After Divorcing my Captain Husband (Chloe and Michael)

"But when you love someone, don't you want to be with them?" Maggie asked.

She was determined to be with James at any cost.

Michael had once thought the same way, but now he remembered what Asher had said. Love wasn't just about possession. It was about wanting the other person to be happy. He understood that now.

Maggie looked at his calm demeanor, feeling disheartened. She had hoped Michael would help her, but now he had refused.

As she was about to return to her seat to wait for Chloe and James to finish their talk, Michael said, "But we could still work together on something else."

At that moment, Vicky and Asher stepped out of the elevator and, after asking a nurse, arrived at James' room.

They were surprised to see Michael and Maggie by the door.

"Michael? You're really here!" Asher exclaimed.

He immediately realized that Chloe must be inside.

He pulled Vicky back, trying to keep her from acting impulsively.

Michael looked at Asher, then turned his gaze to Vicky.

"And who might she be?"

"She's my cousin, here to see James," Asher said loudly enough for Chloe and James to hear, hoping to prepare them.

Before Chloe came out, Maggie and Vicky's eyes met.

Women's intuition could be incredibly sharp.

Vicky pulled her wrist out of Asher's grip and took a few steps toward Maggie. "Who are you? What's your connection to James?" Maggie met her gaze calmly. "I'm a friend of his. We've known each other for over a decade. And you? I don't quite catch your name." She extended her hand for a polite handshake.

Asher watched, feeling like he was in a dramatic TV show.

But he quickly pushed that thought aside as he focused on the situation.

Vicky sneered at Maggie's outstretched hand and said, "I want to see James."

She reached for the door handle, but Asher quickly pulled her back. "James might still be resting. Don't go in and disturb him."

He glanced at Michael, signaling him to go inside and bring Chloe out.

Inside the room, Chloe was wrapping up a conversation with James. Standing next to his bed, she said, "You need to take it easy. I've never seen anyone expect to get out of bed the day after major surgery. Do you think your body is made of steel?" James shrugged. He wasn't overly concerned. Back in the military, he'd pushed through plenty of injuries without staying in the hospital.

"I'm not that delicate. And honestly, who cares if I'm in the hospital or not?" James said dismissively, noting that his family was all in Mythica.

"Who says no one cares?"

Chloe shot him a disapproving glance. She couldn't believe how little James seemed to value his own health, especially after such a major operation.

"Yeah, who cares?" James echoed, clearly interested in her response.

Chloe hesitated. "Ms. Xander and Smith both care about you."

James' face fell slightly. Neither of them was as important to him as Chloe might have hoped.

"What about you? Do you care?"

Chloe squeezed his arm. "Of course I care."

Before he could reply, she added, "I'm your employee and I need you to pay my salary. How could I not care about your health?"

If something happened to him, she'd lose her job, and finding another one with such a good salary wouldn't be easy.

James smiled faintly. He thought Chloe wasn't great at small talk as she could easily kill the mood.

Just then, the door burst open, and Vicky stormed in, brushing aside Asher's attempt to stop her.

"James, who is the woman outside?"