A Love Forgotten (Arianna and Elijah) novel Chapter 9

My initially calm mood immediately soured, and I stubbornly kept my silence.

This only made Elijah more impatient. He reached out for me again, but I shouted, "Don't touch me!"

This attracted the attention of the patients who were waiting their turn. At the next moment, countless eyes watched Elijah and me, curious to see what was happening.

Elijah's expression darkened. Then, he came closer and lowered his voice, threatening, "Come with me! We can talk about this at home!"

I backed away and roared, "I won't!"

With a menacing gaze, Elijah raised his voice, the threat in his tone more evident. "You've really grown a pair now, haven't you? I'll stop bothering about you if you continue like this!"

I looked away. "Stop bothering about me then! That's exactly what I want. I don't need you to boss me around."

Elijah still wanted to tug me, but his hand abruptly stopped when he touched my shoulder. It seemed like he'd only just realized what he'd done.

He softened his tone and said, "I admit that I'd accidentally injured you earlier, and it's to be expected that you're mad. But I was only doing it for your good, wasn't I? Be good and come home with me."

I curled my lip disdainfully without saying anything. 

Elijah scowled when he didn't receive a response after a long while.

I knew he'd already given me a chance to sweep the matter under the rug. And based on what Teri had told me, the old me would've tearfully forgiven Elijah without him even apologizing.

However, I was no longer the same Ariana who'd lost herself and kicked her dignity aside for the sake of her so-called love. I didn't want to live that sort of life anymore.

My silence thoroughly pissed Elijah off. He sneered. "This is what you want to be like, huh? Fine then. Do whatever you want since you're refusing to come home with me. I'd like to see who in Halton City would be willing to take you in!"

I said indifferently, "That's none of your business, is it, Mr. Linden?"

Elijah suddenly leaned close, his icy, ruthless voice giving me goosebumps as he said, "Don't regret the stubbornness you've shown today, Ariana. I can't wait to see how long it'll keep you going."

"Mr. Linden?" a gentle voice cut through the tense atmosphere between Elijah and me.

Elijah turned and narrowed his eyes at Logan, who was holding a receipt for the medical bill. 

He then softened his tone and sighed, saying, "I'm sorry you had to witness this, Mr. Wood. My wife made a fool of herself in front of you."

The insinuated reprimand in Elijah's words were tempting me to lash out at him. However, Logan approached him and coolly said, "You're being too polite, Mr. Linden. Ari is like a sister to me, and as her brother, I have to defend her whenever someone tries to bully her."

Even I was surprised to hear this, let alone Elijah. 

He doubtfully looked at me before turning back to Logan. Then, he pointed at me, sounding unsure as he asked, "Do you know her, Mr. Wood?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. Not only do we know each other, but we're very familiar with each other too."

Elijah looked incredulous. 

At the next moment, I moved to stand behind Logan, using him to shield myself from Elijah's gaze. 

Elijah wanted to probe further, but Logan held my hand and said, "Dr. Quinell said you can't move your arm too much. You'll also need to do an MRI for your head tomorrow."

Just then, Elijah interrupted, "Don't let her trick you, Mr. Wood. She's not sick or injured at all."

Elijah emphasized "our business".
Logan smiled faintly and pushed his glasses up. "Oh? You're right to say it's your and her business. I merely wanted to remind you that Dr. Quinell's diagnosis is right here. No one is lying about anything.