Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Jessica’s POV

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When I was sure I was safe, my feet firmly planted on the gritty avement of the bridge, and the railing no longer a temptress-I pulled back from Mabel’s embrace.

I managed a shaky smile through the tears still streaming down my face.

The wind had died down a bit, leaving the night air heavy with the smell of river water and distant exhaust.

My hands trembled as I wiped my cheeks, but the relief was like a dam breaking, flooding me with a mix of gratitude and exhaustion.

“Thank you so much, Mabel,” I whispered, my voice hoarse from all the crying and screaming.

“I don’t know what I was thinking… I just—”

She cut me off with a gentle smile, pulling me into another hug.

Her arms were strong and steady, a striking difference to the fragility I’d felt moments ago.

She smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and something floral, like cheap body spray trying to mask the hardships she’d endured.

“Don’t think about doing that again,” she murmured against my hair.

“Suicide doesn’t solve anything, Jess. It just transfers the pain to someone else. And honestly? I don’t think you’d rest in peace anyway. There are a lot of people who’d curse at you for leaving them in pain-like your kid, or that aunt of yours fighting in there.”

Her words hit home, a sobering reminder of the ripple effects I’d almost ignored in my despair.

I nodded against her shoulder, letting the truth sink in.

She was right; ending it wouldn’t erase the hurt, it would multiply it.

She pulled back first, her bruised face softening as she reached out to pinch my cheek lightly, coaxing a real smile from me.

“Come on, let’s go.” She held out her hand, and without hesitation, I laced my fingers with hers.

Her grip was firm, reassuring, like she was rooting me to the world I’d nearly left behind.

We walked in silence for a moment, our footsteps echoing softly on the empty sidewalk as we headed back toward the hospital.

My mind raced, replaying the horror of slipping on that rail, the cold rush of air as I dangled over the void. But Mabel’s presence kept me grounded, her hand warm in mine.

“I’m sorry, Mabel,” I whispered finally, breaking the quiet.

The guilt twisted in my gut-not just for my own mess, but for what she’d endured because of me.

Mabel tilted her head, a half-smile ghosting across her split lip.

“You don’t have to apologize. Kennedy is just an asshole. Besides she shrugged, a casual gesture that didn’t match the trauma on her skin, “this is expected in my line of work. It’s not the first time I’ve been a target.”

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Chapter 113

My heart skipped. I stopped walking, pulling her to a halt.

“It’s not the first time?”

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“Yup.” She exhaled, looking up at the moon. I could see the flickers of old agonies dancing behind her eyes, shadows that had nothing to do with Kennedy Tyrone.

“Let’s not talk about my grim life. You definitely don’t want to hear about the times I’ve been tied up like a piñata and beaten with a bat. Not exactly great night walk conversation.”

She laughed, but the sound was hollow, like wind blowing through a graveyard.

Her attempt at humor choked me up, a sob escaping before I could stop it.

I felt so sad for her-this tough, resilient woman who’d been through hell and still chose kindness.

Tears welled up again, and I swiped at them furiously.

Mabel stared at me, her expression turning from amusement to genuine bewilderment.

“You really do have a fragile heart, don’t you? I’m literally a stranger, Jessica, and here you are, crying for me.”

I laughed through the embarrassment, wiping my eyes with my free hand.

“A stranger who chooses people over her own life? You could have saved yourself in a second by pointing Kennedy at me.”

She chuckled, the sound more genuine this time.

“Nah. It’s not in my nature. I don’t sell out.”

“Why?” I asked, truly bewildered. “Why this lifestyle, Mabel? Why the job, the escorting… all of it?”

Mabel’s smile faded a bit, and she looked away, her eyes fixing of the blank horizon ahead as we continued walking toward the hospital’s glowing entrance.

The streetlamps cast long shadows, stretching our figures across the pavement like elongated ghosts.

“I was in the army for a while,” she began, her voice taking on a distant, storyteller quality.

“I dropped out because I lost the only person I had left-my sister. Growing up, we were the ‘unwanted’ kids. One orphanage to another. One foster home to another. In our last home, before we were taken in by Master Chen, we were both… assaulted.”

My heart sank like a stone in that river below the bridge.

I wanted to tell her to stop, to spare herself the retelling, to pull er into another hug, but she kept walking, tugging me gently along.

She didn’t let the story pause, as if stopping would make it too real.

“My sister was the quiet one. After the trauma, she wanted to end everything. But our new foster father, Mr. Chen-he wouldn’t let that happen. Instead, he trained us to fight. He was art of a gang in the hood, you know? Taught us street smarts, psychology, how to survive. My sister wasn’t into it, but was. That’s how I became who I am. I lived around men, and my problems started with one-my irresponsible father-sel was forced to fit into being a man’s world. Toughened up, learned to take hits and give ’em back. I was forced to become someone a man couldn’t break.”

She paused then, her thumb absentmindedly rubbing the back my hand as we walked.

“But

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my sister… she couldn’t shake it. One day, she just… ended i Suicide. And I hated her for it, I hated her for leaving me

09:42 Mon, Jan 26 GBB.

Chapter 113

alone in this meat-grinder of a world, for giving up when we’d fight so hard to survive.”

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The tale hung in the air, heavy and heartbreaking. By the time she finished, I was a sobbing mess again, tears blurring the path ahead.

“I’m so sorry, Mabel,” I managed between hiccups. “That’s awful I can’t even imagine…”

She fanned it off with a wave of her free hand, though her eyes glistened a bit too.

“Hey, no more apologies. Life’s a bitch, but we keep swinging.”

She squeezed my hand, then added more seriously,

“You need to be careful of Kennedy, though. That man’s a viper powerful, and ruthless. If he’s hunting you, don’t underestimate him. Stay close to Aaron; he’s your best shield.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.

The gravity of her warning settled on me, but so did a fierce profectiveness: for her, for Adrian, for what little family I had left.

As we reached the hospital front, I turned to her.

“Mabel, please. Stay at the hospital with me. You need medical attention, and I… I don’t want to be alone.”

Mabel looked at the sliding doors, then back at me. After a long beat, she nodded.

“Fine. But only because they have the good painkillers.”

We went inside, the ER unnervingly quiet compared to the night we’d just escaped.

As we reached the floor where Aunt Lydia was, a nurse was just coming out of the intensive care unit, her scrubs rumpled from a long shift.

I practically attacked her with questions, my voice frantic.

“Aunt Lydia? Lydia Vance? Is she okay? Please tell me she’s okay!

The nurse caught my shoulders, offering a calm, professional smile.

“Deep breaths, dear. Your aunt is doing well. The surgery was successful; they finished about fifteen minutes ago. She’s in recovery now.”

I let out a sigh so long and jagged it felt like my ribs were realigning.

“It will take about eight hours for the anesthesia to fully wear of the nurse continued. “But the vitals are strong. She’s a fighter.”

“Thank you,” I told the nurse, who nodded and hurried off down the hall.

I watched her walk away until the blur of my tears hid her from View.

“Now imagine,” a voice drawled from behind me.

I turned to find Mabel leaning against the pale blue wall, her arms crossed. Despite the bruises and the exhaustion, she held a small, knowing smile.

“Imagine how devastated she would have been if she woke up from a successful surgery only to find out you were dead at

the bottom of a river.”

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Chapter 113

The weight of her words settled deep in my chest, grounding me in a reality I’d almost thrown away.

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I looked at her-this bruised, broken, beautiful stranger who had stepped out of the shadows to save my life twice in a single night.

A rush of overflowing gratitude swelled in my chest and I stepped forward to hug her.

“Thank you, Mabel,” I whispered against her shoulder, my voice thick. “For everything. For staying.”

She didn’t get sentimental; that wasn’t her way.

She just winked, her bruised cheek crinkling as she gave my back a solid, grounding pat.

“Don’t mention it, kid. Now, where’s that nurse with the ice pack? My face feels like it’s auditioning for a horror movie.”

She paused, her gaze dropping to my trembling knees before she pointed toward the row of plastic waiting room chairs.

“And you-sit. You look like a stiff breeze would knock you over. Sit down before you collapse. We’ve got a long wait ahead, and you’re going to need your strength for when she wakes up.”

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