But Jessica still shook her head firmly: “I just took over the company here. I can’t just abandon everything and run back.”
She had her own career now, her own life, and people who were actually worth protecting.
She p
glanced over at Nosh, who was playing happily in the garden.
*Besides, you’re always jetting off somewhere with William. People are gonna think Nosh is my kid if you keep ditching him!“]
Jessica was complaining, but her actions said otherwise.
When Nash came running toward her, she opened her arms and
scooped him up.
“Aunt Jess is the best! Mommy and Daddy can go have your boring grown up fun–I’ve got Aunt Jess
Nosh clung to her like a linle kuala, and she didn’t mind at all, just held him close with the softest expression
Everyone laughed, and Jessica smiled too–a real and genuine smile.[]
She was happy now and she fucking loved it ||
Betty and William’s constant globe–trotting had initially annoyed her, but watching them discover joy in forgotten comers of the world, she’d started to understand the appeal.
“You know what?” Jessica had told Betty one evening as they watched Nosh chase fireflies in the garden. “Maybe it’s time I saw the world too. Really saw it, not just through business meetings and conference rooms.“]
Betty had practically squealed with excitement. “Yes! That’s the Jessica I remember from college! The one who used to drag me to underground art galleries and midnight poetry readings.”
So Jessica had done exactly that. She’d left the London office in capable hands and embarked on her own journey of rediscovery.
From the cherry blossoms in Kyoto to the northern lights in Iceland, from art galleries in Paris to street markets in Marrakech–she’d drunk in every experience like she was making up for lost time
It was in a small coastal town in Italy where she’d met him–Enzo West
“You’re different,” he’d said over dinner their first night together, candlelight flickering between them. “Most people I meet are running from something. You’re running toward something.1
He’d been right. She wasn’t fleeing her past anymore–she was building her future.[]
Their romance had been a whirlwind. Enzo had loved her fiercely but gently, never demanding more u
more than she was ready to give.
When she’d discovered she was pregnant, Jessica had been terrified. The memory of losing her first child,
t child, of being
being told she might never have another, had haunted her for years.
But Enzo had held her through every check–up, every
very moment of anxiety.
“Whatever happens, he’d whispered, “we face it together.”
Then their daughter Iris had been born on a sunny morning. Perfect and healthy, with Enzo’s dark eyes and jessica’s stubborn chin. [
Cupter 20
Now Cathy was using it to play queen bee
When they saw me, their friendly faces turned to stone. Like I was something they’d scraped off their shoes.[]
Mrs. Thompson stepped forward, ice in her voice: “Ms Jessica, Iris is expelled. Effective immediately.”
“My daughter gets a
attacked and you expel her?” I shot back.
“This is an elite school,” she said coldly. “We can’t have our reputation ruined by… certain people ”
My voice went deadly quiet: “You might want to check who the real mistress is before you talk”
I didn’t finish. Cathy’s hand cracked across my face.
“How dare you show up here? You woman who climbs up by using children.”
10
