Jodie''s face went pale in an instant as she stared at Ethan.

It felt as if her entire world had crumbled, and waves of panic, terror, and an unbearable sense of loss began flooding in.

She desperately forced herself out of bed, and in a trembling voice, she called out, "Uncle Ethan, what do you mean by that? What are you trying to do?"

No one had ever dared to provoke Ethan like this before.

She fell hard onto the floor, and almost immediately, heavy drops of tears began to spill from her eyes. "You used to spoil me the most... What does this mean? Are you saying you don''t want me anymore?" she cried.

However, Ethan never responded and walked out without a word.

Jodie sat there on the cold floor,pletely numb to the pain in her body. All she could feel was the overwhelming emptiness of being thrown away by the world.

Yet when she thought back on how kind he had been and how he had protected her, she convinced herself that he wouldn''t truly abandon her. He was simply angry at her, that was all.

He would eventuallye back to her.

All she had to do now was recover, and everything would be fine.

She braced herself against the edge of the mattress, attempting to pull herself back onto the bed. All of a sudden, the door swung open and Yancey stepped in.

The appearance of her supposed "older brother" brought another burst of tears from her eyes. Her voice broke as she choked out the words, "Yancey, look at me! What man would want me now?"

He shut the door slowly, then poured her a ss of water with practiced patience. In a toneced with a touch of regret, he said, "How did you let ite to this? I heard Grace was the one who did this to you. Heartless, as always. I thought she would be dead this time."

His words weren''t meant forfort. They were meant to assure her that they were now in the same boat, united by the same enemy. The enemy of one''s enemy was, after all, a friend.

Sure enough, Jodie''s mood eased slightly, though her voice was still trembling as she said, "Uncle Ethan must be blinded by love if he actually favors that bitch."

Yancey ced the ss in front of her. "But just now, you mentioned a child... What child?" he asked gently, almost in a coaxing manner.

He had heard vague whispers before, rumors passed in hushed tones, but he had never managed to find a crack in Ethan''s armor.

Ethan was simply far too guarded; he had no weaknesses to exploit.

Jodie''s fingers flinched upon his question as if they were struck by some invisible force. Fear began shing in her eyes.

Yancey patted her head and said, "I get you the best doctors; your hands and legs will get better. And don Worry deal with Grace. You know, Jodie... No one hates her more than do.  s?novels

"Her being with that escort is a public p to my face. She has humiliated me too many times. I''m sick of it."

He paused, watching Jodie closely, and then his tone softened once more. "So, what''s the story behind this child? Maybe that child could be the too that would drive Grace and Ethan apart for good. Isnt that what you want?"  s

Foolish as she often was, Jodie was unexpectedly guarded when it came to this.

"Yancey, please stop asking. I want to rest," she said.

The cheerfulness somehow dimmed slightly from Yancey''s expression. Jodie clearly held a crucial piece of the puzzle, yet she refused to ce it on the table.

It seemed like he would have to find another way to obtain it.fnbd1d Readplete version only at f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?/fnbd1d

"Alright. I won''t force you. Just remember that I''ll always be on your side. If you

ever feel sad, just call me anytime to talk, okay?" he said gently.

These were the sort of tender reassurances women loved to hear.

Jodie''s eyes reddened even more, and she nodded faintly before lying down.

She would keep this piece of information a secret for the time being the child was her trump card. The child would be her leverage to me potentially turn the tables if Ethan really chose to abandon her.  s