Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Suicide Was Just an Act

To Hazel Hawthorne, Aiden Xavier was utterly love-brained.

She couldn’t decide if Aiden Xavier always believing Raina Lowell was a sign of him being love-brained, or if it just meant Raina’s act was too convincing.

Hazel Hawthorne thought back on her conversations with Aiden Xavier. They always ended badly, they were always about Raina Lowell, and it was always Aiden making excuses for something terrible Raina had done.

Sometimes, she found herself thinking that if Raina Lowell had never come back from abroad, her life with Aiden Xavier would have actually been quite pleasant.

Aiden Xavier wasn’t staying over tonight. Before bed, Hazel Hawthorne pulled out her phone and opened her account. Seeing users flocking to leave comments on her post, she couldn’t resist reading a few.

Online commenters were just a gossip-hungry crowd, drawn to wherever the drama was. They didn’t need to know the truth; they just needed to claim the moral high ground, appoint themselves judge, and fearlessly voice their opinions.

It was the same when they were trashing Hazel Hawthorne, and it was the same now that they were trashing Raina Lowell.

They never wanted the truth. All they wanted was a platform to feel superior, a place from which they could play God and attack every person and every little thing.

Of course, some people were genuinely seeking justice, but none of that mattered to Hazel Hawthorne. All she needed was to set the record straight and prove her innocence. If not for the opportunity to use this to take a jab at Raina Lowell, she wouldn’t have bothered going through all the trouble to play these games with her.

Drowsiness washed over her. Lying on her side, phone still in hand, Hazel Hawthorne drifted off to sleep. A shrill ringtone, like a clap of thunder in the silent night, jolted her awake.

The room was dimly lit. She woke in a daze, fumbled for the phone pinned beneath her pillow, and groggily answered.

More jarring than the thunderclap was the voice on the other end of the line—Aiden Xavier’s, icy enough to be a death sentence.

Hazel Hawthorne was suddenly wide awake. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

"Raina Lowell attempted suicide. They’re trying to save her at First Hospital right now!

Hazel Hawthorne sat on the bed in a daze. ’Raina Lowell attempted suicide?’ She mulled it over for a long time but couldn’t figure out why. ’I didn’t force her to do it. Is this her way of tricking Aiden Xavier into thinking I threatened her?’

’If that’s the case, then I have to admit, Raina Lowell isn’t just a schemer. She’s ruthless—to others and to herself.’

Hazel Hawthorne quickly threw on some clothes, grabbed her car keys, and headed for First Hospital.

Outside the emergency room.

Aiden Xavier’s pure white shirt was stained with Raina Lowell’s blood. The sight of him when Hazel Hawthorne stepped out of the elevator was a shock. She gently tugged on his sleeve. Seeing him sitting there, silent and still, she almost thought Raina hadn’t made it and had died right then and there.

"What are you doing here?" Aiden Xavier didn’t even glance at Hazel Hawthorne. "Here to see if Raina Lowell is dead yet?"

Instead of getting angry, Hazel Hawthorne laughed. "How did you know? I’m starting to think she did this on purpose. If she’s not dead, I was planning on finishing the job. You know, do the world a favor."

"A woman’s heart is the most venomous thing."

"And how venomous am I, exactly? Did I hold a knife to her throat and force her to do this? I get it. She couldn’t handle the cyberbullying, a few nasty comments hurt her pride, hit a nerve, and now she’s so distraught she wants to kill herself?"

Hazel Hawthorne sat down next to Aiden Xavier. She was thinly dressed, and a shiver ran through her as she sat on the cold bench. "The online hate I went through was far worse than this. If I’d tried to kill myself, you’d be showing up at my funeral with your arm around her."

Hazel Hawthorne patted Aiden Xavier’s shoulder. "I know you won’t believe me," she continued. "In your eyes, Raina Lowell has always been a pure, flawless lotus flower, rising from the mud unstained. A true rarity."

"But I’m telling you anyway—Raina Lowell is absolutely not going to die. Wouldn’t her death be giving me exactly what I want? She’s so desperate for me to divorce you; why would she end her own life so easily?"

Aiden Xavier shoved her away. "Shut up!"

Hazel Hawthorne let out a theatrical sigh. "I’m just telling the truth."

Irritated by her chatter, Aiden Xavier snapped, "Quiet!"

Hazel Hawthorne pursed her lips, unfazed. "Oh." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the light above the emergency room door go out. She spoke again. "Wanna bet the first thing the doctor says is, ’It’s a good thing you got her here when you did’?"

Aiden Xavier shot a glare over his shoulder at Hazel Hawthorne, who simply offered a small, knowing grin.

A nurse wheeled out an unconscious Raina Lowell. The doctor followed, removing his mask, and said almost exactly what Hazel had predicted, which made her stifle a laugh behind Aiden Xavier’s back.

Hazel’s antics suddenly lent a bizarrely humorous air to the typically grim and serious space outside an emergency room.

Aiden Xavier completely ignored the departing Raina Lowell, following the doctor directly to his office to discuss her condition. Hazel Hawthorne remained where she was, watching Aiden go, then watching Raina disappear down the hall, clicking her tongue.

’This is getting more and more interesting.’

When Hazel Hawthorne reached Raina Lowell’s room, a nurse was checking on her. Raina’s face was pale, a look perfectly crafted to inspire a man’s protective instincts.

The nurse, assuming Hazel Hawthorne was family, didn’t ask her to leave. Once the nurse was gone, Hazel stood before the bed, rubbing her chin as she carefully scrutinized Raina’s appearance.

"Raina Lowell, do you really want to die," she mused, "or do you just want to play the victim for Aiden Xavier, make him believe you’re innocent, and maybe make him think I’m the one who pushed you to this?"

Hazel Hawthorne’s brow furrowed in mock confusion. "Aiden Xavier and I aren’t even divorced yet, so how could you bear to die? My first guess must have been right." She stared intently at Raina. "Thanks to you, I’ve finally seen just how thick Aiden Xavier really is!"

Aiden Xavier, who had just reached the door with his hand on the knob, heard Hazel say he was as thick as a brick. He was instantly furious.

"Get out!" Aiden Xavier’s glacial voice made Hazel Hawthorne jump.

Hazel Hawthorne recovered from her shock and stared right at Aiden Xavier.

He strode to the bedside, his posture making it clear he didn’t want Hazel Hawthorne anywhere near.

Suddenly, a hand squeezed Aiden Xavier’s. He looked down. Raina Lowell was awake. She opened her eyes, her gaze so weak and pitiful it could make anyone’s heart ache. But Hazel Hawthorne was a woman, and she had no interest in Raina’s theatrics.

"Aiden, don’t be like this to Ms. Hawthorne. It’s me... My very existence is getting in the way of your happiness with her. I thought... if I died, you wouldn’t have to carry this burden anymore, and you could finally be happy with Ms. Hawthorne."

’Burden?’

Hazel Hawthorne caught the strange word. Her expression remained neutral. She didn’t interrupt Raina Lowell, choosing instead to carefully observe Aiden Xavier’s reaction.

Raina Lowell continued, "I really shouldn’t have come back into your life. After all, you’re married. My being here only tarnishes your reputation and makes people misunderstand you. I’ve never cared what people think of me. I can endure anything they say..."

"The one thing I can’t allow is for them to slander you..." Raina Lowell sobbed pitifully. Hazel Hawthorne silently gave her a thumbs-up.