Chapter 174 What If I Change My Mind
Claire furrowed her brow tightly, sidestepped the car, and walked away.
Ryan chuckled, following her slowly in the car. "Madam, avoiding the problem won't solve it. The boss insists on taking you to the civil affairs office today."
Claire paused, casting a cold glance at Ryan. "Tell Jasper I won't divorce. Couples should talk things through, but divorce, even for the sake of the kids, is not something I'm willing to do!"
But Ryan was determined, continuing to trail her in the car.
Claire shifted her gaze subtly, pulled out a pill, and discreetly popped it into her mouth as she walked away from Ryan.
Ten minutes later, Jasper, sitting in a cafe, received a call from Ryan. "Sir, Madam has fainted. She's in the hospital being resuscitated!"
Jasper's expression became indifferent. "And?"
After recent events, his trust in Claire had nearly vanished.
After a pause, Ryan on the other end said, "The doctor mentioned... it seems to be complications from a previous car accident... Do you want to come?"
Jasper's face changed sharply at the mention of post-accident complications.
He remembered the rainy day back then.
When he had rushed back from Las Vegas to Denver, it was over five hours since the accident involving Adeline had occurred.
The search, the investigation.
He had stood in the rain, accompanied by the workers searching for Adeline, the entire night.
Even when he fell ill, there wasn't a trace or any news of her.
Experts had said her chances of surviving were slim to none.
In his rage, he had even beaten up one of the experts.
Six years had gone by, and he had nearly forgotten the pain of that time.
Ryan brought it all back. The memory surged through him, reminding how their love had once been a hard-fought battle.
After a moment of silence, he sighed. "I'll be right there."
He hung up, looked up with a tinge of regret toward the woman seated across from him, and said, "Serena has fainted, she's in the hospital."
Adeline lifted her coffee with a casual smile and took a delicate sip. "It seems like you should reconsider that divorce."
He had just announced his separation and yet, the news of Serena's fainting had him on edge. He was putting on a show for nobody.
Jasper frowned. "Divorce is one thing, caring for her is another. I may not be fond of who she's become over the past six years, but she's the same woman who once loved me more than anything and gave it all up for me."
As he stood and slipped on his coat, his voice remained cool, his brow furrowed. "As for your resignation, I won't accept it. If you dare quit, I can make sure you won't be able to work another day in Denver. Believe me, I can do that."
With that, he turned and left.
Adeline let out a scoff and called out to him, "Mr. Jasper, you say you've grown out of love with Serena over six years. What about Adeline from six years ago? Did you like her?"
Jasper paused slightly.
He chuckled. "What do you think?"
Leaving those words hanging, he strode away.
Watching his retreating figure, Adeline closed her eyes with a wry smile. She knew all too well. His greatest love was always her.
But...
When he'd shown up at the press conference, taking all the heat off of her at the moment she faced the harshest criticism, she had to admit that her heart wavered again.
For a fleeting moment, she even entertained the thought.
If he weren't such a philanderer, if he weren't so unreliable, she might have been able to forget his past and start anew with him.
However, that was just wishful thinking.
A leopard never changes its spots.
If he could cheat with Molly while with her back then, if he could maintain an ambiguous relationship with her while with Serena now, then surely another Molly would surface eventually even if they were together.
...
When Jasper arrived at the hospital, Serena had just been wheeled out of the ER.
"What happened?" he inquired.
"Sir." Ryan hesitated for a moment before dropping to his knees with a thud.
Head bowed, he began, "You sent me to bring Madam home, saying that you needed to talk.
"Because she's been constantly suspicious and tracking you, I lied and told her you were sending me to bring her to the courthouse for a divorce.
"I figured since you were planning on getting a divorce anyway, I'd give her a scare.
"She refused to get in my car and then...fainted," Ryan murmured, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sense of resignation.
Jasper turned and sat down on a bench, casting a faint glance at Ryan. "I don't like others making decisions for me."
Ryan stiffened, ducking his head even lower. "I know... It's just hard to watch her constantly treating you like a suspect, monitoring every move with suspicion."
"Don't let it happen again," Jasper cautioned.
Exhausted, he leaned back on the bench. "What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said it's brain nerve damage from a car accident years ago. She got too worked up just now, that's why she passed out..."
Jasper exhaled deeply, calmed himself for a moment, and then stood up to walk towards Quinn's hospital room.
Inside the room, the woman lay on the hospital bed, an IV dripping into her vein. Her complexion was ghostly pale, her lips colorless.
At the sound of the door, Quinn's brows creased slightly. She looked up and upon seeing Jasper, she managed a painful smile. "I didn't expect you to come see me."
Jasper frowned slightly, taking a seat on a nearby chair, his voice tender. "How's your head? Does it still h urt?"
"A little," she replied weakly, looking up at him. "The divorce will have to wait, not today. Once I'm discharged..."
It was noon, the brilliant sunlight streamed through the window, casting a fragile beauty on her smile.
Jasper's heart clenched tightly; that was, after all, the face he loved the most. Even though she'd changed, her smile still tugged at his heartstrings.
After a moment of silence, he said, "There's no rush on the divorce, focus on getting better first."
Initially, it was because of him that she had the accident. Now that her old injuries had resurfaced, he couldn't bring himself to leave her at this time.
"I'm sorry." Quinn's voice was soft, her gaze downcast. "I didn't expect things to turn out like this... I've been without you for six years; I just don't feel secure."
Tears streaked down her face as she whispered, "Adeline is so impressive, I feel inferior... That's why I..."
"It's all in the past," Jasper said quietly, as he handed her a tissue. His voice carried a tint of helplessness. "I'll make it up to her."
His words sparked a flicker of coldness in Quinn's downcast eyes. Yet, she nodded, sobbing. "You should...make it up to her. If she wants an apology, I can do that too."
Jasper sighed deeply at her tear-stained expression. "Quinn... I thought when you came back, we could be happy together again. But maybe the time apart was too long. We've both changed."
Quinn's hand paused for a fraction of a second. She lifted her head, her eyes glistening with tears. "Jasper, what if I change? What if... I tried to become the old Adeline, would you still want a divorce?"
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