bChapter 405 /b

    Jake immediately froze in his seat. Nervously, he looked from his mom to his dad, his big eyes filled with bfear/bb. /bBrian bonly /bsmiled and said gently, “Pass the cutlery to Mommy.”

    At his words, Jake ced a te in front of Jessica, which only made her anger re up like wildfire as she bsnapped/bb, /b“Brian, are you deaf or something? I said you’re not allowed to sit here.”

    Jessica fumed inwardly, ‘Who does he think he is, acting on his own?‘

    Brian stood up helplessly. “Alright, I won’t sit. How about I stand here and take care of you and Jake while you eat?” His seemingly easygoing yet overbearing demeanor only infuriated Jessica further.

    She wanted to keep screaming at Brian to get the hell out, but at that moment, Jake called out softly, “Mommy.” He tugged gently at Jessica’s sleeve–a touch so light, yet it weighed heavily on her heart.

    Jessica looked down into his anxious eyes, and the harsh words she’d been about to hurl caught in her throat. She asked herself, ‘Do I really hate Brian that much? Or am I just afraid?‘

    Jessica couldn’t find the answer, or perhaps, she simply didn’t dare to face the truth. “Fine. Whatever,” she muttered in the end, her voice low and sullen.

    After tossing out those words, she buried her head and focused on eating, determined to block Brian outpletely.

    True to his word, Brian stayed standing the entire meal. Every time her te emptied, he would calmly serve her more.

    In the end, Jessica barely moved her own cutlery beyond her te for the entire dinner. Once she finished, Brian–who hadn’t eaten a single bite–immediately started clearing the table.

    “Jessi, help Jake with his homework for a bit. I’ll finish cleaning up quickly,” he said, already moving efficiently. As he worked, his movements were so smooth and practiced that he could have passed for a professional housekeeper.

    Jessica watched the scene unfold, her emotions growing increasinglyplicated. She thought, ‘No matter how much I try to deny it, the truth keeps proving that Brian has changed a lot, and all for me.‘

    “Mommy,e look at my drawings. I made two today,” Jake chirped excitedly as he reached out his small hand to take hers.

    However, without thinking, Jessica instinctively pulled her hand back. His little hand hung in the air for a moment before falling to his side, a shadow of disappointment flickering in his big, bright eyes.

    Jessica pressed her lips together, regretting what she had just done. However, it was impossible for her to take Jake’s hand first to make it up to him as well.

    In the end, she merely turned her head away and changed the subject. “Didn’t you say byou /bwanted bto /bshow bme /bbsome /bdrawings? Let’s see it.”

    Thankfully, Jake was especially well–behaved today. At her words, he immediately followed her bto /bbthe /bsofa.

    While helping Jake review his drawings, Jessica found her gaze repeatedly drifting toward bBrian/bb, /bbwho /bbwas /bbbusily /bbtending /b

    to household chores.

    He had already stacked all the dishes and cutlery neatly on the serving cartb, /bapparently nning to take bthem /bhome bto /bwash. Now, he was carefully wiping down the table with a clean cloth.

    His movements were precise and meticulous–the result of watching online housekeeping tutorials.

    ‘I used to watch those same videos too,‘ Jessica thought. ‘Back then, I was so eager to learn so that I could take bbetter /bbcare /bof Brian and Jake. I really did value our little family, but that’s all in the past inow/i.‘

    As soon as Brian finished his tasks, Jessica swiftly wrapped up her session with Jake. Then, ion /ithe pretext of bneeding /bbrest/b, she promptly ushered both of them out.

    Ever since Brian started asserting himself at home, it had be nearly impossible to avoid him. To cut down on interactions, Jessica’s only option was to spend more time at the office.

    Not only did she stoping inte or leaving early, but she also proactively volunteered for overtime several times.

    Each time she workedte, Sana would clock out right on time, always iming she had dinner ns. It left Jessica drowning in work, exhausted, and with no one to even chat with for a quick moment.