Inside 310
Everything happened so fast, it caught everyone off guard.
When Nancy came to her <b>senses</b>, she shot up from her seat. Her expression was a mix of shock and confusion as she stared at the doorway, where his figure had just vanished with Ariel in his arms.
She wasn’t the only one.
Everyone at the table froze.
The only sound came from the waiter. His face was as pale as a sheet. Trembling, he repeated frantically, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see her. I’m really sorry.”
Zach finally realized what had happened. Something was seriously wrong with Ariel.
But no one had seen exactly how it happened. It had all unfolded in a blink.
By the time Zach realized what was happening, Ariel was already doubled over in pain, her entire body going limp.
The most shocking part was that the man who had carried Ariel out of the room was Jayson.
While everyone else was still frozen in ce, he had already swept her up and rushed her to the hospital.
Chad snapped back to reality.
He only caught sight of Ariel on the verge of copsing, having no idea what had triggered it.
His expression turned grim. Worried sick, he still made sure to turn to Gary. “I’m really sorry. Ariel’s not feeling well. If you don’t mind, could we continue this another day?”
Gary looked genuinely concerned. “Of course. Go check on her.<b>” </b>
He hadn’t expected Jayson to be the one who reacted fastest
Chad gave a quick nod and rushed out.
Zach instinctively got to his feet too, his expression tense. He nced over at Nancy. “Ms. Stanton, would you like toe too?”
After all, Jayson was her boyfriend. She had every reason to check in.
Nancy pressed her lips together. Her expression remainedposed. She simply gave a nod, showing no sign of frustration over the sudden incident. With perfect grace, she bid Gary farewell before following Zach out the door.
By the time Jayson carried Ariel into the car, the pain had shocked her body back into a fragile sort <b>of </b>awareness.
When they arrived at the nearest hospital, Jayson got out, walked around to her side, and reached in to pick her up again.
Summoning all her willpower, Ariel, looking ghostly pale, flicked his hand off with a sharp smack. “I can walk by myself.”
Jayson’s expression was cold. He stared at her with an inscrutable gaze.
Ariel clutched her aching abdomen and stepped out on her own. Her legs wobbled the second her feet hit the
pavement.
Jayson didn’t say a word. Without asking for her consent, he bent down and picked her up again. Hepletely ignored the change in her expression and the way <b>she </b>struck his shoulder.
It was as if he couldn’t feel the pain at all.
The pain had drained nearly all of Ariel’s strength. Her resistance was useless<b>, </b>and her face grew increasingly pale.
<b>Jayson </b>carried her straight into the emergency room.
Soon, a nurse rushed over. “This way, please.”
Frowning, Jayson set her onto the hospital bed.
The doctor approached quickly to check on Ariel. While sanitizing his hands, he asked, “Are you a family member?
Jayson’s expression didn’t change. <b>He </b>didn’t answer the question. Instead, he said calmly, “She’s got severe abdominal pain after hitting the edge of a table. Could it be a corpus luteum rupture?”
The doctor’s expression turned serious. “It’s possible. We need to run some tests.”
He leaned down and began palpating Ariel’s abdomen.
A cold sweat broke across her forehead.
Still, she gritted her teeth and turned toward Jayson. “You’ve done enough. You can leave now. I’ll have Chade.
“1
Thest thing she wanted was for Jayson to see her this disheveled and vulnerable. Especially with how strained things had already be between them.
Her pride refused to let her fall apart in front of him. And she sure as hell didn’t want to be entangled with her ex- husband.
Jayson finally looked down at her. “Ariel, stubbornness for the sake of pride is just foolishness.”