?Chapter 1394:


    “This is me being honest,” Melvin replied coolly.


    “So if I hadn’t asked you to pretend, you wouldn’t have let me kiss you?”


    “Right.”


    “Fine. I don’t need you to pretend anymore.”


    “Alright.”


    The entire time, he remained unnervingly calm. His expression was nk, his voice emotionless.<fn18c4> Readplete version only at FιndＮovel</fn18c4>


    Jessica, caught between rage and heartbreak, stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tried to kiss him again.


    This time, he raised a hand and stopped her, holding her back. “This isn’t appropriate.”


    “Melvin!” Jessica’s voice cracked with frustration.


    He didn’t move. He stood there like a statue, blocking her without a hint of emotion.


    “Why won’t you just admit you care for me?” Her voice trembled now. “Is there something wrong with me? Did I do something to upset you?”


    “No,” Melvin answered, his tone t and mechanical.


    “Then there has to be something you’re worried about,” Jessica insisted.


    “There’s nothing. I just don’t have feelings for you,” Melvin said, his words striking like cold steel. Inside, he repeated to himself that this was the right thing to do. “Thanks for your affection.”


    Jessica felt her heart clench as if someone had driven a nail through it. She looked up at him, eyes burning. “So you’re rejecting me?”


    “Yes,” Melvin confirmed.


    “Fine.” Her voice was quiet now, resigned.


    Jessica pulled out her phone, tapped quickly, then brought it to her ear.


    Melvin caught sight of the redness in her eyes, and a sharp tug of emotion stirred inside him—an instinctive urge to reach out andfort her.


    gα?ησν????s﹒c??m has it all


    But he held himself back.


    Jessica had always been treated like something precious, a rare gem polished to perfection. A girl like her deserved nothing short of the best. And with the weight of his own tangled past, he didn’t believe he was worthy.


    “Jack,” Jessica said into the phone, her voice edged with steel and defiance. “Didn’t you say you wanted to marry me? Get your documents ready. We’ll get married tomorrow at 9 a.m.”


    “No!” Melvin’s brows snapped together as he reached out for her phone.


    Jessica took a step back, avoiding his hand with practiced ease. She didn’t even nce his way as she kept speaking into the call. “As for your girlfriends, break up with them if you want, or keep them. I won’t interfere. Alright, that’s it.”


    She flicked her gaze down at the screen, then powered the phone off with a final tap.


    After that, she turned and walked to the bedroom, her steps deliberate. Opening the closet, she pulled out a suitcase and began cing her clothes inside.


    Melvin trailed in behind her. Watching her pack with such calm precision sent a wave of pressure to his chest.


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