After staying in the bakery for a few hours, Ashley and Ellie went to the hospital to see Brown.
Brown looked much better now. Maybe it was because the medicines and medical equipment in J City
were much better than those in L City.
Seeing that Ashley and Ellie had come together to see him, Brown beamed with evident happiness.
To Ashley, Brown and Laura were like her own grandparents. So it was obvious that she always hoped
and prayed for their good health.
Laura was looking after Brown in the hospital. After Ashley and Ellie had chatted with them for a while,
the old couple asked them to leave. Brown and Laura were afraid that the two girls would delay their
work if they spent a lot of time with them in the hospital.
Ashley and Ellie had no choice but to do as they asked.
The two girls then went to their bakery. After work, they went back together to the house where Ashley
had lived with Ellie before her marriage.
Ellie asked, "Aren't you going back?"
Shaking her head, Ashley said, "I don't want to go back just now. We haven't seen each other in so
long. Don't you miss me?" She gave Ellie a mean look.
The truth, however, was that Ashley was embarrassed to face Andrew.
Ashley now felt differently whenever she saw Andrew.
They were getting closer, and looked more and more like a loving couple with every passing day.
This made Ashley feel awkward for no reason. She felt that she might have a real crush on Andrew
now.
Ellie took the ingredients for the meal out of the refrigerator and prepared to cook. Seeing that Ashley
was staring off into the distance, Ellie imagined that this must have something to do with Andrew,
especially after Ashley's strange behavior today.
Ellie actually didn't have a bad impression of Andrew. On the contrary, she was grateful to him for
helping her with her grandparents.
"What do you think of him?" Ellie asked.
Ashley didn't need to be told who Ellie was referring to, and she didn't find the need to hide anything
from her. Looking up at Ellie, she replied, "I think he is very good. He cares about me a lot.
He is always considerate to me in every way. When I was hurt, he was even more flustered than I was.
It's just that he sometimes goes too far with certain things."
Ashley remembered that Andrew had been very angry when he heard they had rented the bakery with
Greyson's help. He even wanted her to return the bakery and told her that he could find another one for
her or that she could work in his company.
At the time, Ashley hadn't known why Andrew had behaved like that. Now, after thinking things over
carefully, she figured out a possible reason. But she didn't want to believe it.
"Then what are you afraid of?" Ellie glanced at Ashley. Without waiting for Ashley's answer, she
collected the ingredients and went into the kitchen.
Ashley suddenly became very nervous. She followed Ellie into the kitchen. "Why would I be afraid?"
She was obviously trying to hide her true feelings.
"What am I afraid of? I'm not a coward!" she shouted. She did care about Andrew.
'Then why don't you accept Andrew as your husband?' Ellie thought. Although she wanted to say it
directly to Ashley, she refrained from voicing her thoughts. Ashley was straight out denying that she
had feelings for Andrew.
But as Ashley's best friend, Ellie knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Ok," Ellie said helplessly. "Ok. Forget what I just said. I was wrong, okay?
By the way, when are you going back?" Ellie tried to divert the topic.
She felt that if Ashley didn't go back at once, Andrew would likely come here to find her.
Ashley became uneasy at Ellie's words. "Why are you always trying to get me out of here? This is also
my home. Where do you want me to go?" she asked.
'I stay here to avoid coming face to face with Andrew, but I mostly want to stay here to accompany you.
Do you understand?' Ashley thought, wanting Ellie to understand.
Ellie raised an eyebrow at Ashley. She didn't believe for one second that Ashley came here just for her.
Ashley stayed and the two girls chatted as Ellie cooked.
"By the way, how is your grandpa? Talking to them made me forget everything else," Ashley said
sheepishly.
Ellie smiled slightly and replied, "He has almost recovered and has been asking to leave the hospital."
"Well, you can ask them to stay in J City from now on. We can take care of them at any time, and
things will be more convenient here than they are in L City. If something happens to them, we'll know
sooner," Ashley said earnestly.
Ellie nodded.
"After your grandpa leaves the hospital, let your grandparents live in my room. I anyway don't come
here often. I'll clean it up later so they can use it," Ashley continued.
Ellie looked at Ashley and said, "It may be very inconvenient for you."
"It doesn't matter. If they live here, it'll be convenient for you to take care of them. Moreover, I live in
Andrew's villa now and seldom come back here. If I do come back sometimes, I can always sleep in
your room," Ashley said.
They put the dishes on the table and just as they were about to start eating, the doorbell rang.
"Who is it at this time?" Ashley muttered. She reluctantly got up and went to open the door.
Ashley was startled when she saw who was standing outside. Her hand had begun to tremble slightly
and she even nearly shut the door in their face.
She suddenly felt very guilty as she looked at the tall figure standing in front of her.
She remembered that she had come here without telling Andrew.
On second thought, however, she didn't think she had to feel guilty at all.
Ellie realized that Ashley hadn't come back after checking the door. She didn't hear her say anything,
either. Thinking that Ashley was in trouble, she went over to where she could see Ashley. "What's
wrong?" Ellie called out.
"It's nothing," Ashley replied. She stood in front of Andrew, blocking Ellie's view. So Ellie couldn't see
who was at the door.
Looking at Andrew, Ashley whispered, "Why are you here?"
Ashley hadn't said goodbye to Andrew when she had got off his car that morning. And then she had
come here without telling him about it. So she didn't know how he had found her here.
Ashley was standing there, looking at him awkwardly as if she'd been caught doing something she
shouldn't have been doing.
Andrew was frowning, disappointment etched on his face, his bright eyes shining against his gloomy
face. "I came to take you home," he said.
"No, thank you. I'll go back by myself tomorrow. Ellie is back, and we haven't seen each other in a long
time. So I want to stay here with her..." As Andrew's face became gloomier, her voice trailed off.
Andrew felt depressed and angry at that moment. If he had known that Ashley would come here
without telling him, he wouldn't have asked Ellie to meet her.
After work, he had gone to Ashley's bakery to wait for her, but she hadn't come out. She was also not
answering his calls. She wasn't home either. Andrew remembered the house that she had lived in
before her marriage, and decided to go there.
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