“Then, you could have just told me that we should wait until my health improved before trying for a baby. You didn’t have to do something like that behind my back.

    “You gave me hope, only to take it awayter. Jayson, you didn’t do this for some noble reason. You had your own motives for making sure I never got pregnant.”

    That was what Ariel found most unforgivable about his actions.

    Jayson looked away briefly but didn’t defend himself. He simply stared at her in silence.

    Perhaps both of them were in a foul mood. The air between them grew heavy with difort.

    Even though Ariel had thought she’d put everything in the past, this revtion cut deeper than she expected. (19

    If she had conceived back then, she wouldn’t have had to face the devastating truth nowb–/bthat she might never bear a child, not with the looming possibility of a full hysterectomy.

    But then again, what would her life with Jayson have been like if they’d had a child? Would they still have been able to separate so cleanly?

    Ariel felt drained after her outburst.

    What was the point of dwelling on this now? What good would ming him do?

    Jayson seemed to notice the shift in her demeanor. Her expression was no longer so cold and sharp. He reached for her wrist, holding it firmly when she tried to pull away. Guiding her to the couch, he crouched in front of her.

    “Even after everything I’ve done to you, you couldn’t bring yourself to p me. You’re too mild–tempered for your own good.”

    Ariel’s face hardened, her eyes shing with contempt.

    After everything she’d just said, this was his response? To call her mild–tempered?

    Jayson didn’t seem fazed by her anger. In a light, almost conversational tone, he asked, “If we’d had kids, what kind of life would you be living now? Would you have poured all your time and energy into being a housewife?b” /b1

    Jayson was asking a hypothetical question that was no longer valid.

    The Ariel she was now would never even entertain such a thought. But back then? She would have. She would have dly built her life around her children.

    What she had always wanted, since childhood, was a familyb–/baplete, loving family of her own.

    She would have given up everything to fill that void in her heart. 2

    +15 bBONUS /b

    The current version of her was very different from the old her. She didn’t know how to respond.

    Jayson continued, seemingly oblivious to her hesitation. His voice was calm, almost soothing. “Having kids isn’t everything. If you decide you want one, you can always try. You could even start now.“4

    She understood what he was implying–that she could still meet someone else, remarry, and start over if she wanted. But for her, things weren’t that simple anymore. (1)

    Her body was a ticking time bomb. Even if Liam decided against removing her womb, her condition would make conceiving nearly impossible.

    That was life. No one ever got the perfect solution. People rarely had everything they wanted.

    Ariel knew Jayson was still hiding the real reason behind his actions, but she no longer had the energy to dig for the truth.

    Her anger had burned itself out, leaving only a heavy indifference. She didn’t even have the strength to argue anymore. She decided to ept his earlier answer.

    They were already divorced. She would only be tormenting herself by clinging to something she couldn’t

    change.

    She rose from the couch, intending to leave the room.

    She hadn’t lost all sense of reason. It was gettingte, and she didn’t want to disturb Betty’s rest.

    Jayson held onto her wrist. “You can yell at me whenever you want, but it’ste. Stay here tonight.”

    Her mood was still dark. Even though she’d been trying to calm herself, resentment still coiled tightly in

    her chest.

    Yanking herself free of his grip, she snapped, “You only need to move your mouth to talk, Jayson. Keep your hands to yourself.”

    He didn’t seem offended. He released her immediately. “Ariel, that’s not fair.”

    She turned to him with a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

    He ran a finger along the edge of his phone and said tly, “That night on the cruise, you did whatever you wanted with me. Now I’m not even allowed to touch you?” (5)

    Ariel froze, startled. She hadn’t expected him to bring up that night–the incident they had both avoided mentioning all this time.