When Ace woke up, he realized he was lying on the hospital bed. The nurse came in and was glad to see him awake. "Mr. Moran, you're finally awake. You've been in a coma for an entire day."
"An entire day?"
'Shit!' he cursed inwardly.
His blood phobia was getting so serious that he kept fainting at critical times. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Joanna getting shot. At the thought of this, his heart tightened.
He grabbed the nurse's arm and asked coldly, "How's Joanna? Is she okay?"
Ace's sudden movement caught the nurse off guard. "You mean Mrs. Moran? She only needed a slight patching up. She left after bringing you here yesterday," she said cautiously.
"A slight patching up?"
When he heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that her injuries weren't as serious as he had imagined them to be.
"Yes. after she was done, she left with Mr. Blackwood," the nurse added.
"She left with Liam?!" When Ace heard this, he instantly asked to complete the checkout procedure.
Ding Dong!
Joanna had just boiled her noodles when she heard the doorbell rung.
She furrowed her eyebrows and thought, 'Liam is such an annoying man. I just sent him away, and he's back again. It's just a slight graze and not that big of a deal! Is it that hard to ask for some time alone?'
She panicked as she opened the door and found Ace waiting outside.
"W-why are you here?"
'Shouldn't he be in the hospital? I heard that he has a serious issue of blood phobia!' she thought to herself.
"Are you alone?"
Ace didn't answer her question but questioned her instead. His sharp gaze swept over Joanna's head as he observed the room as if he was here to catch the mistress.
"That has nothing to do with you."
"What do you mean nothing? Even if we're not husband and wife, we're still neighbors. It's not wrong for me to care for my neighbor." As he spoke, he pushed past her and entered her house.
Joanna was left speechless. She wondered why she had never noticed how shameless he was before this.
'When I was his wife, he had never cared for me. Now he's showing so much concern for me as a neighbor?"
After Ace had checked every corner of her house and was sure only she was home, his cold face began to show warmth.
"You're only eating this for dinner?"
When he saw the instant noodle cup on the table, he couldn't help but frown.
"Yes. My hand is hurt, so I can't cook, and the food outside isn't clean."
Her instant noodles were imported and of great quality and nutritional value.
"You're so lazy!"
Although complaining, he walked to the kitchen and began looking for ingredients. Her refrigerator had few ingredients, but he made three dishes and a soup for her.
"I didn't know that you could cook."
Joanna had a new perspective of the cold and noble man before her after seeing the food on the table.
"There are many things about me that you don't know," he said as he put the food on her plate.
The bullet hurt Joanna's right hand, so she could only hold the spoon with her left hand. Seeing this, he took the spoon over and fed her.
'This… isn't really appropriate, right?' Joanna thought as she blushed.
It was an intimate and romantic gesture for him to feed her!
"Open your mouth," Ace said forcefully.
Hearing this, she could only helplessly cooperate with him and do as he said. After trying the food, she had to admit that his cooking skills were good.
"Women are so troublesome!"
Although Ace seemed to be complaining about it, his movements when he fed her were full of gentleness.
It seemed like they had a tacit understanding as they stayed silent during the meal.
As Joanna ate, she felt tears pooling in her eyes. She had imagined this moment innumerable times during the last four years. As his wife, she didn't expect him to adore her; she was content if he could spare some time to eat with her.
Yet she was always alone at the dining table for those three years.
She was too lonely in her marriage.
The dining table was empty, and so was the bed. Even her heart was empty.
Now that he wanted to accompany her, she didn't need him anymore.
She felt that it was good to be alone.
"I'm full. Thank you for taking care of me. You can return to your own home now, neighbor."
Joanna wiped away her tears and held her heart at bay as she tried to get Ace to leave. However, Ace was in no rush to go as he slowly put down the spoon and informed her, "I'll live here until you're fully recovered."
"It's not necessary." Joanna refused immediately.
"What you say doesn't matter."
With that, he carried her and said, "Now, I'll bathe you and get you ready for bed."
'What does he plan to do?' Joanna wondered nervously.
"Ace, put me down. We're not that close with each other!" Joanna said as she struggled to break free from the man.
She was embarrassed that she couldn't beat him despite her skills and reputation.
"Stop moving. You're hurt." Ace shot back with a poker face as he carried her to the bathroom.
She was as light as a feather, which stirred a huge urge in him to protect her.
Joanna was a little speechless. Her arm was only slightly injured. It wasn't like she had broken her leg or waist that she couldn't care for herself. She became worried when she saw that he had not intended to leave after he had placed her inside the bathtub.
"Ace, you're not really going to shower me, right? I'm warning you, don't you dare take advantage of me!"
A sly smile appeared on the man's face after he had placed her inside the bathtub. His slender finger hooked underneath her chin, and he asked, "What if I want to? After all, the bathtub is huge. It has enough space for two people."
"No!" Joanna shouted with a red face.
She had no idea the cold man she used to adore had such a perverted side to him. Those who seemed normal on the surface were really twisted on the inside!
"Ace, don't you dare do anything to me. Or else I'll call the police!"
"Call them. I'd like to see what the police would say about a husband and wife bathing together."
As he spoke, he turned on the faucet. At the same time, he opened two of the buttons of his shirt, showing off his perfect abs.
He leaned closer to her and said hoarsely, "Since we're going to get a divorce soon, let's have a last bath together. Won't it feel like a farewell ceremony?"
He was seducing her openly!
Joanna clenched her fist quietly and thought, 'Since the police couldn't do anything about it, I'll have to solve it alone!'
Although her arm was injured, she was still capable of beating Ace.
The tub quickly filled up with water. They leaned in closer gradually, and the ambiance seemed affectionate.
Just as she was about to strike him, he suddenly stood up and looked down at her. "You're so stupid!"
His slender fingers skimmed through the water, and he flicked the water on her delicate face. "I'm not that desperate to violate a patient! I'll wait for you outside. Call me anytime you need me."
With that, Ace left the bathroom and gently closed the door.
Seeing this, Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. She had over thought things earlier, hadn't she?
Ace would never have the desire for her. He was playing with her earlier. In the past three years of their relationship, they were only intimate once, and it happened because they were drunk at that time.
"You're overthinking," she told herself.
The whole bathroom grew misty and warm as the temperature rose due to the hot water. Joanna crossed her delicate legs over the tub after removing her clothes and sat comfortably while listening to
music with her eyes closed.
Ace sat on the sofa, his legs crossed, reading the newspaper. His aura exuded a sense of nobility. As predicted, the charity night event made the newspaper's front page, with Joanna and him as the main focus.
The four individuals who tried to murder him had been apprehended, according to the newspaper. Among them was a male dressed as a woman, which explained how they got into the event.
During these years, the Moran family made many achievements and enemies. As the only successor of the family, Ace became the target of many.
He still remembered that Joanna advised him not to do so before he went up on stage.
'Could she know something about it?'
But he shook the thought off as he remembered she was only an innocent woman.
He was prepared to ask her about it after she was done bathing, but Jack called, and his voice was solemn as he spoke, "Mr. Moran, there's news from the police. The four individuals had come clean and said the same people who tried to kill you three months ago hired them."
"What?" Ace's gaze turned cold, and he sat up straight, stunned.
'Wasn't the attack three months ago caused by local riots? If it had been deliberately started by enemies… Dylan's death was not an accident, but planned?'
"As to who is the man behind all these, they refused to confess. How are you feeling now? If you're a bit better, I suggest you attend their hearing, after all-"
Bang!
A loud noise suddenly came from the bathroom.