Chapter 203 Her Discontentment
Ava's anger towards him was palpable, a storm brewing in her heart.
He, too, was embroiled in a tempest of frustration, questioning his constant inability to uphold his promises to the women in his life. He had given his word not to pursue a divorce, yet the circumstances had twisted in an unforeseen direction. If he continued down this path, he would inevitably fail them both.
If it came down to a choice...
Upon his return home, Alexander was met with the absence of Ava.
The housekeeper, a woman usually privy to Ava's comings and goings, was equally clueless. Ava had vanished since the early hours of the morning.
Considering the possibility that Ava had sought refuge at his grandmother's, Alexander dialed the familiar number, only to be met with the disappointing news that she was not there either. His grandmother, detecting the worry lacing his voice, chastised him fiercely for Ava's disappearance.
Not wanting to add to his grandmother's concerns, Alexander placated the elderly woman with soothing words before embarking on his quest to locate Ava.
He dialed her number repeatedly, each attempt met with the disheartening sound of her switched-off phone.
Anxiety and frustration clawed at Alexander's composure.
He realized that this must have been how Ava felt when she had tried to reach him and found his phone switched off.
A sudden thought struck Alexander, causing his brow to furrow in contemplation.
After locating the desired number, he dialed it.
William was stirred from a light sleep by the incessant ringing of his cell phone. He answered groggily, his voice thick with sleep, "Hello?"
"It's me," Alexander's voice cut through the line, icy and detached.
Hearing Alexander's voice, William was instantly alert, his drowsiness evaporating, "Why are you calling me? What's the matter?"
"Do you know where Ava is?"
William's brow furrowed in realization. Alexander must be desperate to find Ava if he had resorted to calling him.
He wanted to reveal that Ava was with him, but the fear of Alexander making things difficult for her held him back. Instead, he retorted, “Your wife? How would I know where she is? If you haven't looked after her properly, why come to me?”
"Whether I've taken care of her or not isn't for you to criticize," Alexander snapped back, a hint of anger seeping into his voice.
"Then why are you calling me? Unless it's your subconscious telling you that, compared to you, Ava would rather spend time with me."
A sense of triumph swelled within William as he uttered those words, spurred by the competitive instinct inherent in every man.
Alexander felt a surge of anger but held it in check, reminding himself that he was on the brink of divorcing Ava. Engaging in a verbal duel with William seemed futile—it would only make him appear as if he was trying to play both sides. Thus, he decided to hold his tongue.
Just as he was about to end the call, an urgent knock echoed from the other side of the door.
Thud, thud, thud.
"William, are you awake?"
The familiar voice caused Alexander's frown to deepen. He had heard it countless times and was certain he wasn’t mistaken.
"William, Ava is with you!"
With Alexander having overheard, William saw no reason to continue the charade. He called out to the person outside the door, "I'm up. Do you need something?"
Ava responded, "Nothing urgent, I just came to wake you up. I was worried you'd oversleep and then can't fall asleep later at night."
Despite the annoyance of being woken up, the fact that it was Ava who had disturbed his sleep filled William with an unexpected sense of comfort and joy.
The same action, when performed by different people, could indeed elicit vastly different emotions.
"Thanks, Ava. Come on in," he invited.
"I'd rather not. It wasn't anything important anyway. You go freshen up," she replied.
After that, Ava fell silent, likely having moved away from the door.
On the other end of the line, Alexander remained silent for a long moment before speaking in a cold tone, "When did she start coming to your place?"
"Does it matter to you when she comes around? Aren't you supposed to be with Isabella? Why the double standard?"
