A few moments later, Thaddeus strode back into the living room and held his hand out for Jessamine.Jessamine was stunned. Did he want to hold her hand?Thaddeus told Thomas, "Grandpa, let me borrow her for a while. You two can talk later."Thomas happily waved his hand. "Go ahead."Jessamine didn't know what he was up to, but she couldn't brush him off in front of Thomas. Therefore, she stretched out her hand and let him hold it.Thaddeus pulled her up with a little force and took her to the bedroom upstairs.The first thing he did after entering the room was to close the door behind him. Jessamine's heart skipped a beat when she heard the door close. She couldn't figure out why he was being so mysterious. It was as if they were about to do something shameful, and he had to close the door to do so.Thaddeus let go of her hand and opened a recording on his phone. Then, they heard the sound of rapid breathing, along with a man's explicit, teasing voice. Anyone who listened to thi
It was bad enough if other people saw that. But if her friends and family heard that recording, her life would be over."Can you take that post out of the trending topics?" Jessamine pleaded softly. Her determination to get divorced was long gone.Thaddeus couldn't handle her looking at him pitifully with her upturned eyes. He stroked the corner of her eyes with his thumb."Enough. I'm not crying, so why are you? No one can see your face. I probably forgot to end the call back then, and someone recorded us. It's not a big deal," he assured.Jessamine suddenly felt resentful. She looked sad as tears fell from her eyes. "Why were you on that call back then?"Thaddeus licked his lips, not knowing how to answer her. His intuition told him it was a rhetorical question, and he would get reprimanded no matter what answer he gave her. He just wanted to spice things up back then. He didn't expect this to happen."Don't cry. It's not a big deal. I've asked Jordan to handle it. Refresh th
Jessamine licked her lips. "I don't want to look at your phone, so don't look at my phone."Thaddeus nodded slightly before forcing the phone into her hand. "It's up to you if you want to look at my phone, but I have to see your phone."Jessamine was pissed. He was just that unreasonable, and sometimes, he was as childish as a preschool kid.Thaddeus tried to fish the phone from her pocket without waiting for her reply. He wanted to know who texted her, which made her want to hide it from him.When his hand reached her thigh, Jessamine panicked. "You're being unreasonable, Thaddeus! I already said I won't show it to you. If you keep doing this, I'll call Grandpa for help."Thaddeus had already reached his hand into her pocket. However, Jesasmine gripped her phone with both hands, putting all her strength into protecting it.No matter what the text said, she couldn't let him see it. That was how things were. However, Thaddeus was an extremely arrogant and overbearing man. He could
"You…" Her lips were stifled, and her words were cut short before they could fully form. The knock on the door went unnoticed by both of them. Slowly, the door creaked open. "Jessie, did you just call for me?" Thomas asked.Thomas entered the room to find them entangled on the bed. Instant regret washed over him for intruding upon this intimate moment. "Carry on!" With a hasty retreat and a wide grin, he left. Thomas rubbed his hands together with anticipation, feeling that the pitter-patter of little feet might soon grace their home. Jessamine's mind cleared up with the sudden shock. "Get up, Grandpa's outside." Thaddeus rolled to the side as he panted, trying to push away the intrusive thoughts that had taken hold of his mind. He blamed himself for his recklessness under the glaring daylight, with no curtains drawn and the unlocked door. But the sight of her smooth, curvy thighs had ignited a flame within him, a flame beyond his control. Indeed, this woman casted a spell
Jessamine felt her heart skip a beat, and she could hear the sound echoing in her ears. "Stop messing around. Grandpa's out there," she countered, using Thomas' presence as a diversion. Thaddeus let out a soft chuckle. "Grandpa has long gone, Jessie. And believe it or not, he isn't only not outside, but he won't allow anyone else upstairs." "Are you going to help me or not? I'll go get Mom," she threatened, her steps faltering."You don't consider her as an outsider, do you? Are you sure you want her to see all these marks on your body?" he retorted.Thaddeus' words brought her to a halt. He dislocated the stuck fabric in the zipper with a few adjustments and smoothly pulled it up. Jessamine breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks." Thaddeus turned her to face him, his expression serious. "If you're grateful, show some sincerity. Move back to the master bedroom and stop playing games. Can you really sleep alone?" He silently criticized her internally, wondering how this hear
Thaddeus clenched his fists. It was the first time he had heard such harsh words from her. She claimed he was tainted, and he found himself speechless in defense. That night remained a haze in his memory; he couldn't recall how it happened. Sometimes, he wondered if it was a lie concocted by Amy. But he doubted a woman would bring up her innocence as a matter of concern. For the first time, Thaddeus felt powerless. Matters solvable with money now seemed trivial compared to the complexity of his current situation.The atmosphere in the wardrobe grew tense. Thaddeus' phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a call from Amy. Jessamine caught a glimpse of it. She offered a bitter smile before turning away in resignation. He found Jessamine's reaction ironic. She had transitioned from disliking Amy to adopting an indifferent stance. After a moment of hesitation, he answered the call. "Stop calling me unless it's urgent," he instructed curtly. On the other end, Amy's voic
Jessamine stood in stunned silence, her mind replaying Amy's actions—sipping coffee, indulging in alcohol, and rocking high heels. Was the ultrasound report she sent fake? So Amy wasn't pregnant after all!It dawned on Jessamine that all of this was a ploy orchestrated by Amy to drive her away from Thaddeus. Though uncertain if this revelation qualified as good news, a wave of relief washed over Jessamine. Her hand instinctively found its place on her abdomen. If there were no illegitimate child, then her baby wouldn't suffer the same fate as her—a childhood marred by loss, abandoned due to a half-blood sister's machinations. "Jessie, let's not get a divorce, alright? You've known about Amy before, and we were doing fine, weren't we?" Thaddeus pleaded. Her heart softened a little at his pleads.Thaddeus observed her silence and dared to hope that she grasped his sentiment. "Jessie, can't we carry on like this?" He lifted her chin tenderly, wiped away her tears with gentle
With such thoughts, Jessamine felt as if she was on cloud nine. After days of darkness, everything suddenly seemed illuminated, and she was filled with an indescribable joy. Jessamine soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber as they lay in bed. It had been days since she had experienced such rest, as relentless nightmares plagued her.Finally, she was able to enjoy a peaceful sleep. A knock at the door awakened Jessamine. She rolled over and nestled her head into Thaddeus' chest. She had just gotten up from sleep and subconsciously craved the warmth of his embrace. "Jessie, I'll go get the door," Thaddeus murmured, gently freeing his arm from under her head. Upon opening the door, he found a tray of prepared meals with a note on the floor that read, "No need to come downstairs for meals. Rest well." It had Thomas' handwriting. It was evident that Thomas had mistakenly guessed what had happened in the room.Thaddeus brought the tray inside and set it on the balcony table, w