Jonathan’s voice came through the line. “Jessica, do you have time to come back to the mansion?”
Jessica’s brows furrowed in surprise. “You’ve already been discharged from the hospital?”
“Yes,” Jonathan replied. “Staying there was too uncomfortable. I’m back home now.”
“Alright,” Jessica said. “I’ll come over right away.”
“Good,” Jonathan answered before ending the call.
As Jessica turned to leave the balcony, she almost bumped into Emily.
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Jessica stopped, her gaze briefly meeting Emily’s.
Her encounters with Emily had been infrequent in the past. Carola’s father had been an old family friend of Jonathan’s, which meant Jessica often accompanied Carola and Kylee to the Clark residence. It was during these visits that she had occasionally seen Emily, who had been dating Ethan at the time.
Jonathan had openly disliked Emily, which led Ethan to stop bringing her home altogether.
Jessica’s mind flashed back to an incident from three years ago at the Dream Club—the night she had endured a storm to buy a cake for Ethan, only to discover it was for Emily. That same cake had been carelessly tossed into the trash.
It was that night Jessica realized the truth about her marriage to Ethan: she was nothing more than a shield, a sacrifice he had made for Emily’s sake.
Even after three years, the memory stirred something painful in Jessica. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to walk past Emily, but Emily’s voice stopped her.
“Ms. Thomas,” Emily called out.
Jessica froze, realizing Emily didn’t recognize her. It made sense—Ryan had failed to recognize her at the banquet, and Emily had interacted with her even less.
Jessica turned slowly, her expression neutral. “Yes?”
“Can we talk?” Emily asked, her tone polite but with an undercurrent of urgency.
Jessica tilted her head slightly and smiled. “Of course.”
Curiosity piqued, Jessica was intrigued by what Emily wanted to say, unaware of her true identity.
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They returned to the balcony. Jessica leaned casually against the railing, her tone direct. “What do you want to talk about?”
Emily hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching Jessica’s face. Then, she spoke.