Jonathan furrowed his brow slightly, but since he couldn''t see Anneliese''s


    expression, he chalked it up to maybe being too eager to see her—letting his nerves get the better of him.


    His voice softened. "So... have you been thinking about me?"


    Anneliese bit her lip, and her throat tightened at his tender tone. "Jess is here. Besides, it''s only been a day since we split."


    She didn''t answer directly. But the truth was, she had missed him. Of course, she had. Even if all she could think about was the worst-case scenarios.


    Jonathan naturally felt a twinge of frustration at her reply, but knowing she was always shy about showing her feelings, he assumed she was just being considerate of Jessica.


    He pivoted smoothly. "Jessica''s pregnant? The baby... is it Zane''s?"


    A wave of irritation hit Anneliese instantly. It was obvious Zaxton had already filled Jonathan in.


    She pressed her lips together, and her voiceced with scorn and annoyance. "I really don''t know if you sent someone to protect me or just spy on me."


    The chill in her tone was unmistakable, even across the distance. Jonathan could feel the icy anger radiating from her.


    He hadn''t expected her to flip like that, and even his usually calmposure faltered for a brief moment. His striking features nked out, then his sharp brows knitted tightly together.


    Regaining himself, Jonathan loosened his tie and spoke gently, as if trying to soothe her.


    "I sent him to protect you. After what happened with the kidnapping, I couldn''t risk leaving you alone. And Grandma isn''t in the best of health. If something went wrong, you and Jessica would be too vulnerable. Zaxton was there to handle emergencies. I didn''t tell you because I didn''t want to ruin your New Year. If you''re upset about this, I can apologize. Next time, whatever I do involving you, I''ll tell you in advance. Okay?"


    He exined patiently, but somehow it made Anneliese feel irrational, as if she were being unfair for misinterpreting his good intentions.


    She didn''t calm down. If anything, she felt a mix of shame and anger, even guilt, all knotting in her chest. Her teeth pressed into her lip hard enough to leave pale marks.


    "Fine, even if that''s true, if it wasn''t spying, why did he tell you about Jessica being pregnant? That has nothing to do with anything."


    Jonathan paused for a moment, then said, "He didn''t tell me. I figured it out."


    And indeed, Zaxton hadn''t said a word.


    "Zaxton only mentioned you got tangled up with Zacharias at the hospital. I was worried about your head getting injured again, so I pressed him. That''s when he admitted you went with Jessica. But Zacharias wouldn''t just assume you were pregnant and start a fight for no reason. So I figured you must have gone to the OB-GYN Zane called mest night. He said he hadn''t been able to reach Jessica these past couple of days, and today


    is New Year''s Day. If it weren''t


    urgent, you wouldn''t rush to the hospital with her. Honey, I''m not stupid. All the clues added up."


    Jonathan''s tone was steady, patient, and deliberate.


    He exined everything clearly because he didn''t want her to think he had sent someone to spy on her, and he didn''t like this little wedge toe between them. He is so patient, so gentle, so understanding...


    Anneliese felt like she was just beingpletely unreasonable, and she knew her mind was off bnce.


    Because of that princess room, because of those ugly suspicions, she couldn''t meet him with a calm heart.


    The better he treated her, the tighter her chest twisted with hurt and resentment.


    She was terrified that every bit of his kindness toward her was a result of his affection for another woman.


    She realized that after going through betrayal once, she hadn''t grown braver or more decisive.


    Instead, she had gotten weaker.


    Back when she''d overheard the truth outside Zacharias'' office, her heart had ached


    and burned with anger, but she had dared to confront it.


    In that moment, she had made the right, decisive choice to cut ties and get a divorce.


    But yesterday, when she stepped into that princess'' room, she didn''t even dare to confront it. She could only tell herself excuses that her Body felt off, the Fullbusters weren''t the right ce for a fight, anything to make herself run away.


    She was terrified that her darkest suspicions the awful idea of being a recement-might actually be urate. Just imagining it nearly crushed her. If it were true, she couldn''t even guess how much it would hurt, or what kind of reckless,


    crazy thing she might do to


    Jonathan in a moment of losing control.


    She had never felt this frantic, this helpless, this lost and timid.


    Anneliese gritted her teeth. In the reflection on the car window, her almond-shaped


    eyes glistened with trembling tears, like two pools of blood.