Chapter 62
My head spun. Marlon's sentimental speech had sent him off the rails, and Hayden's face was as dark as coal. If I didn't intervene, they'd clash.
I sighed, pulling Marlon aside. "It's late. You should go."
"Really?" Marlon raised an eyebrow, glancing at Hayden.
"Trust me," I said casually, ushering him toward his car. "He won't bother me."
Watching him drive away, I finally breathed. I still relied on him for help with Jackson Group's shares; if Hayden learned of it, I'd be in serious trouble.
"Hard to say goodbye? Why not leave with him?" Hayden's voice, icy, cut through the air.
My good mood vanished instantly. Turning, I met Hayden's gaze. For a moment, he felt like a stranger. Ten years, and I'd never truly understood him.
Seeing my silence, he continued. "You brushed me off, then flirted with Marlon, Yvonne. You've surprised me!" A hint of jealousy tinged his tone, though I didn't register it.
Honestly, a man who'd ignored me for ten years couldn't be jealous of someone I knew. I let out a cold laugh.
"You're with Joanna, and I haven't batted an eye. We're about to separate anyway. Why pretend to care? Let's be real," I declared.
My words struck a nerve. The intensity in his eyes could consume me. "So you're really with Marlon!" The veins in his forehead pulsed as he spat out each word. His anger was undeniable.
Under the streetlight, his tall form cast a menacing shadow. I wondered if he'd always been this irritable. He rarely spoke to me, let alone got this angry. Everyone in Elysiumville knew him as calm and collected. He only seemed to unleash this anger on me.
Smiling bitterly, I was about to respond when a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me. Everything went black, and I swayed. Just before passing out, I heard a worried male voice call, "Yvonne!" Then, I fell into a warm embrace. I didn't know if it was Hayden, but no one else was around. He should have let me fall, considering his usual demeanor. Before I could think further, darkness consumed me.
One moment Hayden was furious, the next Yvonne fainted before him. Forgetting his anger, he instinctively caught her. "Yvonne!" he called out intimately, urgently, twice. Without hesitation, he carried her back to the villa.
"What happened to Mrs. Parker?" Rita rushed over, anxious.
"She fainted," Hayden said, placing Yvonne on the sofa, his hand on my forehead. "No fever."
"Low blood sugar?" Rita asked, worried. "Mrs. Parker has lost a lot of weight recently."
Hayden's eyes darkened slightly. "She just had dinner."
Unable to explain it, Rita ran out. "I'll call the doctor." A resident doctor was readily available, thanks to Deborah.
The room fell silent as Rita left, leaving Hayden holding my limp form. A disquieting feeling settled over him, a shadow of unease. Panic rose, a nameless anxiety centered on the woman in his arms.
He found himself wondering, "Why did she pass out like that? Since I've been back, she's always ill, crying at night. And how thin she is! Does she even eat?" These thoughts raced through his mind; he hadn't realized how attuned he'd become to Yvonne's well-being.
Soon, Rita returned with the doctor, who, after an examination, declared Yvonne simply overwhelmed and exhausted, exacerbated by her earlier swim and poor diet, resulting in a momentary blackout.
Visibly relieved, Rita breathed deeply. "Thank goodness she's okay."
Deborah, arriving after hearing the news, frowned and fixed Hayden with a stern gaze. "Come with me!"
Hayden, grim-faced, followed silently. In the living room, tension hung heavy.
"You heard the doctor," Deborah said sharply. Hayden remained silent.
Deborah continued, "She's overwhelmed, obviously because of your mistress! Not to mention…"
"Grandmother, it's not what you think," Hayden said, his expression conflicted.
"I don't care about you and that woman. Yvonne is your wife. Once she's recovered, have a child!" Deborah commanded. The idea of a mistress bothered her.
"Grandmother," Hayden began, but Deborah cut him off.
"A child will stop you thinking about divorce, and Yvonne can focus on raising it! The Parker family won't accept a child born out of wedlock," Deborah stated.
Deborah left, heading upstairs to check on me. Hayden sat alone, Deborah's words echoing. Having a child will stop you thinking about divorce.
If Yvonne and I had a child, would she stop wanting to leave? he wondered, surprised by the thought. He suspected, deep down, that he didn't want her to leave. To keep her, he was even considering having a child with her.