Timothy arched a brow, his slender fingers drummingzily on the table. "What is she doing here?" he asked, his tone careless.


    Ines''s expression shifted instantly. "Didn''t you ask Mr. Smith to rmend someone for a part?"


    Mr. Smith chimed in, "Yeah, you wanted me to hold that role for you, right? Weren''t you going to pull some strings?"


    Listening to them, She felt an unexpected flutter of happiness-Timothy was still going out of his way to help her. But she couldn''t understand why Ines and Mr. Smith seemed so surprised, or why they kept bringing up Jessica.


    What did any of this have to do with Jessica? Timothy had always intended for this role to go to her, hadn''t he?


    Now even Timothy looked puzzled. "I did ask Mr. Smith for a part, but what does that have to do with Jessica?"


    Ines grew flustered. "Weren''t you asking for Jessica''s sake?"


    Timothy''s dark eyes narrowed, his jaw set. "When did I ever say the role was for Jessica? She''s been out of the industry for seven years-how could she possibly handle Director Smith''s animation project?"


    "Then who did you want the role for?" Mr. Smith pressed, his gaze fixed intently on Timothy.


    At that moment, She''s face drained of color.


    So both Ines and Mr. Smith had assumed Timothy was getting the part for Jessica. In their minds, it was as if the role already belonged to her.


    Timothy didn''t notice the change in She''s expression-she rarely ever spoke up to him anyway.


    He could never forget the fire all those years ago. It had started because of him, and She, trying to save him, had been so badly affected by the smoke that she''d almost lost her voice forever.


    There was no way he''d ever turn his back on She.


    "It''s for She," Timothy said, his voice calm and unwavering.


    Ines looked like she had a headache. "This is all just a huge misunderstanding. It''s all gotten mixed up. Mr. Smith came to my studio today, telling me he wanted to meet Jessica as soon as possible, since you''d asked him for a role. If he couldn''t get an answer from Jessica soon, he''d just give it to you because of your rtionship. Back in the capital, you agreed to let Jessica work again, so I thought you two had talked it over..."


    She pressed her fingers to her temples, frowning deeply. "And the night Mr. Smith arrived in Riverside, Jessica promised me that no matter what happened, she''d go back to work. She really wanted a shot at his film. We met outside The Silverthread Café, but then your son called, insisting shee home, threatening to jump if she didn''t. She had no choice but to leave. She was all ready for this role—it''s my fault. I thought she''d told you, and that you''d support her. That''s why I asked Mr. Smith for the spot."


    Ines exined everything in one breath,ying out the whole tangled mess.


    Timothy frowned. That night, he hadn''t heard a word about Henry threatening to make Jessicae home. By the time he''d returned, Henry was already asleep, and Jessica hadn''te back at all.


    His eyes darkened. He turned to Mr. Smith, his profile sharp. "So, because of all that, you also thought I wanted the role for Jessica?"


    Mr. Smith nodded. "A few weeks ago, I stumbled across her graduation project. I asked around and found out she''d been one of Ines''s students. I''ve been looking for her ever since. Timothy, she''s incredibly talented. The moment I saw her work, I knew she was exactly what I''d been searching for. She''s your wife. Don''t you want to support her gift her passion?"