Chapter 246 Holding Her to Ease the Pain
"Just tell me one more time, and I'll believe you." Alexander Mitchell's gaze was fixated, his eyes calm with a trace of faint hope.
Ava Anderson stayed silent for a long while, her heart swirling with an indescribable complexity. Reluctantly stretching her lips into a smile, she said, “Yeah, he's just a friend."
It was like Alexander Mitchell took a long, deep breath, relief visible on his face, unmasked and genuine.
They were divorced. Ava had no reason to lie to him.
But the thought of their divorce felt like a stab in his heart.
What did it matter if he believed her about William Bennett now?
Even if he had trusted her before, it wouldn't have changed the fact that they were getting divorced.
Ava Anderson eyed him suspiciously, wondering if she was imagining things. She thought she saw a mingling of relief and sorrow on Alexander Mitchell's face.
It was absurd; after all, he'd divorced her to marry another woman.
Perhaps it was his total relaxation, but Alexander Mitchell nearly forgot the pain in his back, leaning back instinctively.
Spotting what was happening, Ava Anderson rushed over, "Don't move!"
But it was too late.
Alexander Mitchell leaned right against the headboard and immediately, a sharp pain shot through him.
His eyes widened as the pain in his back spread to his entire body, piercing every pore.
He clenched his fist with a puff, nearly roaring out loud.
Ava Anderson looked at him with a conflicted expression on her face, "If it hurts, just let it out."
She saw the pain he was enduring and it was tearing her up inside.
Alexander Mitchell, his forehead slick with sweat, turned to look at her, "I'm not a baby."
There was no way he would yell out loud. He would rather die than scream.
It would damage his manly pride; he wasn't a grade schooler.
Observing Ava's anxious and awkward expression, she felt both exasperated and amused.
Who said he wasn't a baby? His current stubbornness was just like that of a defiant toddler.
They say women need to be coddled.
But oftentimes, men can be just like petulant children too.
She took a few tissues from the bedside table and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.
The large drops of sweat drenched the tissues in Ava's hand, and Alexander Mitchell raised his dark eyes, fixing them on the woman so close to him. Suddenly, he took hold of her wrist, yanked her towards him, and held her tight in his embrace.
Ava Anderson stumbled, and by the time she realized what had happened, she was already falling into his arms, held like a child.
Alexander Mitchell's strong arms held her close, pressing her tightly against his chest, his hand at the back of her head.
Ava Anderson's face was buried in his chest, almost unable to catch her breath, she struggled to lift her head, "You..."
"Hold me for a moment," Alexander Mitchell gripped her tightly, as if venting something.
Meeting his pained gaze, Ava Anderson quietly lowered her head and leaned into his embrace.
It seemed he used holding her as a way to cope with his pain.
Feeling his arms tightening around her to the point where it felt like her bones might break, Ava Anderson spoke uneasily, "Can you... can you loosen your grip a little?"
Sensing the tremble in her voice, Alexander Mitchell's hold gradually eased.
Ava Anderson let out a sigh of relief and lay docilely in his arms.
It might have been an illusion or just a placebo effect, but Alexander Mitchell suddenly felt the pain in his back lessen substantially.
She was like the most effective painkiller; holding her seemed to numb any ache.
Ava Anderson had thought she'd never have the chance to be in his arms like this, never allowing herself to hope for such an opportunity.
***
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