Wyatt decided not to return to the office. He delegated his tasks to the vice CEO and did not want the latter to disturb him unless there was an emergency.
He would ask Jessica if she wanted to paint. If she were in the mood for painting, Wyatt would instruct the housekeeper to buy painting materials and an easel and set up the easel in the garden. He would accompany her to paint under the sun.
If she did not feel like painting, he would accompany her to listen to audiobooks and play some fun guessing games.
From then on, Wyatt stopped venting his frustration at her and would always coax her. I might not be able to help her become the Jessica she used to be, but it's okay as long as I have her by my side. That's more than enough for me.
The doctor gave Jessica a bottle of eye medication, and Wyatt would help her squeeze the eye drops into her eyes once every morning and evening.
However, her eyesight did not improve after using the medication for a week. She had almost finished using the eye drops, but there was no sign of improvement.
Today, the vice CEO called Wyatt, wanting him to handle an urgent matter.
“Take care of yourself, okay? I'll be back once I'm done.” Wyatt gave the woman a peck on her lips. “I'll buy you a mousse cake later. How about that?”
Jessica nodded. “Go and settle your things. The housekeeper can accompany me, so don't worry.”
After Wyatt left, Jessica wished to take a stroll outside the house, but the housekeeper warned her of the hot weather and the scorching sun.
Instead of going out, she told the housekeeper to turn on the television so she could listen to the news.
She spent the entire morning snacking in the living hall and listening to the news.
It was almost noon, but Wyatt had yet to return.
After lunch, Jessica felt sluggish. Instead of asking for the housekeeper's help, she slowly made her way upstairs while clinging to the handrail.
When she got upstairs, she heard people talking from a stone's throw away. “Poor Mrs. Lopez. Not only did she not know her pregnancy was nonviable, but she also had no idea she had to undergo surgery to remove the fetus.”
“Mr. Lopez dared not break the news to her because he was worried she might become emotional,” another housekeeper uttered.
The other housekeeper sighed. “But Mrs. Lopez is the one carrying the child. How could he keep this from her? Besides that, her uncle and aunt are all dead, yet Mr. Lopez refused to tell her the truth.”
“I heard her aunt died in a fatal accident when she was rushing to the hospital. Death is truly unpredictable, isn't it?”
One of them whispered, “When Mrs. Lopez went missing, I heard Mr. Lopez was so mad that he ordered his men to locate her uncle's whereabouts. That's a little extreme, don't you think?”
“Don't forget, Mr. Lopez even locked Mrs. Lopez up in the house. Though she ran away for a short while, he still managed to track her down and bring her home,” the other person said.
“I feel sorry for Mrs. Lopez.”
After a small talk, the housekeepers got back to their work.
Jessica gripped the handrail so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
Her entire body was shaking, and she completely zoned out.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she bit her lip and continued walking while holding the handrail. She acted as if she was coming upstairs.
The housekeepers, who were about to go downstairs, were taken aback when they saw Jessica standing by the stairs. “M-Mrs. Lopez.”
Jessica inclined her head in response. “I feel a little sleepy—heading back to the room to take a nap.”
“Do you need help, Mrs. Lopez?” one of the housekeepers asked.
“It's okay. I can walk on my own.”
As Jessica continued making her way upstairs, she heard them mutter anxiously, “I hope Mrs. Lopez didn't overhear our conversation when she was coming up...”
Jessica nearly burst into tears as a pang of emotions surged within her.
Even her legs had turned feeble.
All hell broke loose the moment Jessica entered the room.
After dropping to the carpeted floor and covering her face with her hands, she bit her lips and cried her eyes out as she did not want anyone to hear her. What Jacob said was true. Uncle Oliver and Aunt Danielle were dead.
She realized Wyatt had avoided arranging a meeting with Oliver and Danielle for her, no matter how many times she pleaded with him. That's because they're all dead. Wyatt lied to me. He lied to me because he knew I wouldn't accept the news. In fact, I, too, had been deceiving myself.
Wrapping her arms around her knees, Jessica sat behind the door and wept.
A few moments later, she heard someone walking in her direction. Panicked, she slowly crawled to the bed, hid under the blanket, and pretended to be asleep.
She could hear someone walking to the bed after opening the door.
“Time to wake up, Jessie.” The man gently pinched her cheeks and grinned. “The housekeepers told me you came up for a nap after lunch. Did you not get enough rest? It's almost evening now.”
Jessica acted as if she had just woken up. After rubbing her eyes, she said, “What did you say?”
“You've been sleeping for hours.”
“I'm a little exhausted today,” she said while the man helped her sit up. She got up from the bed and asked, “a busy day at the office, huh?”
“Yeah, but I managed to settle everything.” Wyatt helped her put on the cotton slippers.
When he lifted his head to look at Jessica, he noticed her eyes were red. He asked anxiously, “Why are your eyes red? Are you not well?”
Jessica shook her head. “No, I'm all right. I think I had a nightmare and bawled my eyes out.”
“I'll stay to keep you company tomorrow.” Wyatt helped her walk out of the bedroom. “I'll bring your uncle and aunt over to meet you in a couple of days. What do you think?”
Jessica pursed her lips and acted surprised. “Really? You're not lying, right?”
“Yes. When have I ever lied to you?” the man responded.
Jessica tried to pull herself together as she did not want to reveal any emotions before him. But you've been lying to me all this while!
Wyatt brought her downstairs to have dinner together.
After dinner, they sat on the couch and listened to the news on the television. Wyatt said, “I brought mousse cake home. I'll feed you.”
The fluffy cake melted in her mouth. It might be sweet, but everything Jessica ate at this point was bitter.
She forced herself not to think about the things that had happened and reluctantly took a few bites, but minutes later, she told Wyatt she did not feel like eating the cake anymore as she was not feeling well.
Wyatt said many things to her and asked if she wished to go on a picnic tomorrow, but she had spaced out. Not knowing what he was talking about, she agreed to everything he proposed.
She had no idea when and how did she return to the bedroom with Wyatt. He then slept next to her while she was still in a daze.
Despite having slept the entire afternoon, Jessica still felt lethargic. It only took her a while to fall into a deep slumber.
In the middle of the night, she was jolted awake by a nightmare, and her limbs went numb.
While gasping for air, she opened her eyes, thinking all she would see was still darkness. To her surprise, she could see a pendant lamp that gave a warm light above her head.
The pendant lamp had a classic Epean design and resembled a beautiful translucent flower.
Jessica blinked, and the lamp still appeared before her eyes. She could even hear her breathing. Am I still dreaming?
She lifted one of her hands and could clearly see all her five dainty fingers.
After realizing her vision was restored, Jessica remained calm. She tilted her head to look at the man sleeping next to her.
The man, who was sound asleep, was charming and had sharp facial features. Who is he?
Jessica had lost her eyesight to the point where she could no longer recall the man she used to know through and through.
While staring at Wyatt quietly, she suddenly recalled what the housekeepers had whispered in the afternoon and what the stranger had said to her over the phone. He destroyed my life. Why did he bring me back and force me to stay with him?
The resentment Jessica had for him intensified when she thought of how her uncle and aunt—her only family members—had died miserably.
She discreetly lifted the blanket and crawled over the man.
After opening a drawer in the desk, Jessica noticed the knife she had placed in it some time ago was still there.
She then took out the knife, held its handle, and removed the cover.
The sharp tool's smooth surface reflected her bloodshot but soulless eyes.
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