Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Jessica’s POV

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The aroma of garlic and herbs filled the spacious kitchen, mingling with the sizzle of the last pan cooling on the stove.

I’d just finished plating the lunch: a hearty spread of roasted chicken with lemon and thyme, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh green beans sautéed with almonds, and a simple garden salad drizzled with balsamic.

A homemade apple pie waited on the counter for dessert, its crust golden and flaky.

I stepped back, wiping my hands on a dish towel, a small swell of satisfaction blooming in my chest despite the butterflies rioting in my stomach.

I felt Aunt Lydia’s stare before I saw it—that gentle, knowing gaze she’d perfected over the years.

Turning, I found her leaning against the doorway, her cane propped beside her, a soft smile curving her lips.

“You are really nervous,” she said, her voice warm with amusement. “It’s like you’re seeing him for the first time.”

I smiled sadly, nodding as I set down the towel, my hands still faintly trembling.

“Yes, I miss Aaron so much. I miss all we had.”

The words caught in my throat, a lump forming as memories flooded in.

“We had an opportunity to blossom into a beautiful couple, but life happened. I just pray we sort everything out and live a happy life—one without all this hiding and hurt.”

I looked back at the table, my shoulders dropping. “I miss him, Auntie. I miss him so much my chest actually aches with it.”

Aunt Lydia walked over with her cane tapping softly on the tiled floor. She reached out and placed a warm, weathered hand on my shoulder.

“I truly believe everything will turn out fine, sweetheart. You both have the heart for it.” Her expression darkened slightly, a shadow passing over her features.

“But there’s Lauren. And Kennedy.”

At the mention of their names, my fingers curled into tight fists against the marble countertop,

I knew, with a bone-deep certainty, that the marriage to Lauren was a hollow arrangement, a corporate contract Aaron was trapped in. It could be ended.

But Kennedy? Kennedy was the mountain we couldn’t climb over, and he wouldn’t go down without trying to bury us all.

15:05 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 125

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I took a deep breath, forcing my fingers to unclench, the tension easing just a fraction.

“Everything should be fine,” I whispered, more to convince myself than her.

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My voice wavered, but I straightened my shoulders, drawing on that inner strength I’d honed through years of single parenting and scraped-together survival.

She squeezed my hand in silent agreement, but she didn’t look away. She stared at me for a long beat, her gaze turning pensive, before she cleared her throat.

“Have you thought about the others, Jess? Your father, step-mother? Your step-siblings” Do you think they’d want to see you?” she asked quietly.

“Do you ever want to see them?”

The mood in the room plummeted.

Just the reminder of them brought back a rush of painful memories: flashes of my father’s cold indifference, the way he’d treated me since I was a little girl, bringing in step-siblings who treated me like an intruder in my own home.

The arguments, the isolation, the nights I’d cried myself to sleep wishing for escape. I shut my eyes against the onslaught, a shiver running down my spine.

When I opened them, Aunt Lydia’s face was etched with concern; she must have noticed the mood change, the way my shoulders tensed.

She squeezed my shoulder again, mumbling an apology.

“I’m sorry, Jess. I didn’t mean to dredge up-”

I shook my head, forcing the words out past the tightness in my

chest.

“It’s okay. But no, I don’t want to see them. I have nothing to do with them.” My voice grew firmer.

“Them coming back into my life would just make it more difficult. I don’t need their bad energy, their bad lifestyle around Adrian. I’m better off without them-and honestly, I don’t think they want to see me either. We’ve all moved on, or at least I have.”

She watched me with a sad, lingering smile. I craned my neck to look at her, my mind spinning off in a different direction-back to the woman who had started this all.

“Auntie?” I called softly. She hummed in response. “Did my mother ever really love my father?”

She let out a dry, empty chuckle and shook her head.

“Honestly, Jess? I have no idea. All I know is that after she left our childhood home town at Philadelphia, she never looked back. The last time we spoke, she sounded like a stranger. All she told me was that she was getting married.”

I furrowed my brow. The sadness in her eyes was palpable; she looked like she was mourning a ghost.

15:05 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 125

“Did you ever fight? Before she left?” I asked.

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“Never,” she said, her voice firm. A slight mist clouded her eyes as she looked past me, her eyes focused toward the window as if she could see back through the years.

“We were like glue, stuck together through everything. “Thick as thieves,’ your grandma used to say.”

She chuckled and shook her head, though the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“That’s why I never understood why she kept so much hidden. I didn’t even know she’d had a daughter until much later. It still hurts, thinking she felt she had to handle all that alone.”

I leaned back against the counter, the cold marble pressing through my dress as I tried to process what she was saying. None of it sat right.

“How did that even happen?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

“What was she thinking? If you were that close, why would she just… vanish? What was really going on?”

Aunt Lydia let out a weary sigh, her shoulders slumping. She looked down at her cane, tracing the handle with her thumb.

“When she disappeared during college, I kept waiting for the phone to ring,” she said quietly.

“I thought she’d eventually call with some crazy story, but instead, I just got a wedding invite in the mail. No letter, no phone call. Just a card.”

She looked

up, her eyes clouded with the memory.

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