Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts novel Chapter 327

"Don't sweat it, Joy has worked at the Meyer Group for years, and I know her well enough to say she's tough as nails. She's not one to quit easily. Plus, her mom is in a nursing home and relies on her. She can't simply up and leave." Ethan said, looking at the room full of emotionally charged people.

"We can only hope she's as resilient as you say, and faces life with a positive outlook." Rita said.

Ines and Ethan remained in the hospital room. An hour later, Jeffery showed up, hand in hand with a teary-eyed Joy, and a suitcase in the other. It was clear Joy had intended to leave, but Jeffery had stopped her in the nick of time.

Joy had changed out of her wedding dress and was now in her regular clothes. As soon as she walked in, she knelt down by the bed. Zander immediately went to pull her up, saying helplessly, "What do you think you're doing? Get up."

"Joy, stand up. It's not appropriate to kneel while talking." Rita said, struggling to hold back her emotions.

"Don't stop me. Let me kneel. It'll lessen the guilt I feel." Joy said, pushing away Zander's hand.

Zander saw that he couldn't persuade her and could only turn to Jeffery. Jeffery just nodded, seeming to accept her actions.

"I'm sorry for lying to you all. What that woman, Tina, said was true. I used to be an architect. I served three years in prison because of a project mishap. My mother is still alive, but she has Alzheimer's, so I put her in a nursing home. By the time I got out of jail, she had gotten used to the life there and didn't want to live with me. I had no income in prison, and the savings I had previously were drained by my mother's medical bills during those three years. I was desperate for a job after getting out, but I didn't have any skills outside of architecture. I couldn't survive in City A anymore, so I moved to City B." Joy tearfully confessed her past.

Though the hardest days were over, she still couldn't help but tear up when she talked about those times. Ines, seeing her tear-streaked face, pulled out a tissue from her bag and handed it to her. Joy took the tissue, gave her face a quick wipe, and continued, "When I moved to City B, I dropped the name that I used before and took on my real name, which I don't use often. But even then, jobs were hard to come by.

“Luckily, I ran into a college friend who's now the HR manager at our company. She helped me hide my past from the company, which is how I managed to get a job. After falling in love with Jeffery, I wanted to tell him many times. But I was afraid that our relationship would fall apart if I did, so I never had the courage to. As our wedding approached, I was even more afraid that you wouldn't accept a woman who's been to prison, so it was even harder to tell you."

Rita looked at Joy, her tone still dark, "When were you planning to tell us the truth? Did you plan to hide it from us forever?"

"I was planning to tell you when Jeffery and I had a child. I thought by then you would forgive me for the child's sake. I was really worried when I found out that Ines' husband is Ethan. I was afraid that as soon as they arrived, my past would be revealed. That's why I kept insisting that Jeffery not call Ines." Joy said.

Jeffery had brought Joy straight back from the airport, and hadn't had the chance to ask about her past. Now it all made sense. She wasn't an intern at a big company, but a former employee at the Meyer Group. She wasn't a novice, but a skilled architect.