Chapter 218
Jasper wanted to hear more, but Haynes suddenly turned his head and noticed Jasper standing not far away.
Haynes frowned slightly and asked, “Jasper, what are you doing here?”
Jasper was the kind of guy who could stroll into the wrong party and not feel a bit of awkwardness. He just grinned. “Heard Keen’s back. Rachel and I swung by the hospital to check on him.”
With Jasper making his presence known, Stella decided to cut the conversation short. “I’m heading out,” she said, not even glancing Jasper’s way. “Don’t forget what you promised. And remember, tomorrow at ten. Don’t be late.”
She turned on her heel and left, leaving Jasper to let out a dismissive “hmph” before he turned his attention to Haynes.
“So, Haynie, what’s up for tomorrow, huh? You and Stella got plans?”
The word ‘date’ hung in the air, causing Haynes to pause. His dark eyes were inscrutable, like a deep well that gave nothing away. Divorce wasn’t something Stella would ever agree to, he mused. If she had, she wouldn’t have roped Keen into this mess.
Could Jasper be right? Was she just using the divorce as an excuse to meet up with him?
Jasper, noticing Haynes’ silence, assumed he hit the nail on the head. “See, I told you. She’s not divorcing you. It’s just a ploy to grab your attention.
If I’m not mistaken, she probably found some excuse to see you tomorrow, right?” Jasper continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “First, she fakes an illness, then a kidnapping. Seriously, how is she not bored of these tricks by now? Haynie, don’t let her fool you!”
Haynes stayed mum, but his eyes were still as dark as a moonless night. In the past, he might have dismissed Jasper’s words, scoffing at Stella’s antics. But lately, he’d found himself intrigued by this new side of her. His wife wasn’t as dull as he’d thought, and he felt a strange urge to understand her better.
A date tomorrow? Why not. He was curious to see how she’d play it out, how she’d attempt reconciliation.
Since Stella had moved out, he’d gotten a taste of how tough raising a kid could be. He had to admit, Stella had shouldered a lot of the family burdens before. If she truly regretted her actions, maybe, just maybe, he’d give her another chance for Keen’s sake.
Jasper, noticing Haynes’s silence, felt a chill of realization. Haynes’s lack of objection meant he was contemplating a meeting with Stella.
No way. He couldn’t let Stella have her way.
Jasper tried to badmouth Stella a bit more, but Haynes remained silent. It wasn’t until they reached the door of Keen’s room that Haynes finally spoke up.
“Jasper, whatever happens, Stella is still Keen’s mom. Don’t say things like that around him.”
Jasper froze, stopping in his tracks as Haynes pushed open the door and entered the room.
…
After leaving the hospital, Jasper wasted no time calling Rachel, embellishing the story for effect. “Rachel, that Stella, she’s shamelessly trying to win Haynie back. If I hadn’t shown up, they might’ve been locking lips by now!”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “Keen mentioned something about Stella and Haynie talking divorce, but now it seems like they’re not going through with it?”
“Exactly,” Jasper replied. “I overheard something about Stella calling off the divorce, and it seems like Haynie’s on board. With today’s drama from Keen, even if Haynie wanted a divorce, he’s probably having second thoughts.”