As I had said those words harshly, he knitted his brows upon hearing them. “We’ll shower together.”
Instantly, rage coursed through my veins. “Ashton, do you not speak human? I said I’m going to shower. If you want to take a shower, go to the other bathroom.”
His expression darkened. “What’s the matter with you? Why are you losing your temper over nothing? What did I do to you?”
“Nothing!”
I was not in the mood to talk to him. If he were not going to leave, I would. If you’re not going to leave me alone, I’ll do it myself!
However, he was persistent in clinging to me—he pressed me against the wall and bit down hard on my shoulder. “Tell me why you’re angry, all right? Don’t keep me guessing.”
“Hurry up and take a shower. You smell,” I voiced instead as I scrunched up my face.
Lifting a brow, he raised his arm to take a whiff of himself. Instead of scrunching up his face like I did, he smirked. “Scarlett, do you have a dog’s nose? I’m surprised that you can even smell that.”
“Hurry up and shower now!” I yelled with a tinge of anger.
Amused by my reaction, he patiently said, “She’s sick. I was with Joe, so we went there together. I’m your husband, and I’ll be loyal to you for the rest of my life.”
By now, my lips were pursed into a thin line. Pushing him away again, I softened my tone to say, “Take your shower.”
With a small smile, he went back into the bathroom.
When he came back out again, he was in a bathrobe that revealed his muscular chest. It was a pleasant sight for my eyes.
When he saw me reading a book on the bed, he walked over to me and asked, “Why are you reading a travel guide? Do you want to go there for a trip?”
“I’m thinking of going to M Country. Macy and Jackson have been there for quite a while, but they haven’t sent me any messages or calls. I wonder how they’re doing, so I want to visit them.” I have not seen them, including Nick, since my accident, and I was curious about how they were doing.
He nodded before taking the travel guide from me. As he put it aside, he uttered, “It’s useless to read these. Come with me to M Country since I’ll be heading there soon.”
“Why are you going there?” Can he really leave the city when the company’s so busy recently?
At that, he pursed his lips before pressing a habitual kiss on my forehead. “Some major issues have arisen for the few hospitals that Jared’s managing. I’ll have to go there to check things out. There are a handful of those hospitals in the country, so it’s a pretty grave situation.”
I froze. So that’s why his phone has been ringing all day today.
In the beginning, I did not take Stacey’s words to heart. However, the moment the seed of doubt had been planted, it would start growing uncontrollably. It was the same for everyone.
After a moment of mulling over his words, I asked, “Only Dr. Crest’s hospitals?”
He nodded. “He’s been managing the medical side of things.”
“Then, could it be that…” I trailed off, realizing that my next words would sound like I was trying to sow discord between them. Hence, I changed the topic and asked, “How long have you known Dr. Crest?”
Hearing that, he laughed before lowering his gaze to look at me. “I’ve known him since my college days. Why are you asking about that all of a sudden? Why, are you finally interested to know about my past?”
I smiled before asking again, “How did the two of you become such close and trusting friends?”
To my knowledge, individuals had to have memorable days of heart-to-heart interactions before they could become friends that trusted each other.
Raising my head to look at him, I took in the sight of his defined jawline. Indeed, someone who possessed good looks would look good from any angle.
Hearing my question, he briefly frowned before answering, “I’ll tell you more in the future. Are you feeling sleepy?”
It seemed like he was not keen on answering me, so I did not pressure him for one. All I replied was, “Okay.”
After that, I fell silent.
His phone rang a few more times, but he never seemed like he was going to accept the call. When I looked at it from the corner of my eyes, I realized Rebecca was calling.
Thus, I frowned. “It’s noisy.”
Giving me back a similar frown, he silenced his phone. Unfortunately, even when silenced, the phone’s screen continued to light up.
The call came in one after another, and I was starting to feel frustrated. To Ashton, I snarled, “Can’t you just pick that call up? It’s annoying.”
When he grimaced, I could see a trace of gloominess in his expression. “Do you want me to?”
“Ashton, cut your crap. If you want to pick it up, then pick it up. If you don’t, reject the call and look for her in person. It’s annoying to keep seeing her name on the screen.” It truly was. It was the middle of the night, but instead of sleeping, she was calling someone else’s husband. This was honestly something that only Rebecca could do.
Dumbfounded by the sudden reprimand, Ashton stiffened for a few seconds before a cold look crept upon his face. “What do you mean by asking me to look for her in person? Scarlett, is there something wrong with you?”
“You’re right. There’s something wrong with me. Either you switch off your phone, or you leave the room.”
He then picked up his phone and accepted the call on speaker mode. “Is there something you need?” he asked in a glacial tone.
“Ash, I’m all alone in the hospital now. Can you come and keep me company? I’m scared of being alone.” Her voice was as sweet as cotton candy.
“Am I your dad, or am I your mom? Do you think I’ll come to you just because you asked me to? Rebecca, you should know when to stop pushing your luck. Your brother asked me to take care of you, but he didn’t tell me to sacrifice myself for you.”
