Chapter 155: Chapter 153: You Are My Woman, Of Course I’ll Dote on You (4)
"Are... are you telling the truth?" he asked, his gaze deep and filled with sorrow.
Nora Ainsworth avoided his gaze, her voice perfectly level. "Would I lie about something like this? Seeing you shamelessly begging to be with me, I had no choice but to tell you the truth. I hope you won’t come looking for me again."
The spark of hope that had just kindled in Quentin Grant was instantly and utterly extinguished. He turned. "Nora Ainsworth, who do you think you are? Do you really think you can wrap me around your little finger? Just you watch. Even if you were to die right in front of me one day, I wouldn’t spare you a single glance."
Her voice came from behind him. "That would be for the best."
He walked toward the door. It closed, and his footsteps faded into the distance, leaving her alone to stare at the door, tears streaming down her face.
If he had turned back, he would have seen her crying silently in anguish. If he had turned back, she might not have been able to stop herself from selfishly pulling him into an embrace.
But that was only a what-if.
He was gone. Nora Ainsworth knew that once he walked away this time, he might never come back.
Her heart-rending sobs echoed through the small house, but there was no one there to hear them.
’Before two people fall in love, they should ask one crucial question: Are we allowed to love each other?’
’Perhaps, without a beginning, there would be no pain.’
The cold wind blew for half the night. Nora Ainsworth lay deliriously in bed, her body succumbing to a high fever.
She dreamed.
In her dream, she and Quentin Grant were traveling abroad. They walked arm in arm, leading a son and a daughter by the hand across a vast oasis. With the earth as their bed and the sky as their blanket, their joyous laughter filled the air.
The dream was so real she didn’t want to wake up. So real that even though she was aware of a splitting headache, she clung to it, wishing that a single night’s sleep could take her back to this same time last year.
If she could go back, Nora Ainsworth thought, she would have made sure not to get on his bad side, and she certainly wouldn’t have unwittingly fallen in love with him.
He had become her inescapable destiny.
The night seemed to stretch on for an eternity, feeling as long as a century.
At the very end, her dream self kept trying to take his hand again, but she was always just out of reach.
She stretched her hand toward him with all her might, but could never quite reach where he was.
Finally, a KNOCK at the door shattered her dream. Nora Ainsworth’s eyes fluttered open. They felt hazy, and as she stared at the ceiling, brimming with tears, it felt like her whole world had changed.
She lay there, perfectly still. Her vision was so blurred by the wall of tears that she couldn’t tell if it was day or night.
Someone was pounding on the door—BANG! BANG! BANG!—and a voice was shouting her name. ’I should get the door,’ she thought. ’Why can’t I move? Why don’t I even want to?’
Nora Ainsworth closed her eyes, letting the tears flow freely.
She finally sat up, got out of bed, and opened the door. Zeke Marshall was standing in the doorway. Seeing her eyes, swollen like walnuts, he asked in shock, "Nora, what happened to you? Have you been crying?"
She forced a smile. "I caught a chill sitting on the balcony last night. I’ll go get an IV drip in a bit."
Seeing that she could barely stand, Zeke Marshall said at once, "I’m taking you to the hospital."
He closed the door and drove her to the hospital for the drip.
Nora Ainsworth wore a hat and a surgical mask. Zeke Marshall bought her breakfast and kept her company while she was on the IV.
After two bags of fluid, Nora Ainsworth felt her fever had broken.
Her whole body felt much better.
Just as she was walking out the main doors of the hospital, she saw someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Nicholas Ainsworth saw her too. He had already seen on the news that she was alive, and now, here was the proof.
Before she could react, he was already striding toward her.
"You’re a celebrity now?"
Nora Ainsworth’s voice was hoarse. "Long time no see."
"What happened that time?" he asked, staring at her. Even with the mask and hat, he had recognized her with ease.
Nora Ainsworth knew what he was referring to. Clearly, she had no desire to bring up the past.
"Whatever happened, happened. I’m just lucky to be alive and well right now."
"What are you here for?"
Nora Ainsworth started to leave. "I have a cold. I should get going, I still have things to do."
Nicholas Ainsworth wanted to ask for her new contact information, but he figured she wouldn’t give it to him.
"Alright."
Nora Ainsworth left quickly. Nicholas Ainsworth stood there, watching her receding figure, lost in thought.
There was no denying he’d once had feelings for her. But his company’s stock had taken a nosedive back then, dividing his attention. Now, after so much time, seeing her again felt more like meeting a friend.
’Then again,’ he thought, ’she probably doesn’t consider me a friend.’
"Nora, you’re not well. Why don’t you skip the office today? I can go by myself," Zeke Marshall said, catching up to her.
"No need, Zeke. We’re rookies who haven’t even found our footing yet. We can’t start acting like divas. What’s a little cold? As long as you’re not dead, it’s not a big deal."
Zeke Marshall heard her and knew their situation was precarious, so he didn’t say anything more.
**
Ethan Ellsworth only knew he was shooting a music video for an artist from his company. He never imagined the female lead would be *that* actress again—the one with the bad breath.
The moment he saw her, he had the urge to walk out. She might have claimed she’d had surgery to fix it, but the experience had left him traumatized.
Looking at the director, Ethan Ellsworth asked bluntly, "Director King, there aren’t any kissing scenes, are there?"
"No, just some intimate behavior."
Ethan Ellsworth let out a breath. "Good."
The actress was mortified. "Young Master Ellsworth, my breath was fine back when we were filming that TV show."
Ethan Ellsworth feigned surprise. "Did anyone say you have bad breath?"
The actress was crushed. She’d been in the business for years and was an A-list star; she’d never been treated like this by a male co-star. She immediately turned to the director. "Director King, we haven’t signed the contract yet. I’m not doing this music video. Find someone else."
With that, she stormed off haughtily.
’They’re supposed to start shooting right now, where are they going to find another actress?’ she thought. ’Ethan Ellsworth will have to apologize and beg me to do it. Hmph. I’ll just wait in my hotel for him to come begging.’
However, there were plenty of other actresses in the country. Besides, Ethan Ellsworth wasn’t the type to cave to a prima donna.
He actually clapped. "Good riddance, you idiot. Call Nora right now and get her over here to do it."
The director’s eyes lit up. "You mean Nora Ainsworth, from the commercial?"
Ethan Ellsworth grinned. "She’s my junior colleague. Just signed with our company."
Director King was very pleased. "Let’s go with her. Get her over here. Waiting a couple of hours is fine."
Nora Ainsworth, who was in a training session at the time, got the call, received permission from President Harding, and immediately boarded a flight with Zeke Marshall.
By the time they arrived, it was already past ten o’clock.
After the director gave her a rundown, Nora Ainsworth went to hair and makeup. Her eyes were still a bit swollen, so the makeup artist held ice on them for twenty-odd minutes before officially starting.
She was already beautiful without makeup, and the final look was always especially satisfying.
Fiery red lips, alluring eye makeup, long, flowing hair—combined with her unique presence, she was captivating. She wore a short skirt and a short-sleeved top, and even Ethan Ellsworth was in summer attire.
