The thought alone made Ariel frown. She hated it when people made decisions for her behind her back.
She swiped her key card and was about to enter the room.
Jayson, standing at his door beside her, tapped the handle lightly with his thumb, then turned to glance her way with a detached look. “Your presentation today was really good.”
The comment came so suddenly. Ariel’s brows drew together as she turned to him.
But Jayson didn’t stick around to chat. After saying that, he entered his room.
Ariel didn’t get it. And frankly, she didn’t care enough to spend any more brain power on him.
She stepped into her room as well.
After setting down the bouquet, she took a shower and took her daily medication right on time. But the drowsiness she expected never came.
Restless, she reopened her laptop and started sorting through the outline and concept notes for the military project.
By the time she checked the clock again, it was already past 11:00 pm.
Ariel rubbed her neck and finally decided to call it a night.
But just as she sat down, a dull ache started to bloom in her lower abdomen. That familiar pain was flooding in again.
She curled up on the bed with her arms hugging her legs, trying to ride it out.
The discomfort chased any lingering sleep away. Beads of sweat started forming on her forehead.
After a long while, Ariel lay down and closed her eyes. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t fall asleep.
Her body felt uncomfortable and restless. After tossing and turning for a bit, she finally gave up and got up.
She got out of bed and went to look for the swimsuit she had brought with her.
Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she figured she might as well soak in the herbal hot spring. Maybe it would help ease some of the discomfort.
It was already nearing 11:30 pm.
The resort was huge. A few people were still partying on the other side, but over here by the hot springs, it was quiet. There was not a soul in sight.
Ariel’s swimsuit wasn’t the modest kind but a turquoise blue bikini that contrasted beautifully with her fair skin.
Back when she and Jayson were still married, their relationship had always been distant.
Janice had even given her advice before. “Sex and appetite are basic instincts,” she had said.
No matter how cold or indifferent Jayson was, he was still a man. Janice had gone so far as to buy her all kinds of swimsuits, undergarments, and even lingerie meant to spice up their marriage.
Ariel had once worked up the courage to try. She deliberately put on lingerie that, for her, felt deeply embarrassing.
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Chapter 298
+25 BONUS
Her whole body had gone tense and flushed with nervous ligat.
At the time, Jayson merely looked up at her. His expression was almost entirely unchanged. He clearly had little to no interest in her that way.
His voice had been calm and distant. “If you’re uncomfortable, don’t force yourself.”
He didn’t even stay the night.
A call had come through from overseas. He took it, stepped around her like she wasn’t even there, and walked out.
Ariel hadn’t known where he went that night.
It was during the trip to Sorenta that, through something Matt said about the timeline of when Jayson and Nancy met, she finally realized that Jayson had likely gone abroad to find Nancy that day.
After that lingerie incident and Jayson’s quiet rejection, Ariel tucked away all the beautiful swimsuits and lingerie Janice had gotten her.
Now, she wasn’t dressing up for anyone. She just wanted to look good for herself.
She slipped into the bikini and headed for the hot spring.
She had just stepped past the screen, not yet fully entered the water, when she suddenly saw a man in the water.
Jayson was lounging in the water, arms resting along the edge. His lashes were damp with steam. He slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers.
Then he saw the bikini that complemented her skin tone perfectly.
Ariel’s figure was slim but not scrawny, with a naturally striking hourglass shape. As she stepped out from behind the screen, the soft lighting brushed over her, casting a gentle glow on her skin.
He paused for the briefest moment.
