The nurse cried, “Ms. Ashford is having pain in her chest again and is asking for you, Mr. Spencer. Please
come and see her!”
Nicole looked irritated and turned away from Hayden. “Go ahead.”
Hayden hesitated briefly, standing where he was by the bed. He then said, “I’m not made of morphine. There’s no point in my going over. Have the doctor tend to her instead.”
The nurse was surprised by how unaffected Hayden was. She left looking quite shocked.
Once she left, Hayden made to kick Jeremiah out. “You’re not from this department, Dr. Petersen. I’m sure
you don’t need to linger, yes?”
Jeremiah huffed and instinctively glanced at Nicole.
Nicole silently shook her head.
Jeremiah scoffed in response. He rolled his eyes at Hayden and said, “She’s already been stabilized.
What’s the point of trying to act all heroic now?”
Jeremiah then left the ward in a huff.
Afterward, Hayden leaned against the bed and gazed at Nicole. His eyes were filled with jealousy as he
said, “Dr. Petersen sure does care about you.”
Nicole gazed back at him calmly. “Who else would’ve cared about me for the past couple of hours if not
him? I’ll be sure to buy him a fruit basket to thank him once I’ve recovered.”
Hayden’s expression stiffened, hearing the sarcastic jab in her tone. He recalled how he’d spent the past few hours at Gloria’s side and grew speechless.
He then said guiltily, “I’ll make sure Caleb never crosses paths with you again. He was out of line this time. I wasn’t able to protect you, and for that I’m sorry.”
Nicole was about to say something when the door was pushed open again. The nurse from earlier had barged in once more.
“Ms. Ashford has passed out from pain. Please go to her side!” the nurse cried.
Hayden quickly retracted his hand, which had been holding Nicole’s, and got to his feet. “Why did Gloria pass out? Wasn’t she given pain medication?”
“It doesn’t seem to be working. Ms. Ashford’s symptoms seem to be worse this time!”
“Alright. I’ll be over right away.” Hayden then looked down and saw that Nicole had calmly switched on
the television with a remote control.
He gently caressed her hair and said, “Be a good girl now. You only passed out. Gloria is in a worse state
Chapter 58
than you. I need to go and check on her.”
212
Nicole held back the urge to tell him to fuck off. She only hummed quietly in assent and said, “Bye.”
Hayden felt helpless. He walked out of the ward, turning back at the last second to say, “Wait here for me, okay?”
Once he shut the door behind him, Nicole closed her eyes.
She was neither angry nor hateful. She didn’t even have the strength to feel any of these emotions.
Nicole quietly listened as the rom–com played on the TV screen. In her opinion, being trapped in a marriage with a man was the worst thing one could experience in their lifetime.
While she rested, Hayden hurried downstairs.
Gloria nudged the nurse beside her. “He’s here.”
The nurse turned around as Hayden entered the ward. With a sigh, the nurse said, “Ms. Ashford has taken the pain medication. I’m not sure when she’ll awaken.”
Gloria continued playing her role. She slowly opened her eyes, looking frail and weak.
Hayden hadn’t expected Gloria to be in such a fragile state today. He’d been by her side throughout the night while her chest continued hurting.
Hayden walked over, though Nicole was still on his mind. “How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?”
Gloria nodded slightly. She smiled bitterly and said, “There hasn’t been any improvement to my health, even after so many years of treatment, Hayden. Do you think I’m dying?”
“Nonsense. I’ve already called the best specialists to treat you.” Hayden then grunted out, “Take good care of yourself these next few days. I won’t be able to keep you company. Nicole is unwell, and I need to
tend to her myself.”
Jealousy flared in Gloria’s eyes as she ground her teeth together. She was in so much “pain” already, yet all Hayden could think about was Nicole!
Gloria wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled weakly. “I can’t even stand up on my own two feet right now, and the doctor won’t let me discharge myself. How could we possibly get our divorce officialized tomorrow?”
Hayden paused slightly, brows knitting together.
Gloria saw his reaction and gnawed on her lip, saying, “No, I can’t come in the way of your marriage to Nicole. Why don’t you have someone put me in a wheelchair and wheel me to the courthouse instead?”
