AUTHOR’S POV
DOCTOR NATASHA HAD ADVISED Sydney stay in the Hospital for two days before she can be dismissed. Gabriel had kept Sydney’s company up until the evening when he had to leave to deliver some lumber. He promised to return when he was done.
Gavin sat in front of Avery’s ward trying to burn his jealously before he’d say or do anything he’d regret.
It took him all of his self-control not to barge into Sydney’s ward and give her a piece of his mind.
She looked so happy without him in her life. Yes, he wanted her to get out of his life but he never expected it to hurt so much.
His thoughts were disturbed when Avery limped out of the ward. He felt the urge to walk away. Everything got on his nerves now.
Avery looked at him and rolled her eyes. Was he always in a foul mood? Sometimes she wished she could poison him and end his misery.
Putting on a pretentious tone, she said, ” Baby what’s wrong? Why the long face?”
Gavin didn’t look at her when he got up.
” Go into your ward, Avery.”
Avery held his shoulder. ” Not until you tell me what’s bothering you.”
Sydney! My wife! The fact she has feelings for another man! Gavin screamed silently.
” It’s nothing Avery. Hospitals make me sick, just go into your ward and don’t walk around before you find another excuse to waste my money.” He deadpanned and jerked away from her grip.
Avery watched him, fuming, as he headed towards Sydney’s ward.
Gavin took a short breath before entering Sydney’s ward to meet her and Ethan munching on potato chips while watching Young Sheldon on Sydney’s iPhone Laptop.
The light mood in the ward was replaced with an uncanny tension when they both saw Gavin.
Gavin’s throat fell dry as he looked at Ethan while avoiding his wife’s eye contact.
Ethan crossed his arms around his chest and looked away. ” What are you doing here?”
Gavin walked to him and squatted in front of him. Gavin’s eyes met Sydney’s wide, hurt-written eyes for a second.
He said in a low voice. ” I’m sorry.”
He reached to touch Ethan’s shoulder making Ethan shudder in fear. Gavin paused and winced. Even his son was afraid of him.
” Daddy, Leave me alone; I don’t want to speak to you.” Ethan blinked back his tears.
No, he wasn’t going to cry for a man who almost hit him like those wrestlers hit each other in WWE RAW.
” Ethan I was angry-”
Ethan glared at him. ” I’ve been angry before but you’ve never seen me hit you.”
” I didn’t hit you.”
” That’s because mom got in the way! God knows if you’d hit her before.”
Gavin’s head lowered. He couldn’t defend himself. He hadn’t hit her before, but he almost did, and he knew there was no difference.
Ethan took Gavin’s silence as a yes and his eyes widened.
” You have? Mommy has he?”
Sydney shook her head and gave a tight-lipped response. ” Your Daddy would never hit me. He isn’t like that.”
Gavin spoke immediately, his ephemeral cool mood vanishing. ” Ethan, please leave us, I have to talk to your mother.”
Ethan didn’t move a muscle.
” So you can shout at her? No, I won’t leave.” He said defiantly.
Sydney saw Gavin’s eyes begin to darken and she intervened quickly.
” Ethan please leave us.” Sydney’s eyes begged.
Ethan looked at her stubbornly; he didn’t want to get her upset, so he threw Gavin a glare and headed for the door.
Avery, who’d been eavesdropping on their conversation, took cover as Ethan stormed out of the room.
The room fell uncomfortably silent as soon as Ethan left.
Sydney wished Gavin would just say what he wanted and get out of the room. She had hoped not to see him and he just had to show up.
Gavin finally spoke, ” How are you feeling?” He asked calmly. Too calmly.
” I’m okay, Gavin,” Sydney replied tightly.
He looked at the bandaid around her head and winced.
” I’m- Um… I’m sorry about that.”
Sydney frowned. Why was he being so calm and sorry all of a sudden?
” Where’s Emily?” Sydney asked.
The bed dipped as Gavin sat next to her. She shifted away slightly which made a muscle on his cheek bulge.
” At the neighbor’s house.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
Sydney grew uncomfortable by the minute. Her eyes moistened. What was he trying to do? Pretend to be caring and then hurt her again.
Gavin’s gaze was piercing when he said, ” I’m sorry Sydney. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I had no idea this would happen.”
Sydney wiped her eyes and looked at him squarely in the eyes. He wasn’t going to have his way this time.
” There’s nothing to be sorry about because you don’t have the power to hurt me,” Sydney said sharply.
Gavin scowled. ” You are wrong.”
” No, Gavin I’m right. Don’t think everything that comes into your head is true. You can hit me a thousand times and shout at me, it wouldn’t shake me.”
Gavin stood, flaring. ” What has come over you Sydney? You never talk to me this way.”
Sydney knelt on the bed, ignoring the pain in her body, and looked straight at him.
” That’s because I’m not the down-to-earth wife that used to worship at your feet. I’ve moved on, Gavin; I’m sick and tired of you.”
Gavin felt like a knife was thrown to his heart.
His voice was quivering. ” No you aren’t Sydney, you aren’t.”
Sydney’s didn’t wilt when she said. ” Yes, I am. You make me sick. Don’t expect me to cry ever because of you, you aren’t that important to me.”
” You don’t mean what you are saying.”
” That’s your business, keep thinking that if it makes you feel better.”
Gavin’s last band of self-control snapped.
He was shouting now.
“You are a f**king in great Sydney. After all I’ve done for you, you repay me this way. Did you ever love me? How can you say this to my face!”
Sydney’s eyes twitched. Now he’s blaming her!
She sucked in her anger and said untruthfully. ” Think whatever you want, Gavin; I don’t care. I loved you, but you hurt me, and now I don’t anymore. I don’t love you, Gavin. Please get out of my ward!”
Gavin’s dark eyes began to glisten. He grabbed her shoulder fiercely.
” Is that because you are in love with someone else? What do you even see in him? Is he better than I am? Is he more handsome than I am? Does he kiss you better than I do? Does he f**king f**k you better than I do?”
” I gave you everything you wanted. If it was money, I gave you as much as I could. Yet, you fell for that wretched man with nothing to offer-”
Sydney shoved Gavin so hard he nearly fell to the ground. She got out of the bed quickly and stood rigid in front of him.
She shot back with cold asperity. ” You really have lost it, Gavin. Don’t you dare talk down on Gabriel, he’s a far better human being than you!”
When Gavin stood straight. Sydney pushed him again. And again. Again. Again. Till he caught hold of her.
She struggled to wrench free from his glacial grip.
” Get out Gavin, get out of here. Why don’t you just go and take care of your pregnant concubine and leave me alone?” Sydney held herself from crying.
Gavin’s gaze was icy. He had stopped thinking. He wasn’t ready to believe her. He wanted to prove he still had power over her.
His voice came low and wicked. ” You think he’s better than me?”
Sydney saw through him. She knew what he was up to and tried to rip free from him, but instead, he brought her impossibly close to his body.
His sweet masculine body.
Her breast was hard against his chest, and she could feel his heart racing, too. She remembered running saliva over that chest. She remembered when she had his all to herself. When her body was against his. When he was inside her.
It reminded her of what it felt like to be loved by him. She knew touching him would make her weak and empty all over again.
She tried to sound stern but her voice came out small and longing. ” Gavin don’t you dare.”
Gavin heard the opposite. Without wasting a fraction of a second, he pressed his lips against her in a firm, possessive way.
Her body was electrified. She’d missed this. Her body had ached for so long. His groan made her legs turn to lickerish as he molded his lips against hers.
When she didn’t open her mouth for him to slide his tongue in, he grabbed he a** and squeezed fiercely, making her gasp with immense pain and pleasure.
When his tongue slid into her mouth, his dominancy awakened. His rhythm changed to controlling and possessive. She felt it. Her senses came crawling back.
She bit his lips so hard it bled. Gavin pulled away and winced in pain.
Sydney slapped him twice and shoved him three times.
” You monster! You have no right to kiss me.” She slapped him again.
Gavin tried to get a hold of her, but she ducked beneath his arm and grabbed a surgical knife from the table.
Her eyes were oozing hot, angry tears; she looked like she wouldn’t hesitate to stab him.
” Take a step towards me and I promise I’ll kill you.” Sydney barked.
Gavin took a cautious step back from his insane wife. ” Put that thing down Sydney.” He coerced.
” Don’t test me, Gavin, get out of my ward. Leave! Go to your concubine. You have no right to hurt me anymore. Get out!”
Gavin stared at her dismally. She hated his touch. She was willing to kill him because he touched her?!
He looked at the floor shamefully and turned to the door before walking away.
Sydney dropped the knife and wiped off her tears. She grabbed a face towel and wiped her lips so fiercely it began to bleed.
” No more tears. He isn’t worth it.” She said but the tears kept falling.
It hurt. It hurt so much. His touch, loving him, everything about him hurt her.
” No, stop crying please.” She wiped the tears away and tried holding herself but she couldn’t.
Avery stood by the door, red-faced, as she watched Sydney.
Cry, yes, cry! She shouted silently.
She was boiling with anger. With unsatisfaction. She’d been glad if Sydney had stabbed Gavin and killed herself. No no, not yet. They’d have to suffer immensely before they have the chance to leave this world.
Avery held the door, ready to enter the ward but stopped when Sydney’s phone rang.
Sydney released a long breath, gathering her composure before she answered the call from Doctor Antonio.
” Hello, Mrs. Reed?”
Sydney sniffed. ” Yes, I can hear you. Does my mother want to speak with me?”
The doctor went silent for a fraction of a second. ” No, she’s unconscious right now.”
” Okay… What’s wrong?”
” Your mother, she had a seizure. I’ve managed to put her heartbeat under steady condition, but it’s only temporary.”
Sydney clutched the phone tightly, her shoulders raised.
” But she was fine this morning. What happened?” Her voice held fear.
” I’m not certain. Your father, Mr. Morgan, visited her. A while after he left, her health deteriorated.”
Sydney’s jaw fell to the ground. ” My father?”
” Yes, Mrs. Reed. Her condition is unstable and she needs to go for surgery within two days or else she may die. Treatment would proceed as soon as you pay for her medical fees. Mr. Gabriel only made payment to mitigate her alignment but unfortunately, it worsened.”
Sydney squeezed her eyes shut. Her lips trembling as she said, ” I understand, Doctor; how much is the medical fee?”
” In total, twenty million.”
Sydney’s managed to respond. ” I’ll send it before the day ends.”
” I’ll be waiting.”
Avery’s mouth was curved into an o when Sydney slid the phone off her ear. Ashley has cancer? Oh, that’s why Sydney went to Arizona.
Avery’s lips curved into a conniving smile. Well isn’t today her lucky day-
Before Avery could complete her internal celebration, she was yanked over and thrown into an empty ward.