Zoe asked grumpily, "Jay Parker, is it really that easy to give up on me?!""No," Jay quickly replied."Then why would you do it time after time?""Well, what's our relationship now?" Jay asked in return.Zoe frowned, but it slowly dawned on her that he was pointing out that they were married.If he really wanted to abandon her, why would he marry her now?Somehow, that thought granted her comfort. "Yeah, me too," Zoe suddenly said."What?" Jay asked, a little confused just then."I never abandoned you, even if you left me in despair repeatedly. Whenever you made a move, I'd…"Zoe trailed off, reluctant to finish—she had her pride too!But she could not lie either… Even so, no matter how Jay hurt her, he just had to do something—anything—and she would be defenseless."Anyway, about Bob…"Zoe suddenly brought the conversation back on track.It left Jay feeling like he was stabbed—repeatedly.Bob was certainly a thorn in his side…Zoe said, looking Jay straight in the
Jay looked at Zoe in turn and said solemnly, "Me too. You're the only one I ever loved."The love in his eyes was all too obvious."Then… Have you never loved anyone else before?" It was not as if Zoe doubted Jay—in fact, she was dead sure that he loved her, at least now.But was he really abstinent before too? Did he really only fall in love at this age?!"Be it in the past or the present, the only one I love is—"Jay was suddenly cut off by the ringing of his phone.Zoe frowned.The mood between them was just perfect! Who could have such poor timing to interrupt them right now?!She was predicting that things would get even more spicier than before tonight and was naturally a little annoyed.Still, Jay answered his phone after hesitating for a moment—it was Ruby Jones, producer of Journey of Love.And they were in showbiz, so courtesy was necessary."Hello, Ms. Jones." Jay greeted Ruby politely."Are you still in the hospital right now, Mr. Parker?""Yes, we are.""Ho
There were also videos and photos of Jay abroad receiving treatment, all of them evidence indicating Zoe was not with him at the time—that they were lying to everyone.Naturally, they were flamed soon after the news was leaked.[My god! Is this real?! Unbelievable… I shipped them so much, but it's all lies!][This is disgusting if it's true! They are treating us like idiots, deceiving us like this!][Well, what's their relationship, really? And who's the father?][I even heard that they are doing a variety show together, that they were being sweet. Is that all fake too?]Both Jay and Zoe were scowling harder by the second as they scrolled through the radical comments."I'll be direct, Mr. Parker. I'm sure you know better than I do, since I'm sure you know better than I do that anything can happen in showbiz," Ruby said, having given Jay enough time to check the news."Of course. Tell me." Jay remained calm and composed.Zoe, who was on the verge of screaming, was actually impr
"Are you really not worried at all?" Zoe asked Jay. "I mean, we really did lie to the public, and that's going to stick! Our careers will suffer from this permanently…"Zoe was seized with further panic the more she spoke, especially since she was the reason for all this.If it was not to save her reputation, Jay would never have publicly announced their marriage.And now, she was dragging him down with her.She was fine with anything that came her way, but Jay would now suffer with her…"Don't worry. I can handle this," Jay said, even giving her an assuring look just then."But…""Just rest. I'll make some calls, set up an arrangement.""What are you going to do?""You'll know soon enough.""You're keeping it from me?""Just didn't want to worry you.""I'm already worried." Zoe huffed. "The more you tell me not to, the more I'm panicking here.""Be good now," Jay said, patting her head. "Believe in your husband—believe that he can protect you."Zoe felt a warm sensation
Cora was biting her lip.Yes, she was the one who leaked the news.To be precise, she had asked her mother to do it.She had lost her cool when she returned to her ward and texted her mother endlessly, saying things like Zoe had stolen twenty years of her life and was now messing around with Bob. She insisted that Zoe was intent on messing with her and had every intention to make her life miserable!For Nancy's part, she already owed Cora a lot, and Zoe was the symbol of her humiliation. In fact, she already had trouble abiding with Zoe's presence before, but she never made a move as she was worried about provoking Jay.But once Cora ranted to her over the phone, all hell broke loose.It took just ten minutes for the bombshell about Jay and Zoe's marriage to reach news headlines.Be that as it may, Cora was now afraid after causing such a huge mess.In fact, she had no idea why she was scared of Jay, but she always had been cowed by him.Maybe because Jay helped her on her ris
Bob was furious. "Yes, she stole twenty years of your life, but have you considered that you did the same to her too?! And she never hated you for it!"Comment by _ Lunaelle: changed "apoplectic"... please be mindful of big words in future translations"So what?!" Cora retorted. "She enjoyed all the luxuries of Levine Manor and had the best education, while I suffered out there! What right does she have to hate me?!""You like to think so, don't you?" Bob snapped, arguing furiously and not caring about humiliating Cora just then. "It's exactly as you put it—she enjoyed all those luxuries in life and would still be the heiress of the Levine family if you never showed up. She would still be high-and-mighty, enjoying life without a care, but because you showed up, she lost everything from her wealth to her family! Ask your conscience, wouldn't you feel hate if you were in her shoes?!""You're still my fiance, Bob!" Cora cried hysterically. "How could you say such things to me?! I'm th
Cora could not accept reality at all and was still yelling after Bob maniacally to justify herself. "I never did anything wrong! Zoe owes me that much! But now, every single one of you is hurting me!"Yes.She was not at fault.They were all at fault! Even so, Bob seemed not to hear her hysteria and left without looking back.Cora bit her lip.No. She had no regrets! She refused to regret what she did today! Never!-After leaving Cora's ward, Jay had headed to a quiet corner in the hospital, making arrangements in an orderly manner.Bob quietly walked up to Jay and waited in silence as he stood beside Jay.After around half an hour, Jay finally hung up and turned to Bob.As the men traded glances, Bob spoke first. "Sorry. I was the one who brought this on Zoe."Jay shook a head—this was not Bob's fault at all.It was Cora, who never once let go of the darkness plaguing her heart.He thought she could slowly change with everything he had done for her, but it turned o
Jay returned to Zoe's ward, where she kept browsing through the news.She would be lying if she was not upset, though it surprised her that she was even more upset seeing the comments flame Jay more than they flamed her.As such, Jay found her cheeks bright red as soon as she entered, looking like she was ready to fight someone at any moment.He could not help chuckling just then, though Zoe noticed him just then.She was speechless to see him smiling and looking so good at that. "How could you still smile now, Jay?! The ground is crumbling beneath our feet!""I'd still have enough money to last both of us." Jay grinned adoringly."So, you don't have a solution?" Zoe stared at him just then, feeling very much hysterical.Did she want money? Yes, she certainly did.But more than that, she wanted both money and faith!She was endlessly greedy that way."I do. We have a press conference scheduled for 2 PM tomorrow, though I don't know what might come of it." Jay told her about