Chap 78
“Have you forgotten the agreement you signed?” Gladwin warned. He placed his dirty smock at the bottom of the locker and grabbed a new one.
“I was worried.” Phoebe approached. “Are you okay?” She tried to touch Gladwin, but he evaded her.
“You don’t want to become a widow in less than two days, do you?” He asked sharply, making Phoebe wide-eyed. Her face paled, and a gasp of shock was heard from the door. Some nurses who were still there stared in shock at Gladwin and Phoebe alternately, as if demanding an explanation, but Gladwin chose to ignore them.
“Never act like a wife in front of me, because I don’t need it. And don’t step into my room unless your visit is work-related,” he muttered. He then walked behind the desk, preparing for his work.
“What was that just now? Is that true, Doctor Hampton?”
“Oh my God, that’s the first time I’ve seen Doctor Hampton’s terrifying expression like that. I never thought he could be so ruthless, but apparently…”
“So, what’s the real reason they got married?”
“Is Doctor Madsen being treated like that too?”
“Why would a woman like Doctor Madsen want to be the second wife? Is she already in love with Doctor Hampton? Or are there no other men willing to marry her?”NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
“I wonder if Doctor Hampton’s attitude towards his first wife is just as cruel? Is that why we don’t see his wife now?”
“I didn’t know Doctor Hampton could be so harsh, even though he’s always been very friendly. But even when he’s harsh, he still looks very handsome.”
Those were the comments Jonas read in the group chat as he accompanied Eijaz and Gladwin for lunch after they called a truce. He didn’t comment at all, neither in the group chat nor in their conversation. He himself was confused about his purpose there. One thing was certain, silence was the right choice for him at the moment.
“So, can you explain to me what actually happened between you two?” Eijaz asked after finishing his meal.
Gladwin recounted everything that happened between him, Phoebe, and Flavia to Eijaz. About their marriage that didn’t receive his mother’s blessing. About his mother preferring Phoebe because she was believed to be able to give him offspring. Also about the agreement Flavia made with his mother. Lastly, about his marriage contract with Phoebe.
Jonas again became a mere listener, but now all the questions filling his mind had been answered. Although Abigail had discussed this, she only told half the story, and that minimal information irritated Jonas.
Eijaz seemed enraged. Anger was evident on his handsome face. How could it not, if the woman he loved and willingly gave to another man to be happy ended up being hurt, it surely made him furious.
“Now what? Aren’t you trying to find her and bring her back?” Eijaz asked. There was a hint of mockery in his voice.
Gladwin shook his head. “Flavia doesn’t want to be found. It’s not that I’m not trying, but I choose to trust her. And I’m sure she’ll come back someday when she feels it’s right.”
“Do you just give up like that?” Eijaz snapped.
“Do you think I’m behaving like this because I’m giving up?” Gladwin countered skeptically. “I’m doing all this because it’s what she asked for. She asked me to trust her just like she trusts me.” Gladwin didn’t mention the issue of the diary to Eijaz. The diary that depicted the girl’s feelings for him over the past seven years.
No, the diary belonged to her and Flavia deliberately left it for him, which meant it wasn’t meant for Gladwin to flaunt to others, especially to Eijaz, who was clearly his toughest rival.
Gladwin smiled as he remembered Flavia’s heartfelt words for him. Yes, Flavia poured out all her feelings, grievances, and love for him in that diary as if the diary itself was Gladwin. Now Gladwin knew all the secrets his wife had been holding back. Embarrassment, sadness, happiness, he felt all those emotions as he read through his wife’s diary, page by page.
“I love her as much as she loves me,” Gladwin returned to the present and looked at Eijaz firmly. “I know her departure wasn’t without reason. She wanted me to prove to people that she’s valuable to me. And I’m doing that. Proving to everyone that she’s the only one I want,” Gladwin answered emphatically. “It may sound cliché, or maybe you can’t understand how we work. But I understand Flavia, very well. Just like she understands me,” Gladwin replied.
“But what if she doesn’t come back? What if your assumption is wrong? What if she actually wants you to look for her?” Eijaz asked.
Gladwin just smiled. “She will come back. And if she wanted me to search for her, then she wouldn’t have said that she ‘will return.’ And my answer would remain the same. Even if she never returns, my heart will forever belong to her.”
Jonas could only shake his head in silence. So did Eijaz.
Love truly makes a stone look like a cake. Smart heads become foolish. And it makes perfect people appear flawed in the eyes and ears of others. But Jonas didn’t comment.
Love has different versions for everyone. Some choose to endure even when it feels painful. Some choose to step back to heal. And some choose to move forward, ignoring everything as long as they can get what they want. Hmm, love, obsession, and pain always seem to go hand in hand.
But whatever it is, Jonas can only pray for the best for both of them. He always believes that good people will end up with good people. So if a good person ends up with a bad person, then that good person is tested to make the bad person become good. Although Jonas would prefer to say that the ‘good person is just having a stroke of bad luck’.
Finally, there is no more conflict between Eijaz and Gladwin. Eijaz chooses to remain silent even though there are many words he wants to say. And now they behave as if the events of this morning were just worthless advertisements. Not worthy of being seen, let alone remembered.