Mr. Jones, Ma'am Shall Not Die

Chapter 4: Divorce Joseph

Ada stumbled back, her steps unsteady as she endured the supposed ten-minute journey that stretched out into a painful twenty minutes. The villa was not heated, and the huge room was as cold as hell.

She kicked off her high heels, tripping like a drunken mess as she stumbled into the bathroom. With wobbly hands, she turned on the hot water in the bathtub, but before she could even finish, she collapsed in the tub, lifeless. The scalding water spilled over, dyeing the entire bathtub in a gory shade of red, resembling a pool of vibrant blood, making Ada's face as pale as a sheet of paper.

She shut her eyes tightly and sank her face into the water, drowning out all her senses. For a brief moment, suffocation took hold, and she couldn't help but open her mouth, allowing the scorching water to rush in, inducing a nauseating sensation that surged from her gut.

Ada opened her bloodshot eyes and raised her head from the water. Lying on the edge of the bathtub, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her upper body convulsed involuntarily. It had been a whole damn day since she last ate, and what she vomited out was nothing but yellow acid, burning her throat, while tears streamed down her face.

After emptying her stomach, Ada rubbed her sore eyes and stared at the blood-streaked mucus on the floor. A bitter smile twisted on her lips, but her eyes reflected a deadly silence.

She stripped off her crimson dress and used it to wipe away the bloodstains on the floor. She couldn't let Joseph see the blood.

Outside, the sky slowly turned dark. Ada trudged back to the bedroom, her bare feet dragging across the floor before collapsing onto the bed. Sleep eluded her. When she was ill, she could still cling to the hope of a better future, but now, no matter how hard she tried, it seemed utterly futile.

Four damn years. Four years of pouring her heart and soul into this relationship, only to be left with a bottomless pit of despair.

Today, it felt like she had exhausted every last tear in her entire life. Ada placed a hand over her heart and bitterly mocked herself, "My stomach's the one rotting, so why does it hurt so much?"

Suddenly, her phone, buried in her bag, buzzed with vibrations. Ada sat up reflexively, pulling out her phone in a hurry. But when she saw the caller ID, it was as if all her strength had been sucked out of her.

It wasn't him... What the hell were you expecting, Ada?

She stared blankly at her phone for a good two seconds before stiffly sliding her finger to answer the call.

"Peter," Ada's voice was hoarse, scraping against the phone like a blade on a grindstone, sounding somewhat harsh.

Peter was Ada's childhood friend, someone she grew up with. Although they weren't blood relatives, their bond was stronger than family. During her early years, she lived with the Baker family for quite some time, and to Ada, Peter was like a brother.

On the other end of the line, Peter asked with concern, "Ada, why does your voice sound so rough? Are you sick?"

"I caught a cold. Just woke up, so my voice is still raspy..." Ada began explaining, but Peter cut her off, "Ada, are you trying to deceive me too? Have you forgotten that I'm a doctor? I can tell the difference between a hoarse voice from waking up and one from crying due to a cold."

She choked, feeling like there was a jagged rock lodged in her throat, grinding against her mouth until it drew blood, but she couldn't spit it out or swallow it down. There was no way for her to explain anything, so she could only let out a bitter laugh.

Peter pressed, "Can you at least tell me why you were crying, Ada?"

Ada gripped her phone tightly, her gaze fixated on the wooden floor. Nobody enjoys exposing their vulnerabilities. She shook her head and refused, "I can't."

Peter was taken aback. He knew Ada's character. To put it nicely, she was strong-willed, but to put it bluntly, she was stubborn. If she didn't want to reveal something, even if you used pliers to pry it out of her, she wouldn't speak the truth.

Left with no choice, Peter changed the subject, "How did your medical examination go today?"

Ada pursed her dry, cracked lips and replied, "It's all good."

Peter said, "If you don't want to tell me, forget it. I'll go to the hospital myself and check.I can access your medical records."

Peter held the position of head surgeon at that hospital, so checking the records was a piece of cake. A mistake... "You can either spill the beans or let me investigate on my own. It's your call." He kept pushing her.

The phone suddenly fell into silence, so quiet that Ada could hear the breathing on the other end. "Cancer, advanced gastric cancer," Ada finally gave in.

"...," Peter stayed silent, struggling to contain his emotions as his labored breaths came through the call.

"How is that even possible... You're still so young..." Peter murmured to himself, his voice growing choked up.

Even through the phone, Ada could sense his sorrow. She felt grateful that someone cared about her before she met her end.

"Come to the hospital and let me examine you again," Peter suggested.

Ada refused, "No matter how many check-ups I go through, the result will be the same. Peter, I know my own body. Maybe this is karma..."

"Don't talk nonsense! Listen to me, Ada. Stay in the hospital and get treatment. You can beat this, I promise," Peter's voice carried a tinge of sadness. Being a specialist in the field, he understood the severity of the illness and the excruciating pain involved.

How did Ada let her body deteriorate to this point?

Peter didn't know how to talk Ada out of it. Sometimes, it wasn't about whether she wanted to live or not, but rather if fate had other plans. Her time was running out, and the hospital's advice was either to stay there for a few more years or give up treatment and leave it to fate. Either way... her days were numbered.

"Ada, you should divorce Joseph. Look at what he's put you through in these four years of your marriage," Peter suggested.

Divorce... Ada had never even considered divorcing Joseph. He meant everything to her, the beacon she had been chasing all her life. But how does one catch a fleeting light?

Ada clenched her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white. "I'll think about it," she managed to say, summoning all her strength.

Divorcing Joseph felt like ripping a piece of flesh forcefully from her chest. It couldn't possibly be easy.

Peter told her to come to the hospital again the next day, but Ada didn't take it too seriously.

Besides being Joseph's wife, she was also the CEO of the Smith family company, and there were always a million things weighing her down.

A person's resilience is like that of a strong ox, capable of bearing heavy burdens under immense pressure. But sometimes, it's that one extra straw that breaks the ox's back.

After ending the call, Ada casually tossed her phone onto the nightstand. Her stomach continued to ache, and she knew falling asleep tonight would be a challenge. She opened the drawer and grabbed two bottles of medicine—one for pain relief and the other for sleep. Taking two pills from each bottle, she settled onto the bed.

She wasn't sure if the medicine was kicking in, but her mind began to feel foggy. Nightmares plagued her, as if a ghost was pressing down on her, suffocating her. She shook her head and fought to wake up, only to realize that the weight on her chest wasn't a ghost but Joseph.