Chapter 100 Settling Scores
Unmoved by her rejection, Alexander retorted, "Well, I was in the bathroom with Isabella when your call came through."
"Enough, I don't want to hear it!" Ava protested, her hands flying to her ears in a futile attempt to block out his words. "I have no interest in knowing what assistance you were providing her in there!"
Undeterred, Alexander bridged the distance between them, firmly prying her hands away from her ears. "Why won't you listen? What do you think happened between us?"
"You know exactly what you did," she shot back, a simmering frustration bubbling to the surface.
His response was a chuckle. "Ah, Ava, is it finally sinking in—the sensation?"
"Whatever are you implying?" Ava responded, taken aback.
"Recall last night at the hospital, your frustration when I disregarded your side of the story. Now, you're mirroring that very behavior, refusing to listen to mine."
A hush fell over them, Ava frozen in her tracks.
She had no desire to entertain his justifications, but did she really need any when it came to him and Isabella?
"It's not the same," Ava countered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And how does it differ?" Alexander challenged, "You heard about Isabella and me in the bathroom, yet you refuse to consider our reasons for being there—much like how I heard about you dousing Isabella with water last night but didn't entertain your explanation. Ava, you can't dispute that in both instances, we've acted irrationally."
He was now experiencing a taste of Ava's emotions from the previous night—his refusal to listen when she was desperate to clarify.
He had sunk to the same level of indignation.
Could this be some form of cosmic payback? The turnaround had been startlingly swift.
Misunderstandings, compounded by an inability to resolve them, created a dreadful predicament.
Ava found herself at a loss for words.
It appeared he had ensnared her in a snare of his own design.
"Ava, the situation isn't as you perceive. I merely assisted her into the bathroom, nothing more. I exited immediately after Felix informed me of your call, so I returned."
Ava's tension had been palpable throughout, initially unable to even visualize the scene in the bathroom. Now, inundated with his explanation, she felt her body relax and a wave of sorrow hit her with renewed force. Tears welled up in her eyes as a surge of discomfort washed over her.
She was unable to comprehend why her feelings for him remained so intense. Jealousy gnawed at her, and his explanations sparked an unexpected surge of joy.
"Don't cry," Alexander implored, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. "You were unwell just last night, so please don't catch a chill. Either bundle up or return to bed."
Hearing his tender voice, Ava could no longer restrain herself and flung her arms around him. "Alexander, what am I to do?"
He gazed down at the woman in his arms, momentarily lost in thought. "What's the matter?"
"You constantly remind me that our divorce isn't final. Yet, the moment I even approach another man, you lose your temper. Have you ever considered my feelings? When you’re with Isabella, do you ever remember that we are still married? Do you have any idea how it feels, as your wife, to hear from Felix about you and Isabella in the bathroom?"
Ava lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears and resentment.
Alexander felt a twinge of discomfort in his chest as he gently patted the back of her head.
"Jealous?" he queried, the word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "Didn't you say you were fed up with me?"
"Don't dredge up the past or keep harping on it! Those were merely heated words spoken in the moment. Are you going to hold a grudge forever? If so, how many grudges should I harbor against you for Isabella?"
