He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 21: Reconciliation

An unknown amount of time passed before Nina Walsh opened her eyes. Finding herself in an unfamiliar room, she sat up, instantly alert.

Hearing the noise, Aiden Sinclair entered from the living room, clutching the empty plastic bottle that had held her pills.

"What kind of medicine are you taking?"

At first, Nina Walsh had been worried that by fainting, she’d be taken to a doctor by Aiden Sinclair, who would then surely discover her pregnancy.

Hearing Aiden Sinclair’s words, she felt both relieved and heartbroken.

She was relieved that the pill in her bag today had been the last one, so Aiden Sinclair wouldn’t be able to find out what it was. But she was heartbroken that even though she had fainted, he hadn’t taken her to a doctor, simply leaving her to her fate.

’Even if I died, would he still not want to have anything to do with me?’

Nina Walsh voiced the question burning inside her: "If I’m someone you can’t ever be associated with, then why do you keep bothering me over and over again? You’re about to get engaged to Clara Jacobs, so why can’t you just let me go?"

"You say I tricked you? But I told you my name and my birthday two years ago. If you had cared, you could have looked up my identity on the very first day we met."

He hadn’t checked. She had thought it was because he loved her too, that he had accepted her and kept her by his side.

But in the end... she had only herself to blame.

Aiden Sinclair completely ignored the anguish on Nina Walsh’s face. "Answer my question. What is this medicine? What’s wrong with you?"

"It’s none of your business."

Nina Walsh emotionlessly picked up the bag she had dropped and headed for the door. She had barely taken a few steps before Aiden Sinclair grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up, and tossed her back onto the bed.

An icy aura surrounded Aiden Sinclair. "Nina Walsh, my patience is limited. Don’t force my hand. Tell me, what is this medicine? And why did you faint?"

Nina Walsh suddenly recalled all the ways Aiden Sinclair had tormented her recently, and the last of her composure snapped.

"What other methods could you possibly use? When are you *not* using them? You toyed with my emotions and my dignity, you made me give blood for Clara Jacobs, you forced me to jump out of a car and off a building! Which of those wasn’t one of your schemes?"

As Aiden Sinclair moved closer, Nina Walsh flew into a rage, kicking and punching. Her nails raked across his face, leaving a clear, bloody scratch.

Wincing in pain, Aiden Sinclair grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them above her head. He then pulled off his tie and used it to bind her hands together.

This was the second time she had hurt him today.

"Aiden Sinclair, let me go!" Nina Walsh was filled with humiliation. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"If you won’t tell me what the medicine is, I’ll just call a doctor to find out."

Aiden Sinclair turned to get his phone. Suddenly, Nina Walsh spoke. "I have depression."

Aiden Sinclair froze. He turned to look at her, his expression full of disbelief.

Nina Walsh lay on the bed, her hair disheveled and her clothes in disarray, her hands still bound by his tie.

Aiden Sinclair called his personal psychiatrist. The doctor wanted to run some tests, but Nina Walsh simply lay on the bed, refusing to cooperate.

Aiden Sinclair untied her hands. The psychiatrist then spent nearly an hour in the bedroom, "chatting" with Nina.

An hour later, the doctor emerged from the bedroom.

Aiden Sinclair asked, "What’s the verdict?"

The doctor reported his findings honestly. "The patient’s mental state is very poor—extremely negative. Based on my initial observations, she’s been showing symptoms of depression for quite some time, at least five or six years. To stabilize her mood, she shouldn’t be agitated or overly ’confined.’ She needs to get out more."

After giving his clear medical advice, the doctor left. But Aiden Sinclair was still suspicious. The Nina Walsh he remembered was a woman whose eyes would curve into crescents every time she smiled at him.

’Just a little while ago at the restaurant, she was looking at Declan Grant with such a happy expression. How could she possibly have depression?’

’This woman must be lying and putting on an act again!’

Unconvinced, Aiden Sinclair made a call and had someone pull up all of Nina Walsh’s medical records from the past two years.

He went through them meticulously from beginning to end, determined to find a hole in Nina’s story.

For the past two years, Nina Walsh’s physical exam reports had all been normal. There were no abnormalities; she rarely even caught a cold or ran a fever.

By the time he reached the end, Aiden Sinclair was almost certain Nina couldn’t possibly have depression. But then, a single page from her medical file caught his eye.

[Patient has difficulty conceiving. Future fertility may be severely compromised following a termination of pregnancy. Patient should consider this decision with extreme care.]

Aiden Sinclair read it three times. It was just a flimsy piece of paper, but it felt like it weighed a ton. He nearly dropped it.

...

Exhausted after the ordeal with the psychiatrist, Nina Walsh had fallen into a deep sleep. When she woke up, she found herself lying in a man’s arms.

She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again two seconds later. Aiden Sinclair’s flawlessly handsome face was still right in front of her.

Seeing his eyes were closed, Nina’s first thought was: ’Escape. Now.’

But the moment she moved, Aiden Sinclair’s eyes opened, his dark irises reflecting her face.

"You’re awake? What would you like to eat? I’ll have some food sent over."

His tone was level, but it held a rare trace of... tenderness.

’Am I dreaming?’ In the past two years, he had almost never spoken to her in such a gentle tone, unless they were in bed and she had managed to please him.

Panicked, Nina Walsh’s hand flew to her stomach.

Her clothes were still on. Nothing seemed out of place. Only then did Nina Walsh let out a breath of relief.

Aiden Sinclair had already gotten up and didn’t notice her movement.

He made a call to have food delivered, but as he was ordering, he realized he had no idea what Nina Walsh liked to eat.

For the last two years, whenever he returned to Lividia Villa, no matter how late, there was always a full spread of dishes on the table.

Thinking back now, all of those dishes had been his favorites.

The food he’d ordered arrived quickly, filling the table with an enticing aroma.

Nina Walsh sat down at the table, and Aiden Sinclair handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Nina Walsh remained still for a moment, then began to eat slowly, her eyes warily tracking Aiden Sinclair’s every move.

Nina Walsh had little appetite. She ate a small amount before putting down her chopsticks.

Aiden asked with concern, "Is the food not to your liking?"

Nina Walsh shook her head. "Can I leave now?" she asked.

It was already dark outside; she needed to get back. The bid for the Lawson Group project tomorrow was very important to her.

Aiden Sinclair’s tone left no room for argument. "From now on, you’ll live here. I’ll come back to see you every day, just like before."

A derisive look crossed Nina Walsh’s face. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you not marrying Clara Jacobs anymore? Or are you hoping to have your cake and eat it too, keeping me as your mistress?"

Aiden Sinclair replied with perfect calm, "I want to make it up to you. Your clothing factory... its production is outdated. I can help you restructure it. It could go public by next year."

"No, thank you. I like it the way it is. And please, don’t flatter yourself. I made it clear the other day: we’re over."

Nina Walsh looked at Aiden Sinclair, and he looked back at her. Their eyes met, and he didn’t look away.

Aiden Sinclair said, "We can start over."

Nina Walsh was stunned into silence. ’Who the hell does Aiden Sinclair think he is? Does he expect everyone to just obey his whims, to come when he calls and be dismissed when he’s done?’

Nina Walsh stood up and walked toward the door. Aiden Sinclair’s voice came from behind her.

"The closer you get to Declan Grant, the sooner the Grant Family will be destroyed."

Nina Walsh froze, then tilted her head back to look at the ceiling in helpless resignation.

’A blatant threat. Pure intimidation.’

Nina Walsh sat back down at the table and kept Aiden Sinclair company as he ate. He seemed to do it on purpose, eating slowly and deliberately. She ended up forcing down a whole bowl of rice herself and felt uncomfortably full.

After the meal, between her lack of sleep from the night before and the effects of her pregnancy, Nina Walsh quickly grew drowsy.

Seeing no escape, Nina Walsh simply lay down on the bed, still fully dressed. She had just closed her eyes when the mattress dipped behind her, and a warm body pressed against her back.

Aiden Sinclair wrapped his arms around her from behind, his hand slipping around her waist to rest his large palm on her lower abdomen.

A scorching heat spread from where his hand touched her stomach. Nina Walsh kept her eyes shut, her nerves stretched taut. She didn’t dare move a muscle.

A soft rustling sound came from the top of her head as he stroked her hair. It tickled. Nina’s attention shifted from her stomach to her head. Then, a soft, almost despairing voice whispered in her ear.

"I’m sorry..."