Divorce To Restart: Vengeful Ex-Wife Strikes Back!

Chapter 67 Suicide mission accomplished

REMINGTON HOSPITAL, NEW YORK. Xander rushed into the hallway of the wards to find his mother, Venus, tapping her feet on the hard floor in apparent anger. It was practically past the middle of the night. He was already falling asleep while massaging Nina’s feet when his mum called to say that Dawn had been rushed to the emergency room. He had called Jace and pleaded profusely with him to watch over Nina on his behalf until he returned. Thankfully, Jace gave in, allowing Xander to step out. He bent down in front of his mum and rubbed at her knee. “Mum, how is she?” He asked in concern. Venus glanced up at him and slapped him hard, shocking him. “What is going on, mum?” Xander inquired in a low tone with a hand on the hurting part. She sucked her teeth with a displeased expression on her face. “Is this the way I taught you to act? Will you call yourself a man with this unpleasant attitude that you harbor? How could you? I know you sometimes go overboard with your words, but how could you say hurtful things to a lady whose only crime was to love you.” Xander had confusion written all over his face. “What are you talking about?” Venus scoffed. “Of course, you don’t know. Since you weren’t affected by the gravity of words, it’s only essential that you forget them. What did Dawn do to deserve the insults you lashed out at her that made her attempt suicide?” There was obvious contempt in her eyes. He stumbled backward in shock. “What?” “Yes, you heard me! Minny was the one who found her on time. If not, she would probably have been labeled dead by now, and I never would have forgiven you.” She growled, heaving. Xander had his mouth agape. He searched his head for anything he must have said to warrant Dawn going to such an extent. It is common knowledge that Venus takes a particular interest in Dawn, but he didn’t realize she would act this affected without listening to his side of the story. “Mum!” “Don’t you dare, Xander! Do not try to talk to me until you make amends with that young lady.” She hissed, walking out on him. He followed her like a zombie to the room Dawn was in. The second he stepped in and his eyes met Dawn, she began screaming at the top of her lungs, asking him to leave and never return. Even though she acted like someone in severe pain, Xander could practically read through her facade. “Go, Xander. Please.” Venus begged with her eyes laced with tears. Xander rubbed his sweaty palm against his trousers and did as told. On his drive back to Nina’s house, he almost bumped into three cars. When Xander exited the vehicle, he found Jace by the porch with a bottle of beer in hand and another next to him. He handed Xander the one next to him when he joined him. “I am guessing you heard what happened?” Xander said as he felt the taste of bile at the back of his throat. Still, he gulped down half of the beer without batting an eye. Jace hissed. “I shouldn’t have given you that.” He said, attempting to take it back. He slapped his hand off. “Don’t piss me off.” “Mum called and ranted about how irresponsible you had become. She said you were the most reasonable of us two, yet you chose to disappoint her. I didn’t take Dawn to be suicidal. What happened? Did she get her heart broken again? And why were you blamed?” Xander swung at the beer again. “Do you think if I know what fuck went on in her head, I will be here drinking with you? She practically had me flying out of the hospital room from her ear-piercing scream.” Jace laughed, “That witch, she has plans to make your life miserable.” “I am quite surprised at mum’s behavior. You need to have seen the look of contempt in her eyes. It felt like I had probably done something worse she had chosen to remain quiet about. I found out that Dawn had Nina’s budget cut short, and I confronted her. That was all I did. Why, then, should I be blamed for her suicidal thinking?” Xander seemed to be asking the night for a response as his eyes stared deeply into space. “I knew she was up to something. It’s not right that mom subjected you to this much disrespect because of an insensible person like Dawn. I always knew she would bring you nothing short of trouble.” “Carla said the same thing. But then, Jace, I might be at fault. I can’t seem to remember all the things I said.” Jace gave his brother a pitiful glance. He is too considerate for his good. “Can I tell you something, Xander?” “Sure.” He replied, distracted by the empty bottle in his hand. Without warning, he snatched Jace’s own, gulping the content hungrily. He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if you are the way you are because of your condition. But then your thoughtfulness seems to be what makes you, Xander. I wish you wouldn’t be so forgiving and get angry when possible. Somebody like Dawn doesn’t deserve a place in your life.” “She is my friend. We are just at a rocky stage at the moment.” He slurred. “Also, I remember her claiming to love me this morning.” “What did you say to her?” Jace asked, looking amused. He shrugged. “I told Dawn the truth. I am not in love with her. Only one woman owns my heart, and that is Nina. Dawn knows the truth, yet she always tries to get to me.” Jace chuckled. “You are a mess, and I feel sorry for you. That must be why she pulled the stunt. It’s her way to make you pay attention to just her. That lady needs to have her head checked.” He said, turning to see Xander already sleeping with his head hanging drunkenly. Shaking his head, Jace helped him stand up and dragged him into the house on the couch. He covered him with a blanket after putting a jar of water next to Nina and putting on the dim light in her room. Confident they would do fine alone, Jace left the house and got into his car. A disgusted hand escaped his lips when Minny’s call bothered his phone. She does have a lot of nerve reaching out like nothing happened when they are about to screw his brother. Kickstarting the car, he blocked her contact and put on the radio, tuning it so loud he couldn’t hear himself sing along.

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NINA’S HOME, NEW YORK. Nina dragged her feet on the floor while rubbing at her sleepy eyes. She yawned loudly at the sight of Xander whistling a tune while flipping pancakes. “Wow, I didn’t realize you could cook. Good morning.” She mused, settling into a stool cautiously. Xander grinned, serving her a plate. “Majorly breakfast. As for the rest, I can only do the basics. Thankfully, I have enough money to order meals.”

He said with a wink. She chuckled. “Thank you.” “You are welcome. And if you are craving for anything. Do not hesitate to let me know.” Nina smiled to herself, staring down at the whole plate. “I don’t know why you do all this for me, Xander. But thank you.” “How many times do you intend to keep thanking me? I am doing this because I want to. So let me stop thinking you owe me. I will get ready for work now. You can take your time.” He said while hanging the apron. “Why? You haven’t eaten anything.” “I am not much of a breakfast person. I can always eat later. Just eat and leave the plate as it is. I will handle it.” Xander assured and headed to his room. She can’t seem to pinpoint what it might be, but Nina knows for sure that something is wrong. When she woke up in the middle of the night to refill her water jar and found him sprawled on the couch, she felt something might be up. Deciding he would speak when he wanted to, she focused on finishing up her plate and not making his effort go to waste. Xander let out an exhausted groan as he stepped into the room. His phone rang just in time. He rubbed at his sleepy eyes, feeling exhaustion seep into his pores. He sat on the edge of the bed and exhaled deeply at the caller ID. “Isn’t it too early, mum?” He questioned as soon as he answered. Venus let out a scoff. “What time is it, Xander? And why haven’t you been picking up my calls? Shouldn’t you be the first person here? After everything you caused, you still couldn’t come here as early as possible to show remorse. Where is your conscience, Xander Ray Jackson?” She hollered into the receiver. He shut his eyes, suddenly feeling feverish. “Mum, for the umpteenth time. I am not the reason she did what she did. Can you stop pointing accusing fingers at me?” “I do not care about whatever excuses you are giving right now. I want you at the hospital before I lose my patience.” She ordered and hung up. “Fuck!” Xander yelled, slamming the phone on the bed, and it bounced to the floor instead. He didn’t bother to pick it up. “Is everything okay?” Nina asked, standing by the doorframe. He held a weak smile and motioned toward her to sit beside him. Xander held her hand and caressed it gently. “So, while you were asleep last night, I got a call that Dawn was at the hospital.” Her brows creased in worry. “Why? What happened to her?” Xander sniffed, “She wanted to commit suicide, and My mom thinks that it’s all my fault.” “That’s absurd; why would she say that?” He released her hand and dipped it into his lap. “Maybe I did say something wrong. But I know I did what’s right. What Dawn did is terrible, and I won’t take it.” “What exactly?” “Nina, I am going to let the part you played slide. Because your actions genuinely hurt me. I found out that Dawn cut your budget short, aside from the fact that you were angry at me. Jace was there; you could have reported the situation to him, and Jace would have helped you with anything. If anything had gone wrong with you because of the coercion you were under, I would never forgiven myself. You know Dawn did it to weaken your resolve. It was all out of spite and unprofessional. How, then, does anyone expect me not to say anything? And I am very certain I wasn’t harsh enough to warrant the accusation. But it’s all good. I am not the type to run from my responsibilities.” Nina gulped hard; the angry veins in his neck seemed like they would burst. She had forgotten about that phase Dawn had made her go through in the name of spitting her. She stretched out her hand to touch him but held back. “I am sorry, Xander. My thinking was all wrong. I should have reported it to the right authorities. I guess I didn’t want to see myself as the helpless victim. Pardon me, please. You know I will never do anything to hurt you.” He inhaled and exhaled slowly. “I am not angry at you, Nina. I hope you will be more open to me now.” “How do you intend to handle this situation with Dawn?” “I know her too well, and she knows better than anyone else how annoying it is that I find hypocrites. I will handle it just fine. Are you ready yet?” He asked the question jokingly while staring down at her pajamas. Nina rolled her eyes, chuckling. “It’s all your fault. Your cuss had me distracted.” “Well, since you aren’t distracted anymore, can you get dressed now, ma’am.” “Yeah, yeah, I am on my way already.” She said, making her way to the door. “That reminds me. I want to check on Carla at the hospital. Also, I have an appointment with my doctor. Since you are my chauffeur, you should get me there.” Xander gasped dramatically. “Wow! No one told me you had a bossy attitude in you.” She flipped her hair to make an impact. “You can’t resist when it is inborn, I guess.” “Get your ass dressed, Nina. I have a meeting.” He retorted, laughing. Xander threw himself into the bed, shutting his eyes tightly. He hates to deal with Petty things like this the most, and the week is starting as one that will drain him a lot. However, whether he wants to or not, he must deal with Dawn’s mess. Resigning to fate, he stood up to get dressed before Nina got done. His phone message notification dinged, calling back his attention. One look at it, he realized it was from his uncle, and he let out an animalistic groan. His week is doomed. ********************

REMINGTON HOSPITAL, NEW YORK. “Are you sure you will be alright?” As they walked into the hospital premises, Nina asked Xander like a concerned mother. Xander smiled lovingly at her and bent to whisper in her ear. “I thought you didn’t like the idea of people seeing us together? It’s barely a day of us sharing a space, and you are already acting like my wife.” He teased, wiggling his brows before mumbling. “But I like it.” Nina blushed shyly, turning her face away from him. “I take the blame for trying to be caring. Bye.” “Let me know when you are ready to leave.” “I thought you had a meeting? You don’t have to worry about me. I will get a taxi.” “I already asked Lisa to reschedule the meeting to another time. Take it as the perks of being CEO.” He added with a wink. “I will see you soon.” She tried to hide her smile before hurrying away from him. Xander chuckled to himself and headed to Dawn’s ward. As soon as he got to the door, he inhaled deeply, reminding himself not to do anything he might regret later on. Venus was seated with her as soon as he entered. Xander groaned inwardly. He would have thought Dawn might be her secret daughter if he didn’t know better. The moment their eyes met, she gave him a displeased look. “Good morning, mum.” He mumbled. “Hmmn.” Came to her response before she stomped off in anger. Xander waited patiently to be sure Venus was out of earshot. Knowing she might try to eavesdrop. He couldn’t hear footsteps or odd breathing and eventually turned to Dawn. She folded her arms, putting on an angry look on her face. “What are you doing here?” He scoffed. “Like this isn’t what you wanted.” Dawn feigned a hurt look. “What do you even mean by that? Despite all that you said to me? Do you know I really would have been dead if Minny hadn’t walked in on time?” “Tell me one awful thing that I said to you, Dawn, that made you resort to harming yourself?” She blinked back, trying to form the right words in her head, but it didn’t come; she seemed caught in a corner. The suicide attempt was just a contorted lie by her to get him to stick to her side. But it appears he isn’t falling for any of it. “You-You-said-I-I-” Dawn kept stuttering and could not piece the words together. Xander laughed dryly. “You see, I know you have nothing to say. My mother is quite stubborn, and it takes a long while to change her thoughts when her mind is on something. So, I would let her figure out the kind of person you are. I am quite disappointed in you, Dawn. You stooped too low. Just too low.” “What do you expect from me?” She screeched, forgetting she was supposed to be sick. “Ah, just what I thought you would do.” He responded in a highly calm voice that made Dawn livid. Dawn flared her nose. “What would it take you to show me the affection I desire from you? Why are you acting like the person you healed me of?” Xander sucked his teeth, feeling the irritation sizzle inside of him, but he maintained his poise. “When did I ever lead you on? Do you know what I find most annoying about this situation? It is how easy you are to tune out your actual offense. You put an employee at risk and didn’t stop thinking about how it might have affected her. But just a word of reprimand, you resorted to suicide. I am very much disappointed in you, Dawn. I knew you could be petty; didn’t know how much.” Her lips quivered as she teared up dramatically. “All I have ever done is love you, Xander. How hard can that be to reciprocate?” She sobbed. He pulled at his hair in frustration. The more he hears Dawn, the more he realizes how pitiful her case is. “I will never be a part of this pity party wagon. I won’t go back on what I said. I said what I said, sue me. And if a situation like the last one occurs again, best believe that you will have to find a job elsewhere.” Saying his piece, he walked out without glancing back at her to meet his mother behind the door with a displeased expression on her face. “That didn’t sound like the apology I expected you to say,” Venus stated. Xander snorted. “Mum, I can’t help but think that you might like Dawn so much because you see a part of yourself in her. You know in your heart that I would never say anything that would warrant such a drastic decision. Yet you call me out for it.” She maintained her stance stubbornly. “How would you remember what you said when you uttered it out of anger.” “Mother, Dawn had a pregnant staff under pressure, cut out their budget, and put them through a hellish month. The only thing I did was show disappointment for her attitude. I didn’t take her job or suspend her. Yet all of a sudden, she calls you to say I am the reason behind her suicide attempt. You have never really looked out for me. It’s always about you, and I have heard enough from you. Do whatever pleases you. I am done trying to make you see reason anymore.” He didn’t wait for her to gather her thoughts before walking away. Xander mumbled some incoherent words under his breath when his phone ringing hijacked his thoughts. He pulled it out of his pocket and attempted to ignore the call. “Not so fast, champ,” Jason stated sternly in front of him with a raised brow. He had his phone to his ear. Xander cursed loudly. “How did you know I was here?” “I met with my sister not too long ago.” “Won’t you affirm the accusation leveled against me?” Jason sucked his teeth. “I thought you had better things to do? Venus is a dramatic woman who has to join hands with a sneaky one. Whatever it is she has to say does not concern me. Did you not see my text?” Xander sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Well, I did. I just had a lot to attend to this morning.” “Xander Jackson, do you have a death wish? Is there no will for you to live? What is wrong with you?” Jason questioned angrily. “Just relax, Uncle J. I will come forth; stop bombarding me with texts. Anyone will find out like that.” He pointed a stiff finger at him. “You had better do what is right, or Venus will be the next person up your ass.” “Fine. How about tomorrow?” Jason straightened his jacket. “Sounds perfect. Before lunch so that you can buy me a meal after.” Xander nodded slowly in response before mumbling a goodbye and hurried off to find Nina. Grim reapers are everywhere around the hospital, ready to devour him.