Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 141

10:41 Sat, Feb 14

Chapter 141

Chapter 141

Jessica’s POV

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I stayed glued to the living room sofa, the remote gripped so tightly in my hand that my knuckles were white.

On the massive 4K screen, the broadcast was already in full swing, displaying the sprawling, opulent event center where Aaron and Lauren’s wedding was set to take place.

It looked less like a ceremony and more like a coronation.

The cameras panned over the sea of white roses, the crystal chandeliers hanging from vaulted ceilings, and the red carpet that seemed to stretch for miles.

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dressed journalist stood at the entrance, her voice chirpy as she addressed the camera.

“The mystery surrounding the Tyrone engagement has been the talk of the season,” she told the viewers.

“Aaron Tyrone has always been notoriously secretive about his private life-so much so th knew he was engaged until hours ago. Rumor has it, Lauren might be the ‘secret woman’ h during that brief trip to Madrid weeks back.”

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A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat, but it died before it reached my lips. I wanted to scream at the screen. I wanted to tell that woman, and the millions watching, that I was the one in Madrid.

I was the one he held in the dark. I was the one he’d spent his life looking for. But here I was, tucked away in a house with locked doors, watching my life play out like a reality show I hadn’t auditioned for.

The feed cut to a pre-recorded segment of Lauren and her bridesmaids getting ready. The room was a chaotic blur of champagne flutes, silk robes, and expensive hairspray.

Lauren looked radiant-there was no denying that. She moved with a practiced grace, her smile blindingly bright.

A reporter off-camera asked her a question that made my stomach do a slow, nauseating roll.

“Lauren, you’re a public figure, known for being quite open with your fans. Why did you let Aaron keep this engagement a secret for so long? Weren’t you tempted to shout it from the rooftops?”

Lauren laughed, a melodic, tinkling sound that made my skin crawl. She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear and looked directly into the lens.

“I love Aaron deeply,” she said, her voice dripping with a calculated sweetness. “I respected his need for privacy. But in return, he respected my choice and gave me the wedding of my dreams. It was a fair trade, don’t you think?”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat feeling like a jagged stone.

The way she said it-the ease, the confidence–you would believe they were the greatest love story of the decade.

10:41 Sat, Feb 14

Chapter 141

She made it sound like a partnership of mutual respect and adoration.

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I felt my fingernails digging into my thighs, the physical pain the only thing keeping me from spiraling into a full-blown panic attack.

My breath hitched, and a hot tear escaped, tracking a slow path down my cheek.

“Trust him,’ I told myself. He said it wouldn’t happen. But seeing the white dress, the flowers, and the sheer scale of the event made his promises feel like fragile glass in a hurricane.

“Momma?”

I jumped, nearly dropping the remote. I quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and turned

around.

Au was standing by the hallway, his math workbook clutched against his chest.

“Can you help me with my weekend homework?” he asked, his voice small. “The numbers are being mean again.”

I cleared my throat, forcing the hitch out of my voice. I swallowed the sob and plastered a smile onto my face, a fragile, cardboard mask.

“Of course, baby. Come here.”

I kept the TV on, but I turned the volume down to a low hum. I couldn’t bring myself to turn it off. I needed

to see.

I needed to know the exact moment the world changed.

Adrian sat at the dining table, and I sat beside him, but my mind was miles away. I was a ghost in the room.

He was asking about division, but all I could hear were the muffled voices of reporters droning on about guest lists and floral arrangements.

My eyes kept darting back to the screen, waiting for a glimpse of Aaron. They showed the guests: ministers, celebrities, tech giants-but Aaron was nowhere to be found.

“Momma?” Adrian giggled, poking my arm with his pencil. “I didn’t know 246 divided into six people was 12.

I snapped back to reality, staring down at the page. I had written ’12’ in the margin.

I realized my mistake instantly-my brain was so scrambled I couldn’t even do basic second-grade math.

“Silly me,” I murmured, my face flushing with heat.

“I’m sorry, Addie. I was thinking about… something else. Let’s try that again.”

I tried to focus, but the figures on the page seemed to swim and blur. My heart was thumping an uneven rhythm against my breast bone.

10:41 Sat, Feb 14

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Chapter 141

Adrian looked at me, his head tilted to the side, his wise little eyes searching mine.

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“We can do it tomorrow, Momma,” he said, letting out a long, lazy yawn. He snapped the book shut with a decisive thud.

“Besides, I really want to nap. The bike riding earlier made my legs sleepy.”

A part of me wanted to insist we finish-the “strict momma” part of me that Aunt Lydia had cultivated. But the rest of me was screaming with relief.

I needed him to go to sleep. I needed to be alone with my fear.

“Alright,” I said, kissing the top of his head. “Go on then. But we’re doing double time tomorrow, understood?”

stood,” he mumbled, already halfway down the hall.

The moment his bedroom door closed, I scrambled back to the sofa and cranked the volume back up.

My heart was in my throat. It was getting closer.

The church pews were full. The organist had started to play a low, sweeping melody.

And then, the camera cut to the back of the church.

My breath caught in my throat, the remote slipping from my hand and hitting the floor with a hollow clatter. I didn’t even blink. I couldn’t.

Aaron was standing at the threshold, and he looked exactly like the man I’d spent my whole life dreaming of

He was devastating in a tailored charcoal tuxedo that hugged his broad shoulders and tapered perfectly at his

waist.

The crisp white shirt made his skin look tanned even under the artificial lights of the venue, and his hair was styled back, though a few rebellious strands had fallen forward over his forehead.

He didn’t look like a happy groom. He looked like a soldier walking into a minefield.

His eyes were focused straight ahead, ignoring the flashes of the cameras and the whispering of the crowd.

As the camera zoomed in, I saw his hand go to his cufflink, and the light caught the flash of his watch, the one I’d given him.

My heart did a slow, painful somersault. He was wearing it. Even here, at the “wedding of the century to another woman, he was carrying a piece of me.

“Aaron,” I choked out, my voice breaking.

Tears welled up instantly, blurring the high-definition image until he was just a shimmering silhouette of black and white.

Seeing him there, poised to walk down that aisle, ripped through me with a profound, raw agony. It didn’t

10:41 Sat, Feb 14

…

Chapter 141

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matter that he’d promised me it was a ruse.

The visual was too powerful: the white flowers, the expectant guests, the priest waiting at the altar. It felt like my life was being televised as a tragedy.

My heart hammered, each beat a painful reminder of what I stood to lose.

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