Chapter 12
He wore a white tank top that revealed the sleek lines of his shoulder muscles.
With one hand, he wiped sweat from his temples with a towel, water droplets dripping from his hair into the defined hollow of his collarbone.
Dylan stood still, his gaze lingering with a hint of exhaustion–induced languor.
Jennifer’s face flushed instantly as she swallowed the sudden moisture in her throat.
“Look, would it be okay if Tiantian sleeps here tonight?
I’ll come pick her up first thing tomorrow.”
Dylan spoke while pulling on his shirt.
Jennifer looked up, teasing, “Why don’t you stay too? It’s so late.
Tiantian and I can take the bed, you can make do with the floor. Otherwise, if she wakes up wanting you and can’t find you, wouldn’t I have to carry her searching for you in the middle of the night?”
He paused mid–motion. Meeting Jennifer’s eyes, he lowered his head.
“I’ve really troubled you today.”
“Not at all.”
Jennifer said the words, yet inwardly she deeply relied on the sense of
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Chapter 12
security Dylan and Tiantian brought her.
Her life seemed to be gaining color, gaining warmth.
This security didn’t just bring peace; it banished her loneliness and fear.
Smith Family.
Nicole and her family had been living there for some time now.
Alexander emerged from the study to find Nicole organizing Edward’s backpack in the living room.
Alexander picked up a nearby coffee cup, frowned as he took a small sip, and immediately set it down.
Unusually bitter.
He was momentarily stunned.
These things were utterly ordinary when Jennifer was home. Why did they feel so different now?
Alexander just lifted his gaze, his eyes stung.
He said nothing in the end, merely adjusting his cuff. “I’m heading to the office.”
The entire day at work, his chest felt tight.
He called the nanny, informing her he had a business dinner that evening.
Only as he spoke did he realize how little desire he had to go home.
Because when he returned, only fleeting emptiness would greet him.
“Was I truly wrong?”
Chapter 12
Alexander pressed his temples hard, feeling a persistent hollowness inside.
When Nicole came to the office, her first question was when Edward would be enrolled in the city’s best school.
“Let’s wait a bit longer. I’ll arrange it after this busy period.”
Her eyes swirled with concern. “But Edward wants to travel. He’s getting older, and I’ve never taken him anywhere.”
She finished, looking at him coquettishly.
“If he wants to travel, just go.”
Alexander had no heart for it.
“I have that dinner tonight. Come with me.”
Alexander spoke again.
“But… but I need to help Edward with his homework. I probably don’t
have time.”
Nicole’s words made Alexander pause. Right, She wasn’t Jennifer.
The old Jennifer, no matter how late the dinner, would
dinner, would go without question if he asked.
Attending so many high–society events together, others naturally assumed she was Mrs. Smith.
Yet he had never acknowledged it before.
Seeing Nicole evade his request, his patience dwindled.
He waved a hand, dismissing her.
Alone in his office, his palms grew numb from digging in his nails.
The gloom outside the window refused to lift, mirroring the heaviness in Alexander’s heart.
He barely spoke throughout the dinner meeting.
When Jennifer had been by his side, she’d smooth things over for him and pick out the dishes he disliked.
Now, he could only stare blankly at the rotating platter, no longer certain what he even enjoyed eating.
“Alexander, didn’t you always bring Jennifer along before?
Why isn’t she here tonight?”
Alexander lifted his gaze. “She’s gone.”
A stunned silence fell over the guests seated below.
Then came a long, uncomfortable quiet.
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