After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 4: I Don’t Believe You Two Can Hold Back
But...
When Gavin Sinclair reached the door in his wheelchair, Claire Mercer didn’t say a single word.
No apology, and certainly no plea for him to stay.
Gavin Sinclair’s heart was a maelstrom of emotions.
It was as if the person he’d always led by the nose had suddenly slipped from his control.
Accustomed to being the one in power, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anger.
"Scarlett, let’s go."
Scarlett Jewel quickly went to push his wheelchair. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
At the doorway of the hospital room, she turned and smiled at Claire Mercer.
It was a look of pure provocation and gloating—the smug, triumphant face of a petty victor.
A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Claire Mercer’s mouth.
Her gaze was icy as she watched them leave.
After three days of observation in the hospital, Claire Mercer was discharged.
Her best friend, Roxanne Peyton, came to pick her up.
After dropping her off at Crestfall Villa, Claire asked her.
"Want to come in and sit for a while?"
"I can’t. My cousin’s here, and my mom wants me to show her around Rhonia."
"Alright, we’ll catch up another day."
After they said their goodbyes, Claire Mercer walked through the garden to the front door.
Before she even stepped inside, she heard a clamor of voices from within.
"It’s been two years, sis—uh, I mean, Scarlett... your cooking has gotten even better."
Ethan Grant’s voice rang out, and several others chimed in, praising Scarlett Jewel’s cooking to the skies.
Only after everyone had finished did Scarlett Jewel say with a laugh.
"Oh, stop. I just could never get used to the food abroad."
"I did all my own cooking for the two years I was away."
"It’d be strange if I didn’t improve at all."
One of Gavin Sinclair’s buddies started laying it on thick. "This food looks every bit as good as what that simp Claire Mercer used to make."
"You know, you can’t deny it, that simp Claire Mercer really could cook. She put a lot of effort into serving our Gavin."
"That simp spoiled Gavin’s palate. I was just worried your cooking wouldn’t be able to hold onto his stomach, but it looks like I was worried for nothing."
"Even without the cooking skills, doesn’t sis—I mean, Scarlett... have Gavin wrapped around her little finger?"
"Just look at them, they’re inseparable..."
This remark sent the room into roaring laughter, the atmosphere boisterous and lively.
Once the laughter died down, Scarlett Jewel quickly interjected with a smile.
"Hey, hey, hey, you guys can’t joke about Gavin and me like that."
"Gavin is a married man now."
"We’re just good friends now, buddies."
"Don’t let his wife hear you say these things. You’ll cause a misunderstanding and make them fight."
Ethan Grant laughed. "Oh, come on. Don’t think we don’t know that Gavin was saving himself for you."
"His legs have been fine for over half a year, but he kept pretending to be crippled in front of Claire Mercer. It was all because he didn’t want to touch her, right?"
Outside the door, Claire Mercer’s head buzzed when she heard this.
Her body swayed, and she could barely stay on her feet.
’So, everyone around him knew his legs were already healed.’
’Only I, the fool, was kept in the dark by everyone.’
’And his legs have been fine for over half a year.’
She thought about how, for the past six months, she had massaged his legs every single day without fail...
How she woke up early every morning to go to the supermarket and buy fresh ingredients.
How she made him soups and therapeutic meals to help his legs recover...
In front of him, in front of Scarlett Jewel, in front of all his friends...
She was a complete and utter fool who had been played.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before she heard Ethan Grant’s voice again.
"...Now that you’re finally back, I don’t believe for a second you two can keep your hands off each other."
’Keep their hands off each other?’
Scarlett Jewel thought about how Gavin Sinclair had pounced on her every chance he got these past two days...
They had left their wild traces all over this house.
From the big bed in the bedroom, to the sofa in the living room, to the carpet...
Even the bathroom hadn’t been spared.
A bashful blush crept onto Scarlett Jewel’s face as she laughed and playfully jumped up to hit him.
"Shut up, shut up! What nonsense are you talking?"
"Nonsense? HAHAHA... If you know, you know."
"But seriously, answer me honestly. Did Gavin’s leg injury affect his... performance in that department?"
"Yeah, yeah, I’m curious too! Is he still as wild as he used to be?"
’Not as wild?’
’Wasn’t she left sore all over, barely able to get out of bed, every single time?’
’Just today alone, he’d practically worn her out until she felt like she was going to fall apart.’
Thinking of those scenes, Scarlett Jewel’s face flushed crimson again.
"You guys... are getting more and more out of line."
"HAHAHA... See? She’s blushing, she’s blushing..."
"You all are just..." Scarlett Jewel said reproachfully, "The more I try to explain, the more you all carry on. I’m not even going to bother anymore."
"No need to explain. The more you explain, the more you have to hide."
"Exactly. We’re not strangers here. You think we don’t know what’s going on with you two?"
"Oh, right. Speaking of that Claire Mercer, where is she?"
"Heard she was in a car accident a few days ago. Still in the hospital."
"Still in the hospital? It’s not like she broke any arms or legs. So dramatic."
"It’s obviously a ploy to get sympathy, trying to make Gavin feel sorry for her."
"Who can blame her? Our Gavin is so charming he’s got her head over heels."
"Simped for Gavin for two whole years, and in the end, she got absolutely nothing..."
At this, the room erupted into another round of roaring laughter.
Outside the door, Claire Mercer laughed along with them.
She really was laughable!
In their eyes, she, Claire Mercer, was just Gavin Sinclair’s simp, a complete and utter joke.
How pathetic. For two years, she had devotedly cared for him, moved time and again by her own profound and sincere love for him.
Every day, she had fantasized that one day he would be moved by her devotion and see her worth.
But reality had slapped her hard across the face, and thankfully, it had finally slapped her awake.
’A simp?’
Heh!
’So that’s what they called her behind her back. She didn’t even deserve a name.’
’And to think, every time they used to visit Gavin Sinclair, she would cook a feast for them. Looking back now, she might as well have been feeding dogs.’
’A pack of ungrateful wretches!’
Claire Mercer composed herself slightly and pushed the door open, walking in.
The moment she entered, the room that had been roaring with laughter fell dead silent.
The smiles froze on their faces, and a flicker of awkwardness crossed each of their expressions.
Over the past two years, they had often visited the "leg-impaired" Gavin Sinclair, and they had eaten plenty of meals personally cooked by Claire Mercer.
Now, to be caught bad-mouthing her by the person herself was indeed very awkward.
Claire Mercer’s mocking gaze swept coldly over everyone present before she asked with a smirk.
"Why has everyone stopped laughing?"
"I heard you all having such a good time from outside the door. Was there something funny?"
"Tell me, so I can have a laugh too."
The atmosphere became excruciatingly awkward.
The previously light and cheerful mood was instantly replaced by a strange, tense air.
