Divorce me I'm done serving you (Ayla) novel Chapter 714

"I want to know how he's doing."

In Ayla's view, no matter how badly people fall out, it should never turn into a life-and-death grudge.

Besides, illness or injury is serious. If Halle were the one hospitalized, Ayla would rush over no matter where she was and stay beside her. That was habit. That was instinct.

"I took the shot carefully. I wouldn't hit a vein, but a bullet wound is still worse than anything I could cause... I already contacted Kaleb. Troy is fine for now." Draven sounded annoyed, the jealousy obvious. Only after they broke up did Ayla realize how sour he could be.

The man dressed in traditional clothes who followed Troy earlier should have been Kaleb. Ayla had never met him before.

"Your shooting is really that accurate?"

Draven caught the tone in her voice. "I'm sorry. I frightened you."

Ayla moved in circles where influential figures were common, but the first time she ever saw a gun was in Aqualith. The laws there were different, so it felt easier to accept. But Draven held one in his hand today. From the way he handled it, he clearly had training.

That sort of danger almost never touched her life. It shook her deeply.

It made her feel like they belonged to completely different worlds.

Ayla paused and ignored his apology. Exes required selective hearing. "I'm much better than this afternoon. You don't need to stay. And... thank you for looking after me."

Her polite distance made Draven want to pull her straight into his arms.

Ever since he saw Ayla again, the longing inside him never stopped.

He wanted to return to what they once had. But until he got the green light, he would not rush her, would not scare or push her away, and he would not waste any chance to be near her.

He needed Ayla to sense how steady and clear his feelings were. Not disappear for four months and shatter her trust completely. He had to build a sense of safety in her heart, slowly peel away her suspicion, and rebuild trust.

Because of that, he could not simply give in to every request. But he still had to respect her.

Draven was trying to find that balance. Let her accept him without instinctively resisting. The only card he had was honesty, letting her see who he truly was. "I want to stay with you."

"No."

"Ayla, you look pale. If I stay here, I'll notice right away if something goes wrong. I'll feel calmer. And if you feel terrible and need help, I can take care of you."

She was about to refuse again. Draven spoke carefully, "When I carried you to the bed earlier, it wasn't that I refused to leave. You grabbed me and wouldn't let go."

Ayla did not reply. Draven moved the pillow to the side. "The bed is big. We keep three feet between us. You sleep there. I sleep here. Deal?"

Ayla looked at the distance separating them.

"Ayla, my reputation is already a mess. I am trouble. But I won't touch you. If I wanted to, I already had plenty of chances." When Draven became serious, his gaze turned dark and intense, making the danger in him obvious.

Ayla's body tensed completely. Draven did not move closer. He simply lay down properly three feet away, flat on his back, hands folded over his stomach, showing perfect restraint.

"Sleep, Ayla. It's only 1 a.m. When you have a cold, sleep helps your body recover. Your blood and energy are low. Rest is important." Draven turned his head and looked at her.

You're already lying there. How am I supposed to chase you out now?

She lay down as well, careful and proper, with a clear invisible line between them, like the border dividing two old kingdoms.

Cold trembled through Ayla's body. The blanket helped, but the warmth from his arms earlier felt completely different. It was not something the quilt could replace.

Her body was already exhausted. Then the chill struck again. Her weak immunity meant it would keep coming back.

After a while, she began shivering once more. She pulled the blanket tighter and wrapped herself inside it. Half asleep now, she did not care if she pulled Draven's covers too. She was freezing.