Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Aaron’s POV

The flash of cameras was blinding as I walked off the altar.

The church’s high ceilings seemed to catch the gasps and whispers of the crowd, turning them into a roar that echoed off the stone walls.

Lauren’s voice trailed after me, high and desperate, but I didn’t stop. I pushed through the double doors into the foyer, my security team moving in to form a human wall against the media horde.

“Mr. Tyrone! Was this planned?”

“Are the allegations against the Walters true?”

Questions flew like arrows, but I kept my face a mask of calm. Inside, a quiet satisfaction was finally beginning to take root.

I successfully escaped the media frenzy, leaving David to handle the rest.

I slipped into the back of a waiting car, and the driver took off immediately, weaving through side streets to lose any tails.

The silence inside my car was a relief after the shouting at the cathedral.

For the first time in months, I could breathe.

The plan had worked. Fiona’s intel on Lauren’s history: the drug ties, the shady family laundering, the secrets she thought were buried-had been broadcast for the world to see.

I had dismantled a dynasty in the time it took to say “No.” But I knew my grandfather; he wasn’t going to roll over.

He’d come for me with everything he had. I needed to be ready to shield Jess and Adrian from the fallout.

I didn’t go straight back. I needed to do this right.

I stopped at a mall first. The normal, everyday chatter of shoppers was a relief after the suffocating tension of the cathedral.

I bought a bouquet of lilies, and some chocolates for Adrian.

Then, I picked up her favorite pasta and garlic bread, the scent of the food filling the car as I made one last stop.

I pulled up to a discreet, high-end jewelry boutique in the quiet part of the city.

The owner, a soft-spoken man named Bernard who had handled my grandmother’s jewels for decades, was waiting at the door.

He slammed the door shut and twisted the lock as I crossed the threshold.

“A monumental day, Mr. Tyrone,” Bernard said softly, leading me into a private room. “I take it you aren’t looking for a traditional wedding band today.”

“No,” I said, sitting down. “I want something real. Something that means forever.”

Bernard placed a black velvet tray on the table.

“You asked for something specific. Something rare.”

He lifted a small case, revealing a ring that stopped my heart for second. It wasn’t a diamond.

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Chapter 144

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It was a Ceylon sapphire, a deep, mesmerizing blue that seemed to hold its own light. It was the exact, piercing shade of Jessica’s eyes when she looked at me in the morning.

“The stone is unheated, completely natural, Bernard explained, sing a loupe to inspect the facets.

“I set it on a platinum band encrusted with micro-diamonds to mimic the way light reflects off water. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece, Aaron. Very few stones carry this level of clarity.”

I picked it up, the metal cool against my skin. I thought about the first time I saw Jess, the way her blue eyes had pinned me in place.

I thought about the tears she’d shed because of me, and the way those eyes glowed when she laughed at my jokes.

“I want this one,” I whispered.

“It is a bold choice,” Bernard remarked. “Most men choose diamonds for security. Sapphires… they symbolize loyalty and soul.”

“She’s been the only soul in my life for years, Bernard. Even when she wasn’t there.” I pulled out my card.

“I’ll take it. Wrap it with the other items.”

Back in the car, I sat for a moment with the small box in my hand. I flipped it open, watching the sapphire catch the glow of the streetlights. It sparked with a promise that finally felt attainable.

My heart beat with a steady, certain pace.

My mind drifted back to our early days: the high school mistakes I’d regret forever, the cruise where our fake relationship turned into the only real thing I’d ever known, and the gut-wrenching years of her disappearance.

I lingered on those six years of silence, the hollow ache of thinking she was gone, and the incredible luck of finding her again.

Even the discovery of Adrian, which had initially consumed me with a storm of anger and awe, felt like a miracle now

Beneath the wreckage of our past, there was a love that had never wavered. I smiled to myself, a genuine feeling of peac settling in my chest.

The car pulled into the driveway, and I took a moment to just breathe. The lights were on in the living room, casting a warm, inviting glow through the windows.

She was awake. She was waiting.

I began gathering the bags from the seat. When the driver offered a hand to help with the items, I shook my head and refused. I wanted to carry these in myself.

I walked up to the porch, my pulse steady but quick, and rang the bell.

A few seconds passed before I heard the lock turn. The door swung open, and the sight of her absolutely floored me.

My jaw went slack, my mind momentarily blanking on every clever thing I’d planned to say.

She was wearing a simple tank top and a pair of short athletic shorts that showed off her thick, milky thighs.

I could only imagine how she looked from behind… but it was her face that held me captive.

Her long, dark hair was straight and loose, cascading down her back like a silken curtain.

Under the warm foyer light, her blue eyes, the very inspiration for the stone in my pocket were glowing, though the slight

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Chapter 144

redness around them told me she’d been crying while watching the news.

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