Substitute Bride: Utterly Pampered by Her Billionaire Husband Chapter 1471: Going Home to Find My Wife

Why did she suddenly end the call?

She initiated the call, yet she was the one who hung up. This is typical behavior for her – disrupting someone's peace and then calmly disengaging, much like a seasoned heartbreaker.

Morgan Ashworth contacted the housekeeper. "What were Mrs. Crawford's activities today? How was her appetite?"

The housekeeper responded truthfully, "Sir, Mrs. Crawford was compliant today, remaining in her room and venturing out nowhere. Her appetite remains poor. Despite the nutritionist diligently preparing a variety of gourmet dishes, she can only manage a few forced bites before retching everything up."

She vomited again?

Morgan's brow immediately knitted into a severe line. Her pregnancy symptoms were intense, and he hadn't comprehended the sheer difficulty of pregnancy for a woman.

"What about her mood?"

"Sir, Mrs. Crawford's mood is still quite dismal. The doctor actually advised her to go outside for some sunshine and fresh air, but she remains confined to her room, refusing to step out. We haven't witnessed a smile from her in a considerable time."

Is her mood that terrible?

Morgan's thin lips curved into a derisive smile. Naturally, her mood was grim. She wished to terminate the pregnancy and depart from him. Now, under virtual house arrest, how could her spirits possibly be high?

"Sir, perhaps... you could return and check on Mrs. Crawford? Pregnant women require their husbands' presence, and you haven't been home for several nights now," the housekeeper ventured cautiously.

Morgan remained silent for a few seconds before coldly refusing, "I am not returning."

What purpose would his return serve?

She likely also did not desire his presence.

"Continue to monitor her. Nothing must befall her or the child, understand?" Morgan commanded in a deep tone.

"Understood, sir."

After ending the call, Morgan did not re-enter the private room. He leaned against the wall, his handsome eyes cast downwards, lost in contemplation. The light illuminated him, accentuating a sense of weariness and solitude.

At times, he genuinely felt at a loss.

What was he to do about her?

Just then, a flirtatious woman approached, urging, "Master Ashworth, why linger here? Let's go inside and play cards."

The woman moved closer, intending to link her arm through Morgan's brawny one.

However, Morgan cast a sharp, chilling glance her way, as if poised to break her arm.

The woman's face went ashen with fear, and she hastily withdrew her suggestive hand, no longer daring to persist.

"Master Ashworth, I..."

Morgan curled his thin lips, his impatience evident. "Who are you?"

The woman froze, mortified. "..."

Morgan uttered a single word from his throat, "Scram."

This woman possessed exceptional beauty and an enviable figure, attracting the admiration and pursuit of countless men. To face such a cold rejection and humiliation for the first time caused tears to well in her eyes.

At that moment, Ethan Barnes emerged. "What's happening? Why did you upset my brother-in-law? Hurry along now."

The woman retreated in disgrace.

Ethan observed Morgan. "Brother-in-law, you truly don't know how to appreciate beauty. You nearly brought that delicate little beauty to tears."

Morgan's gaze remained cold and distant. Her tears held no significance for him.

In this world, only one person's tears mattered to him.

Ethan instantly grasped Morgan's sentiments. "Brother-in-law, if you truly cannot release the little princess back home, then return. Offer some kind words to appease her. You've doted on that little princess for so long, and now you've married her. What else can you do with your own wife but continue to coax her?"

Morgan offered no response. If he could still coax her, he would have done so already, but her heart remained unmoved.

His attempts at coaxing only intensified her defiance.

He needed to maintain a distance for a period, allowing her to learn a lesson.

Heabsolutely could not permit any harm to befall her or the child; they were his very life.

"I am not returning," Morgan stated.

"Very well, very well, don't return then. I'll keep you company tonight," Ethan said, placing a hand on Morgan's shoulder.

Morgan immediately shrugged off his hand. "I only have a sister, not a brother-in-law. Cease this pretense of kinship."

Ethan was left speechless.

So, all this time, he hadn't been spending time with his actual brother-in-law?

Morgan resumed playing cards with Ethan and a few other gentlemen. His mood was foul, and he chain-smoked one cigarette after another. He rarely smoked, reserving it for times of distress, and when he did, he smoked heavily.

Soon, Morgan lost several more rounds.

"Apologies, Master Ashworth, we've won again." The card players collected the chips from before Morgan.

Morgan exhibited no outward reaction, but the taut line of his brow betrayed his intense irritation.

Ethan, experienced in matters of the heart, perceived that while Morgan was physically present, his thoughts were miles away, back home, yet he found no path to return.

Ethan let out a laugh. "They say one can be unlucky in cards but lucky in love. How about this, brother-in-law? I'll summon a couple of beauties for you."

"Hahaha, indeed, Master Ashworth. With such a formidable wife at home, you must find it difficult to endure, correct?"

"I can still vividly recall when the Little Princess Willow overturned the entire card table. Such a fiery temperament is not easily managed by anyone. I heard that Little Princess Willow is now pregnant, Master Ashworth. You've only just married, and already you cannot satisfy your desires. Don't you feel particularly hollow and lonely?"

When men are together, once they start with crude jokes, there's no turning back. And with Willow's pregnancy, everyone began teasing Morgan Ashworth.

Morgan took several deep draws from his cigarette, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke. It was indeed true that he hadn't experienced any physical intimacy for quite some time.

Owing to her fragile health, any intimate contact was out of the question. Initially, he hadn't given it much thought, but as the conversation progressed among these men, he involuntarily swallowed hard.

It had been days now, and thinking of her was unavoidable.

Morgan extinguished his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray before standing and grabbing his coat to depart.

"Hey, Master Ashworth, where are you headed?"

Ethan nudged the other two men with his foot, chuckling lazily. "Can't you tell? My brother-in-law is impatient to return home and find his wife. What are you all making such a fuss about?"

The other men pushed their cards aside. "Then you cannot leave tonight. Stay with us and play until dawn."

They were on a winning streak and were disinclined to let Ethan leave.

"Go, go, go! I'm not staying the night with you lot. I'm heading home too." Ethan retrieved his coat and also made his exit.

The remaining men exchanged confused glances. Huh? What was happening now? Were they all suddenly eager to return home to their wives?

Since when did being under one's wife's strict command become fashionable?

--

Willow Crawford compelled herself to consume a few more bites. Afterward, having completed her bath, she retired to bed early.