Arabella spoke earnestly, "You helped my grandmother find a kidney donor, saved her life. You bought a house for our family, lifting us out of poverty. I am truly grateful; my grandfather instilled in me the importance of repaying kindness."
Reynald listened expressionlessly until the last word. Lazily lifting his eyelids, he asked without much emotion, "Do you feel gratitude only toward me?"
Arabella fell into silence.
In the past, if he had asked such a question, she would have answered without hesitation – gratitude, along with the accumulated emotions over the years.
But now, with him proposing a divorce and getting close to Chloe, holding onto any resentment would only make her seem cheap.
She gently bit her lip, making no sound.
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped out.
Arabella took out her keys to unlock the door.
Reynald silently watched as she changed her shoes.
When she stood up straight, he suddenly leaned against the wall, pulling her into his embrace. He looked down at her, persistently asking, "Aside from gratitude, do you have no other feelings for me?"
Arabella lifted her head to look at him.
His expression was calm as water. His deep, black eyes seemed to hold a galaxy within, a glance enough to quicken her heartbeat.
Unfortunately—in his heart, she was just a substitute for Chloe.
A bitterness swept over Arabella, and she lowered her eyes. "Yes, just gratitude," she said, with a hint of stubbornness.
Reynald scoffed self-deprecatingly.
All her love had been given to her beloved Robert. For him, only gratitude remained.
What meaning did their marriage hold?
Reginald suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. The sparks of desire he had ignited in the elevator were completely extinguished.
He withdrew his hand, pocketed his belongings, absentmindedly surveyed the living room, and asked, "Is your mother not at home?"
"The caregiver for my grandmother took a leave. These days, my mom is filling in. Please have a seat; I'll make you some coffee."
As she was about to leave, Reginald's phone suddenly rang.
He took out his phone and glanced at the screen. It was a call from Chloe.
Not far away, Arabella also saw the name "Chloe" appear on the phone screen.
She felt like she had swallowed a fly and quickly turned to walk toward the bathroom.
Reginald silently watched her hurriedly retreating figure, pressed the accept button, and walked to the window. "How are your fingers? Have they been bandaged?"
Chloe's voice carried a hint of grievance, as if suppressing it. "They've been bandaged. I just got in the car to go home. Arabella isn't angry, right?"
"No, she has a good temper. She won't easily get angry."
Chloe pouted but spoke in a gentle tone, "Did she mention anything about me?"
She was worried that Arabella might reveal the two million check.
Reginald's expression remained cold. "No, she rarely talks."
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, "She's quite clever in the coffee shop, articulate, and can be quite stern. She talked a lot to me in one go and was quite fierce."
Reginald listened with some irritation, "Chloe, Arabella has never spoken ill of you to me, and I don't want to hear such comments from you."
Chloe hesitated, "I was wrong. I just don't want you to be deceived by her."
Reginald furrowed his brow. "If there's nothing else, I'll end the call."
"Wait, don't hang up yet. Tomorrow, I..."
Bang!
A loud noise suddenly came from the bathroom.
Reginald still held the phone and swiftly walked over, calling out anxiously, "Arabella, what happened?"
"It's okay, I accidentally slipped and fell," Arabella bent over, quickly standing up.
"Be careful," Reginald hurriedly went over, gently helping her up. "Are you injured anywhere?"
The call was still connected, and neither of them remembered to hang up.
"I'm fine, just my hand hurts a bit from the fall," Arabella said.
Reginald quickly examined her hand. "I don't see any injuries. Be more careful in the future."
Reginald blocked her hand, not letting her move. "When I was injured, you always took care of me. Now, let me help you."
Remembering the painful period, Arabella's eyes welled up, almost teary. She quickly lowered her gaze, softly responding, "I truly didn't feel angry."
Reginald looked at her and said, "Your temperament is even sweeter than I imagined."
Thinking of George's words just now, Arabella asked softly, "Is my personality really that good?"
Reginald's lips curled into a slight smile. "Yes, your personality is too good."
"Oh, you!" Arabella lightly tapped him, pretending to attack.
Reginald chuckled lightly, holding her hand.
Chloe, still connected to the call, listened to this heartwarming conversation. Irritated, she immediately hung up.
Listening to their conversation, Chloe felt furious.
Back at home, her mother asked her, "What's wrong? You don't seem well."
Chloe recalled with resentment, "Just a country bumpkin, taking care of Reginald for a few years. He's crazily protective of her. I made a small criticism, and he got angry, even hung up on me."
Olivia was puzzled, "If he cares so much about her, why get a divorce?"
Chloe said, "I don't know. The last time he got angry, Reginald said it wasn't because of me; he just used me to deceive Chloe." That's why he's good to me. "Maybe he was just rambling when he was drunk," Olivia reassured.
Olivia comforted her, "Reginald married Arabella based on your image. Don't worry; give him time to accept you back into his life."
Chloe frowned, "If they don't get a divorce, I'm very anxious!"
"Impatience won't help; these things can't be rushed. Let's figure out a plan calmly."
Chloe angrily said, "It's all your fault. When Reginald could just walk, I wanted to find him, but you disagreed and insisted I break up."
Olivia rolled her eyes, "The impact of the accident is long-lasting. Without a proper evaluation, what if his old condition recurs? Are you ready to be his caregiver for life?"
Chloe quieted down; she wasn't sure if she could handle that.
After a while, Olivia asked, "Did Arabella accept your check?"
"No, she didn't."
Olivia was astonished, "Refusing two million? What more ambitions could she have? She easily married a paralyzed man for just one million. What is she playing at?"
Chloe ignited her resentment again. "You won't believe her arrogance—she threw the check in my face, claiming that even without marrying Reginald, she could earn millions on her own!"
"Is it through antiques?" Olivia scoffed disdainfully. "She can't possibly earn that much."
"I checked; her late grandfather was very skilled. She learned authentic techniques from him," Chloe shared.
"So what?" Olivia mocked. "Even if she's blind, I doubt she'd be so arrogant."
Chloe's eyes suddenly widened, staring at her mother. "Mom, don't be naive!"