When Ace regained consciousness, he realized that he was already laying on a hospital bed, his head wrapped in white gauze.
Joanna remained by his side the entire time. It was only upon seeing his eyes open did she let out a sigh of relief.
However, she sounded distant regardless. "Since you're up, I'll be leaving now."
In actuality, she worried for the man, but she didn't want him to find out.
Before she left, she felt him grab her wrist.
"Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?" Ace asked weakly.
Despite his condition, his beautiful eyes remained sharp as it scanned Joanna's entire body.
The woman returned his concern with a cold smile. "Thanks for worrying, Mr. Moran. But you should worry about yourself first, especially with that strength of yours. I'm completely fine!"
She had loved this man for three years. Once upon a time, she wished for him to show concern toward her as well, even if it were just empty words.
Now, she no longer needed his love…
To her surprise, Ace dismissed her cold attitude towards him and was stupefied. "Those people were thugs, weren't they? How did you even escape from them?"
"Uhm…" Joanna froze up. She couldn't confess that she had beaten them into the ground in order to escape after all.
"Is the question that difficult to answer?" Sensing something was off, Ace stared into her eyes. He didn't think this was a complicated question, and it shouldn't take her this long to reply.
As Joanna met his gaze, it felt like lasers were shooting through her mind. Keeping her cool, she responded, "I had to use your title, of course. You're the great Master Moran!"
"When they heard that you're the heir to the most powerful family in the city, they were so scared that they begged for forgiveness on their knees. Then I sent you straight to the hospital…"
Her reasoning was immaculate. Bringing out the Moran family name was truly considered a trump card since no one would ever dare to cross them in the slightest.
It was believable enough that Ace bought it.
He stared at the woman's slender figure, feeling conflicted as he remembered how she was being surrounded by those gangsters.
"If you knew my title is useful in situations like these, why didn't you use it from the start?"
"Huh?"
"If someone dares to harass you again, don't foolishly reason with them. I'm sure it'd be quicker to solve this by saying you're my ex-wife."
Joanna was perplexed. She looked at the man and wondered. 'What does he even mean? Isn't he being way too confident in himself?'
"Mr. Moran, do you know how many children die of starvation each year?"
"And how much money do the beggars in front of this hospital earn daily?"
"Or maybe, do you perhaps know how much the sea level rises every hour due to global warming?"
The woman's words confused Ace. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Precisely. What would my business have to do with you?"
Hearing this, Ace's expression darkened in an instant.
Joanna put on a fake smile and stood before the bed. "Don't you know why curiosity killed the cat?"
"Why?" Ace asked, still visibly upset.
"Because it couldn't mind its own business," Joanna said as she brushed her hair back.
"I hope you understand that we'll be legally divorced after twenty days. Please take care of yourself, and mind your own business."
"If you really have that much love to give, give it to charity, build a good reputation for yourself…"
The woman left Ace no room to retort. All he could do was clench his fists silently.
'When did she learn to speak like that? It's like her tongue is made of thorns. She doesn't have any resemblance to that gentle little bunny she used to be back then…'
"Goodbye!" said Joanna as she left without an ounce of hesitation.
It was too late to show affection now, she simply couldn't care less. Besides, this wasn't exactly an act of love. He just didn't want to feel guilty for his actions.
If that was the case, she didn't need him to worry about her safety.
However, before Joanna could exit the ward, she immediately bumped right into her mother-in-law
"Ugh, watch it, you!" Susan hissed as she rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the pain. Once she realized that it was Joanna who knocked into her, her anger flared up.
"Why are you here?!"
"I knew my little Ace would rub off your bad luck!"
Joanna chuckled coldly. "I'm sorry, please just endure me for another twenty days, okay?"
'What do you mean?" Susan lifted her gaze, her tone hostile. "It's not like you'll be flying off after twenty days."
'Well, I can't, but…" Joanna shone her frosty yet polite smile. "But we'll be legally divorced once twenty days are up."
"Even if your son were to grovel in front of me, I've sworn to never get involved with the Moran family anymore. I figured that would be the best for both of us."
"You… you…" Susan was left in a state of shock.
'What the hell happened? She used to be so obedient back then. She would let me do and say whatever I wanted! Why does it feel like she's a completely different person now?'
"How dare you speak to me that way?!"
"Why would I not dare to?" Joanna replied as she was used to Susan's behavior.
Back then, she would endure her solely because she was Ace's mother and her mother-in-law.
Their inevitable separation meant that she simply had no reason to endure her harsh language now.
"I'm just mirroring your attitude towards me. If you'd like me to respect you, earn it."
"Why you little…!" Susan lifted her hand and was ready to slap her across the face.
Out of nowhere, Ace appeared to have gotten out of bed, grabbing Susan's arm. "Mom, stop this."
Only then did Susan notice the blood stains on her precious son's bandages. It looked serious, which brought tears to her eyes.
"Ace, did you get into a fight? You have hemophobia, don't you? How could you be so reckless? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Your brother just left us not long ago! How could I possibly live on if something were to happen to you?"
Ace was assailed by dizziness again, and this time, he felt even more nauseous than before.
Supporting his own head, he narrowed his eyes painfully. "Mom, please be quiet for now."
As Joanna was listening at the side, she instinctively clenched her fists.
She then thought to herself. 'I really didn't expect him to have hemophobia. When did he even get this fear? Why haven't I heard about this before?1
"Are you alright, son? Should I call for a doctor?" Susan began to panic." Okay okay, I'll stop talking. Let me get you back to bed."
"You're going to divorce this good-for-nothing anyway, I can't be bothered to argue with her!"
Ace then went back to lie down, he didn't have the luxury to relax at all.
Susan continued her nagging as she tucked him in with a blanket." You're pretty reckless too, you know? Why would you even put yourself in danger for this woman? Do you see her worrying about you when you've done so much for her? When you're literally in pain? Did she even thank you for your help?"
"I've finally realized that the Pierces are just a bunch of ungrateful leeches! Her parents scammed so many investors, they deserve to die for their sins!"
"And you know how much we've helped her throughout the years! Look at how she's treating us now! It's good that you're divorcing her soon, what a disrespectful girl!"
Initially, Joanna still felt somewhat grateful towards the Moran family, but Susan's words immediately snapped her back to reality, as if she had actually been slapped.
'She's saying I'm ungrateful?'
'If I really was a leech, how was the Moran Group unaffected when the economy collapsed three years ago?'
'If I really was ungrateful, why did the hacker association leave the Moran Group out of their nationwide cyber attack?'
She could think of many more examples of her protecting the Morans in secret, she merely didn't bother to take credit for everything.
'Whatever, this family's not worth my time and energy!'
Joanna turned to Ace emotionlessly. "I've already sent the amended copy of our divorce papers to your office. Sign them if you have no objections."
Ace furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. 'Why does that sound so familiar? Didn't I say those exact same words a while back?'
'This woman sure is quick to turn on me. How could she say all that without any hesitation?'
'And why do I suddenly feel so… disappointed?'
The man wanted to question Joanna further, but she had already left the room.