The Substitute Bride

"This is my last warning, Stephen. Get out or you will regret it, "

Isla said, pointing her fingers as she stopped Aron from moving closer to Stephen.

"What are you waiting for? Go on. I'm not afraid of you."

Riled up from hearing her words, Stephen responded with a biting remark. "Here's the thing. You can throw yourself at me all you want but I would never like a woman like you. Stay away from me or else I will destroy you."

Stephen hurriedly left right after, clearly afraid of Aron.

With a sigh of relief, Isla loosened her grip on Aron as she watched Stephen leave. Aron, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel upset. "Why did you have to do that? You should not have stopped me from beating him up. That scumbag deserved it!" Aron said, furious that Stephen treated Isla with such disrespect.

"You're acting like a kid! Fighting doesn't solve anything. Always remember that, "

Isla said, scolding him for saying such a thing.

But deep inside, she'd never forgotten about what Joanna had said. She's well-aware of Aron's poor health. She couldn't let him engage in a fistfight out of fear that his condition would only get worse.

"Don't tell me you're not mad at what he said, " Aron said, still seething in rage.

"Stop that. There's no use in getting angry, " she said as she watched Aron closely, noticing his pale face.

"Anger wouldn't solve anything. I'd rather just stay away from him now that we've known who he truly is. Isn't that enough?"

"But…"

Aron stammered, unable to find the right words.

"We should just talk about something else. How have you been?" Isla said, trying to change the subject. She really wanted to know more about Aron's health.

"Your grandma told me something about you being hospitalized. Are you alright? Is there something wrong?"

She asked, worry apparent in her voice.

"Why are you asking? Do you still care about me?"

Aron said, looking at Isla straight in the eye. This made him feel nostalgic about the time they spent together in the past. He remembered Isla would always take good care of him whenever he's not feeling well.

"I…" Isla said, feeling a little flustered.

After all, she already promised herself never to give a damn about Aron until now.

d I was when you fainted yesterday. I was afraid you'd never wake up…" Isla said, wiping her tears.

"Isn't that what you wanted? To never see me again?" Aron asked in a teasing manner.

"You don't want to see me anyway. If I never wake up, I wouldn't be able to bother you anymore. Wouldn't a life without me make you happy?"

"Hey…" Isla said, feeling a mixture of anger and sorrow. His words only made her cry some more.

"Don't say things like that." She couldn't even imagine what life would be like without Aron.

"Please don't cry. I was just kidding, " Aron said, catching Isla's hand the moment she tried to leave.

"Hey, don't be mad. I wouldn't joke about that anymore, alright?"

But no matter what he said to console Isla, she just couldn't stop herself from crying. "Come on. If the doctor sees you like that, he'll think I'm being mean to you, " he teased, gently wiping her tears away.

"Aren't you worried about your health? How can you joke about those things?" Isla asked, clearly frustrated.

"Okay, I'll let you be. This is none of my business anyway, " Isla said, looking at Aron with resignation as she prepared to leave.

"Are you really that heartless to leave me here alone?" Aron asked as he held on to her before she even had the chance to leave

"I…" Isla could never be cruel to him even if she tried.

"I'll just be calling in to take a leave from work. What would you like for breakfast?"

She asked with a sigh, making Aron grin smugly in return.