Chapter 2 Awake

Ariana's mind went blank, her throat tightening. The man sitting on the bed had a harsh, petrifying expression. Even if he didn't say a word, she still felt great pressure under his cold gaze.

She wanted to explain herself, but Jasper spoke first.

"It's all this woman's fault! She asked me to come here! She tried to seduce me!" Jasper's swagger completely disappeared and was replaced with utter fear. He panicked and became incoherent, throwing the blame on Ariana.

With an apathetic face, Theodore growled one word in a dangerous tone. "Out."

Jasper immediately understood. He didn't dare to stay any longer and practically ran out of the room in a hurry.

Ariana stood by the bed, trepidation gripping her heart. She instinctively wanted to turn around and run away too, but Theodore grabbed her arm tightly and prevented her from escaping.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Theodore's eyes were devoid of emotion as if he were staring indifferently at a dying prey.

A sharp pang of pain stung Ariana's arm, but she held back her tears and explained, "I'm your newly married wife, Ariana Edwards."

"Wife?" Theodore chuckled coldly as if he had heard an ironic joke. Suddenly, the laughter abruptly stopped, and his expression changed. His hand shot up and tightly wrapped around Ariana's neck like a snake.

Ariana's breath hitched in her throat, and her body trembled with fear. She flailed desperately, trying to escape from his grip, but the man had no intention of letting her go at all.

Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She couldn't understand why a former vegetable, who had been inactive in bed for such a long time, still had such great strength.

Fortunately, Theodore's father, Darian Anderson, happened to be passing and heard the sounds. When he entered the room and surveyed the situation, he scolded Theodore, "What do you think you're doing? She is your wife!"

Theodore turned his head to look at his father, still not loosening his grip on Ariana's throat. His impassive handsome face was so cold.

Just when Ariana felt light-headed and thought she was going to be strangled to death, Theodore suddenly let go.

She was still in a state of shock. She touched her bruised throat, gasping for air. Her throat was dry and painful, and she coughed violently, her eyes stinging with tears.

When the oxygen finally reached her head, she could think clearer, and she was terrified of staying near him any longer. She stumbled away from his bed and to the sofa, cowering in the corner to calm down.

Darian called in a group of doctors to examine Theodore's physical condition, and soon the result came out.

The head doctor glanced between Theodore and Darian, hesitation flickering on his expression.

Darian's hands clenched into fists. He let out a cough, and then asked with a grim expression, "Tell me, how is he?"

The doctor sighed, "Although he has woken up, there's still sequela. Especially his legs, which were badly hurt. He has lost all sensation in his legs. It might be difficult for him to stand up again."

"You mean he's disabled?" Darian asked, his voice raising in disbelief.

Ariana heard Darian, and she looked sideways at the situation subconsciously. She was surprised to see the relief on Darian's face.

"Yes." The doctor sighed with pity and said, "If he keeps receiving treatment and goes through long-term physiotherapy, he may still have a chance to recover."

"I see. Thank you. You can leave now."

Darian waved his hand dismissively and instructed the doctors to leave. Once the doctors filed out, he turned to face Theodore again and showed a rare kind smile. "Rest well now. Don't worry too much. I'll find the best doctor out there to treat your legs. You need not worry unnecessarily."

Then he called Ariana to the bedside. She went over hesitantly, and he introduced her. "This is Ariana. Your wife. She will take care of you in the future."

Hearing this, Ariana thought she sounded more like a caregiver than a wife. She rubbed her neck, looking embarrassed.

But Theodore didn't buy it. "Since when did I have a wife? This marriage doesn't count since I didn't witness it. I'll ask the lawyer to deal with the divorce procedures."

The atmosphere turned frigid, and so did Darian's expression. His face twitched slightly as if he was restraining his wrath. "Divorce is unacceptable."

Theodore sneered in disdain, "Darian, what qualifications do you have to decide for me?"

The tension between the two of them was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

The strained atmosphere told Ariana that the relationship between the father and son was not on the best terms. She watched and stood aside awkwardly, feeling redundant.

Darian was so outraged that his shoulders were trembling. He said firmly in a low voice, "It has been settled. Ariana just finished the IUI procedure, and she may very well be pregnant with your child. Either way, you need to wait for at least a month when the result comes out to confirm whether she is pregnant or not."

After saying that, he stormed out of the room, seething.

Once he left, it was only Ariana and Theodore in the room. She held her breath and braced herself as if she was facing a formidable enemy.

"Pregnant?" Theodore turned to look at Ariana. He examined her from head to toe as if he were inspecting a product.

After a while, he chuckled and asked in a frivolous and unconcerned tone, "Miss Edwards, which do you prefer, surgical abortion or medication abortion?"