He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did

Chapter 152 - 139: Love Rival

The two of them parted on bad terms.

When Annabelle Leighton got back, she was too angry to sleep.

The man her stepmother, Jennifer Carter, had introduced her to was truly sickening. ’I wonder if Jennifer did that on purpose or not?’

The next day, Jennifer Carter called. She brought up Nathan Channing’s arrest herself, apologizing profusely to Annabelle Leighton and saying she would introduce her to an even better man to make it up to her.

Annabelle Leighton refused outright.

"Annie, dear, I really had no idea that Nathan Channing was that kind of person. If I had known, I never would have introduced him to you. I’m so sorry. I hope this doesn’t cause any bad blood between us."

Jennifer Carter sounded quite sincere, so Annabelle Leighton decided to believe her for the time being. But she was well and truly done with blind dates.

"But your grandmother..."

"I’m sure Grandma wouldn’t want to see me settle for just any man either," Annabelle Leighton said firmly.

After hanging up with Jennifer Carter, Annabelle Leighton suddenly missed her grandmother terribly.

She had been busy lately and hadn’t been to the hospital in three days.

She originally had a dinner meeting that evening, but Annabelle Leighton had her assistant cancel it. She had to go to the hospital tonight.

After work, Annabelle Leighton headed straight for Meritopia General Hospital.

Her grandmother’s condition had been relatively stable recently. "Stable" in this case meant she hadn’t been in the ICU for over a month. Although her mobility was still limited, she was mentally lucid.

She recognized Annabelle Leighton.

"Annie..."

"I’m here, Grandma."

"How has your health been lately?"

"I’m perfectly fine, you don’t need to worry about me."

"Work must be busy. You haven’t come to see me in a while."

"It has been a little busy."

"Don’t stay up too late. Take your time."

"I know. I don’t."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

Annabelle Leighton was suddenly at a loss for words. Every time she visited, as long as her grandmother was lucid, the conversation followed the same script. First, she’d ask about Annabelle’s health, then about work, and finally, she would circle around to the topic of marriage.

"I’m not seeing anyone yet."

Her grandmother frowned.

Annabelle Leighton sat beside her, trying to chat cheerfully about other topics, but her grandmother showed little interest.

As she was about to leave, her grandmother suddenly grasped her hand.

"Annie, my dear, you should be picky when looking for a partner, but don’t be *too* picky. Character and a sense of responsibility are the most important things. It’s more important that he’s a good person than how much wealth he has or how successful his career is. Grandma hopes you can find someone you can rely on, someone who will shelter you from the storms of life."

"I know, Grandma. I’m looking very seriously. The moment I find a boyfriend, I’ll bring him to see you right away. You just wait."

"I’m just afraid I don’t have much time left to wait."

"Don’t say that. You’re getting better and better. You’ll definitely live to be a hundred."

Her grandmother smiled and patted her head, saying no more.

By the time Annabelle Leighton left the inpatient wing of the hospital, the sky was already dark.

Her work group chat was blowing up with messages, PING PING PING, but she was starving. She wanted to find something to eat before dealing with work.

Her head was down as she searched her phone for a good restaurant near the hospital. She was so focused that she didn’t notice someone walking toward her until—BAM!—she collided with a female doctor who was also looking down at her phone.

"I’m so sorry!"

"My apologies!"

They both apologized at the same time.

Annabelle Leighton looked up and got a clear view of the woman’s face.

’Isn’t this the bureau chief’s daughter who was with Morgan Hayes the other day?’

’What a coincidence. I literally ran into my love rival.’

The love rival was wearing a white coat and no makeup, but her skin was in excellent condition. She was even prettier up close than from a distance.

"Are you all right?" the love rival asked, a little worried when she saw Annabelle Leighton staring at her blankly. "Did that hurt?"

"Oh, I’m fine," Annabelle Leighton said with a smile. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"I’m fine too."

"That’s good."

The two nodded at each other and walked past.

Even though she was a love rival, Annabelle Leighton’s impression of the woman was quite good. She spoke gently and had a very friendly demeanor. She seemed like a good match for a tough guy like Morgan Hayes. ’No wonder he likes her.’

Annabelle Leighton had already reached the entrance but couldn’t resist turning back for one more look.

It was a good thing she looked, because what she saw gave her a shock.

Her love rival walked to the elevators, and while she was waiting, a male doctor in a white coat walked up to her and took her hand.

The two of them walked into the elevator, hand in hand!

’What’s going on?’

’Is she cheating?’

Annabelle Leighton’s first instinct was to pull out her phone and take a picture, but the elevator doors had already closed, and the pair was gone.

She rushed to the elevator bank and saw they had pressed the button for the third floor. Without a moment’s hesitation, she dashed for the stairwell and ran up to the third floor.

Annabelle Leighton arrived upstairs, panting for breath. Luckily, she hadn’t lost her love rival and the man who had been holding her hand.

The third floor was crowded, and they let go of each other’s hands once they were in the throng, which suggested a guilty conscience.

’It looks like Morgan Hayes is really being cheated on.’

Annabelle Leighton’s first reaction was to feel that it was unfair to Morgan Hayes. Her second was that she had to tell him about this.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t managed to get any evidence.

’But that’s okay. I’m an eyewitness myself.’

After leaving the hospital, Annabelle Leighton went straight to Morgan Hayes’s home.

It seemed Morgan Hayes wasn’t home. Annabelle Leighton rang the doorbell for a long time, but no one answered.

Just as she was about to call him, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

"Looking for me?"

It was Morgan Hayes. He was back.

Morgan Hayes had been on a mission today and had just gotten off duty. He was dressed in a black tactical jacket, looking sharp and cool.

"Yes, I am." Annabelle Leighton grabbed Morgan Hayes’s hand. "I’m taking you somewhere."

"Where are we going?"

"You’ll see when we get there."

’This conversation felt somewhat familiar.’

Without waiting for Morgan Hayes to react, Annabelle Leighton pulled him along.

Morgan Hayes didn’t know what she was up to, but he found his feet following her regardless.

Annabelle Leighton pushed Morgan Hayes into her sports car. Starting from the moment she buckled her seatbelt, she began to subtly try and prepare him mentally.

"Officer Hayes, in this fast-paced world, it’s normal for people’s hearts to change and feelings to sour, don’t you think?"

Morgan Hayes was completely baffled. He didn’t understand what she was getting at, but he nodded along anyway.

"And getting your heart broken is no big deal. A few drinks and you’ll be over it. The world will keep spinning no matter who’s gone, right?"

"What are you trying to say?" Morgan Hayes looked at her. "Did you get your heart broken?"

"I don’t even have a boyfriend, how could I get my heart broken?"

"Then why are you being so sentimental?"

"Well..."

’Well, I’m getting sentimental seeing you get cheated on.’

But Annabelle Leighton didn’t dare say that out loud.

After all, Morgan Hayes being cheated on was completely different from Nathan Channing being arrested. She and Nathan were just blind dates, but Morgan and the bureau chief’s daughter were already in a serious relationship.

’I hope this terrible news doesn’t upset him too much.’

Annabelle Leighton floored the gas and drove Morgan Hayes to the hospital.

"Are you not feeling well?" Morgan Hayes asked.

"I’m perfectly fine, but you might be the one feeling unwell soon."

"What do you mean?"

Annabelle Leighton took a deep breath. "Should I just say it?"

"Say it."

"Just now, right here in this hospital, I saw your girlfriend holding hands with another man."