fist on the table. A cold fury washed over Dylan. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the table, the veins in his forehead tense.

“Calm down – you still have the footage,” James said, pacifying him. “You can confront Gianna.”

“Gianna crossed all the limits,” Dylan seethed. “I’ve treated her like family—as my own sister—and this is what she does. She shamelessly tried to drug me. Because of her, Ava was in distress. She did everything to turn me against her.”

“So, what’s the plan?” James asked enthusiastically. “Shall I go and pick her up?”

“No, leave it for now.” Dylan took a steadying breath, his gaze still stormy but controlled. “Let Ava handle this. I’ll show her the footage and let her decide Gianna’s fate.”

James, on the other end of the line, chuckled. “Man, you are falling in love with Ava.”