CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: HE SAID SHE WAS TAINTED

Katherine froze. She recalled that when she had called Jenson earlier, he had simply retorted by asking who told her. But I interpreted that to mean the child *is* his, and he just wants to keep it a secret for now.

"If the child isn’t yours, then whose could it possibly be?"

After all, Crystal Sutton was Jenson Forrest’s ex-girlfriend. She had only left the country because she was heartbroken after Zinnia Lawrence stole Jenson from her. Now that Crystal was returning on Jenson’s private jet, whose child could it be if not his?

Jenson’s brow furrowed slightly. "Mother, that’s a strange question. I’m a married man. My wife—your daughter-in-law—is right here. You should only be asking me that question when *she* is the one who’s pregnant."

Zinnia’s heart pounded wildly. She clutched Jenson’s shirt, her breath catching in her throat.

"Jenson, are you refusing to admit it because you don’t want Crystal to be branded a homewrecker? Or... is it that you don’t want to divorce Zinnia? You can’t do this! That child is a Forrest, and the family needs this child right now! Julia’s illness..."

Katherine didn’t believe a word Jenson said. She had already checked with the hospital. Ever since Crystal returned to the country, all her medical bills had been paid from Jenson’s private account. Jenson even accompanied her to her doctor’s appointments. The nurse said he was very concerned about the child, and even Crystal herself had hinted that the baby was Jenson’s.

Jenson cut Katherine off, his voice turning dangerously cold. "I’ve said it before: Eighth does not need a bone marrow transplant, and Crystal’s child has nothing to do with me. Stop targeting that baby!"

Katherine was startled by his tone, and her expression soured.

Zinnia was surprised. Although Katherine and Jenson’s mother-son relationship wasn’t particularly close, Jenson had always been respectful toward his parents. At least, Zinnia had never heard him speak to Katherine in such a harsh tone. For the sake of the baby in Crystal’s womb, he had shown his own mother no respect at all.

Is he just pretending the baby isn’t his because he’s afraid Mother will target Crystal’s child as a potential medical resource for Eighth? That must be it, right?

Zinnia’s wildly beating heart gradually calmed down.

Jenson said no more, carrying Zinnia upstairs. Their figures quickly disappeared around the corner of the staircase.

Katherine was panting with rage, gripping the handrail for support. Yet, she and Zinnia had arrived at the same conclusion. The moment Julia’s illness was mentioned, Jenson got so defensive about Crystal’s child. The baby is definitely his, without a doubt.

Katherine sneered, then turned, grabbed her bag, and left.

「Upstairs.」

Jenson carried Zinnia into the bedroom and went to place her on the bed, but Zinnia struggled to get free.

"I feel dirty. I want to shower first. Let me down."

The faint scent of an unfamiliar man’s cologne clung to her. As Jenson was reminded of it, the smell suddenly seemed to grow stronger.

The man lowered his eyes and laughed coldly. "So you’re aware you’re dirty?"

He hadn’t meant anything by it, but she heard everything in it.

In an instant, she felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy cavern as the image of Kane Donovan pinning her against the wall flashed before her eyes again.

Yes, he’s right. I’m dirty.

Her face went ashen. Summoning a sudden burst of strength from nowhere, she broke free and shoved Jenson away with all her might. "No matter how dirty I am, I’m not as filthy as you! Go take care of your precious Crystal and her child!"

She fled into the bathroom as if she had suffered a terrible shock.

Pushed back two steps, Jenson’s handsome face turned to ice. He strode to the bathroom door and tried the handle. Zinnia had already locked it. From inside, he could hear the sound of the shower blasting. The sound of the water was loud. Jenson frowned and knocked twice. But the woman inside gave no response; he couldn’t tell if she hadn’t heard him or was simply ignoring him.

Jenson gritted his teeth, barely suppressing the fire in his chest before leaving the master bedroom.

「In the bathroom.」

Zinnia turned the shower on full blast. Before the water had a chance to warm up, she stepped directly under the spray, letting the cold water drench her from head to toe.

She scrubbed at her skin furiously, but the sticky, nauseating feeling seemed to have soaked into her very pores, refusing to wash away. Her hands, too, seemed to carry the lingering scent of blood.

Zinnia tilted her head back, tears mixing with the flowing water, vanishing without a trace.

How pathetic, she thought. Even though it was Crystal who answered my emergency call, I still can’t bring myself to hate Jenson. Because even though Jenson hadn’t come to save her, the survival skills she used to escape were taught to her by her brother.

After the incident when she was twelve, she had been left with deep psychological trauma. For a while, she couldn’t even attend school properly. Any time a middle-aged male teacher came near her, she would have an extreme reaction. It was Jenson who took her out every day on his bicycle to clear her head and took her to see a psychologist.

Her trust in the psychologist was low, so Jenson studied desensitization therapy and did a ton of research himself. In the end, he was the one who personally conducted her desensitization training. He would play various roles in a dark room, forcing her to confront and overcome her fears. Then he would take her out, accompanying her as she interacted with all sorts of middle-aged men, encouraging and supporting her until she was healed.

If not for him, I would have been completely paralyzed by painful memories tonight, with no strength to resist. The only reason I could stay calm and handle the situation was because of the patient care and protection my brother gave me back then. How could I possibly hate him? He’s my brother.

And yet, it was that same tender care that had turned these four years of cold neglect into a thousand blades, slashing Zinnia to ribbons. The experience of having something precious only to lose it again was a slow-acting poison, its effects spreading relentlessly through her every moment.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

The sound shattered Zinnia’s thoughts. By now, she was completely drained of strength, squatting against the corner wall.

"Zinnia!? Open the door! Did you fall asleep in there?"

Jenson had already finished showering in the guest bedroom, and more than forty minutes had passed, yet Zinnia still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom. Jenson knocked heavily on the door, but the only sound from within was the rush of water.

The man frowned, took a step back, and was just about to kick the door in when it swung open.

Zinnia stood there wrapped in a bath towel, her face deathly pale. Her hair was still soaking wet and clearly uncombed.

Jenson’s face was livid. "Zinnia, what the hell are you doing?"

Zinnia simply shook her head at him. Droplets of water flew from her hair and landed on his neck, startlingly cold. Jenson grabbed her wrist; sure enough, it was as cold as bone.

"Zinnia! Are you trying to kill yourself? You took a cold shower!"

Zinnia looked up at the furious Jenson, her expression a mixture of innocence and shock.

"Did I use cold water?" When I was under the shower, all I could feel was how dirty I was. So, so dirty. I just kept scrubbing, I didn’t even feel the cold.

Seeing her lips quivering and her entire body trembling on the verge of collapse, Jenson was so furious he wanted to drag her over his knee.

The infuriated man strode forward and scooped her up. "Did you wash your brain with cold water and turn stupid? Keep acting up, why don’t you!"

He shoved her under the covers, then went back into the bathroom to run a hot bath.

When he came out, Zinnia was huddled into a ball, shivering uncontrollably beneath the quilt. Jenson gritted his teeth, tempted to throw her out, quilt and all, just to save himself the heartache.

But that thought lasted less than half a minute in his mind.

By the time he came to his senses, his body seemed to have acted on its own. He had already stripped, slid under the covers, pulled off her bathrobe, and was now holding her tightly in his arms.

She felt like a woman made of ice in his arms. The stark contrast of their temperatures made even Jenson shiver.

He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her ice-cold, jade-like ear as he demanded angrily, "What the hell happened tonight?"

Something is seriously wrong with Zinnia!

Huddled in Jenson’s embrace, Zinnia was surrounded by a familiar warmth. She closed her eyes, feeling her rigid body slowly thaw and come back to life.

After waiting a long time for her to speak, Jenson’s voice grew stern. "Talk!"