?Chapter 1422:


    His intention was to take her home, but when he arrived and saw the lights off at her ce, he silently reversed the car and headed to his own home instead. Jessica had no idea where they were going, but she stayed still, not daring to look around for fear of giving herself away.


    By the time they reached his house, it was well past eleven. Melvin carried her inside, and as the door closed behind them, Jessica immediately recognized the familiar sound of his home.


    “Jessica,” Melvin said softly.


    Jessica kept up her charade, eyes closed, offering no response.


    Melvin, noticing her silence, moved with care,ying her gently on the bed. He removed her shoes with deliberate slowness, and after a brief hesitation, he began to take off her makeup.


    As Jessica felt his hands move near her face, her mind wandered, her thoughts spinning in a mix of uncertainty and curiosity. How had he even thought to remove her makeup? The level of care he showed was beyond what most men, even those with ample rtionship experience, would offer.


    After gently wiping her face clean, Melvin took the extra step of applying moisturizer, his attentiveness never wavering.


    At first, Jessica had kept up the act of being drunk, but as exhaustion crept in, she sumbed to real sleep.


    The next morning, just as the sun began to rise, her phone rang, pulling her from thefort of her dreams.


    Groggily, she nced at the caller ID and saw it was Jack. Her frustration bubbled up. “What’s so important at this hour?”


    “Did youpletely forget about the wedding today?” Jack’s voice came through, persistent. “Are you at your parents’ or your ce?”<fnf0b9> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n </fnf0b9>


    By “your ce,” he meant the apartment Jessica had imed was her new home with Jack.


    Jessica froze for a moment, her mind racing to fully wake up. She sat up quickly.


    “Hello?” Jack’s voice broke through the silence as he waited for a reply that never came.


    Jessica’s eyes swept across the room, the unfamiliar surroundings making her pause. She bit her lip, her thoughts in turmoil, before she finally spoke. “I’m at Melvin’s.”


    Jack, baffled, struggled to understand the situation. Confusion clouded his mind. “What?”


    “I had a little too much to drinkst night. Melvin offered to take me back to his ce,” Jessica exined, rubbing her forehead as shes of the previous night crept back. “Just wait for me. I’ll be over soon.”


    “Okay,” Jack replied.


    With a soft click, the call ended, and Jessica climbed out of bed. Her frown deepened when she realized she hadn’t changed out of her clothes from yesterday.


    The outfit, too revealing for her liking, made her uneasy. If Jack saw her like this, she could already hear his disapproving words.


    At that moment, a knock echoed from the door.


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