bhapter /b8

bShe /bdidn’t bexpect /bBrian to walk around to the other side. “Just your period? Then bwhat /babout all the vomiting and nausea these past few days?b” /b

Jessica shut her eyesb, /bdeciding to just ignore him altogether.

Brian moved closerb, /breaching out to pick her up. “I’m taking you for a pregnancy test.”

“Brian.” bJessica /bshoved him baway /bfuriously, her voice icy. “Are you really not going to stop until I drop dead?”

“Mr. Atkinson, Jessi probably just got her period. Her mood swings these days might just be PMS,” Madeline said.

She had been standing at the door with Jacob, eavesdropping for quite a while. The moment she heard Brian mention taking Jessica for a pregnancy btest/bb, /bshe couldn’t hold back any longer. She immediately walked in, pulling Jacob along with her.

Madeline thought, “There’s no way bJessica /bis pregnant. If she bwere/b, with the way she’s clung to Brian all these byears/b, she would’ve run to get a pregnancy test the moment she found out.

She wasn’t bsure /bwhat Jessica was trying to pull this time, but she was happy to watch it y out.

With Madeline stepping in to exin, Brian didn’t press the pregnancy test any further.

He thought, ‘So all that nausea and vomiting these past few days were fake? Now that bI /bsaid I’d take her to get checked, bshe’s /bscared? She must know she isn’t pregnant,

huh?

His face darkened even more as he felt that Jessica had taken things way too far. He immediately said, “If there’s nothing wrong with you, then gather your stuff and get discharged. I don’t have time to waste sitting around this hospitalb.” /b

“Sir, the patient really shouldn’t be discharged. She needs-” the nurse said, trying to stop him, but Jessica quickly shook her head at her.

“I’m fine. Resting at home will be the same.” Jessica gave the nurse a grateful smile, though her bface /bwas pasty and that forced smile made her look all the more pitiful.

She changed back into her own clothes and walked out bof /bthe room, while Brian had already stormed ahead, several yards in front of her.

shifted slightly. She sent Jacob ahead and deliberatelygged behind, smiling sweetly as she asked the nurse, “Missb, /bbis /bJessica

Madeline’s eyes pregnant?”

She smiled with that innocent, harmless look, but the nurse had seen enough people to read the situation in one nce.

She pegged Madeline bas /bthe side piece of Brian. With a look of disdain, the nurse shot Madeline a nce and turned away without a word.

Madeline’s expression twisted for a second.

When they got back to Atkinson Vi, bJessica /bwent straight upstairs to her room. She faintly heard Jacob asking Madeline what they bwere /bhaving for dinner.

Jessica couldn’t help but bfeel /bdisappointed. From the moment she fainted until now, her heartless son hadn’t shown even a bit of concern for her.

The next morning, even though she wasn’t feeling well, bJessica /bstill woke up on time like clockwork. She got out of bed to make breakfast for Jacob.

bOver /bthe years, this had be a habit she never broke. Even nowb, /bwith her decision to bleave /balready made, she still nned to carry out her responsibilities for thest dozen or so days.

She pushed through the difort to bget /bup and made her way downstairs to prepare breakfast, only to see Brianb, /bJacob, and Madeline already sitting together at the dining tableb, /beating.

Brian nced at the burn blister on Madeline’s hand and said, “You don’t need to bother with chores like thisb. /bbJessica /bwill take bcare /bof it.”

Jessica froze slightly. Then she heard Madeline reply, b“/bbIt’s /breally fine. bJessi’s /bnot feeling well. It’s only right I help her out with ba /bfew things.”

Jessica sneered internally, b‘/bSo in Brian’s beyes/b, cooking for them is bjust /bsomething I’m supposed to do?‘

She looked at Madeline’s delicate hand and thought, ‘Wasn’t this the same woman who once cried in front of me, saying she bgrew /bup standing on stools cooking for her whole family?

‘Now she could bget /bba /bblister from frying ba /bcouple of beggs/bb? /bShe’s bseriously /bying the helpless damsel who’s never lifted ba /bbfinger/b, just to look fragile in front bof /bbBrian/bb?/bb‘ /b

bJessica /blooked baway /band turned baround/b. Then her phone buzzed.

b1/2 /b\

She nced down and saw the countdownb–/bbtwelve /bdays left.

Her finger slid across the screen, and she dialed a number she hadn’t called in a long time. “Simon,” she said.

b272 /b