Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Daphne’s POV

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Jessica was remarkably easy to be around; she had a warmth that felt earned, not performative.

It wasn’t the fake, polished kindness of a socialite, but the grounded presence of someone who had seen the bottom and fought her way back up.

After spending an hour helping her polish a few articles for her lifestyle blog-her writing was poised, witty, and surprisingly relatable-we moved out to the garden.

The afternoon sun was a golden wash over the grass. We sat on a low stone bench, clutching condensation- chilled glasses of iced tea, while Adrian practiced his “pro-basketball” moves a few yards away.

“Jessica?” I asked, my voice hesitant. “How did you and Aaron… I mean, how did you two meet?”

She leaned back, a soft, nostalgic smile touching her lips. “It’s a long story, Daphne. Honestly, it feels like several different lifetimes wrapped into one.”

She took a sip of her tea, her gaze drifting toward Adrian.

“We actually grew up as neighbors when we were little. He was… well, he was a bully, to be perfectly honest. He was bossy and arrogant even back then.” She chuckled.

“But he was also my protector. He’d pick on me, but if anyone else even looked at me the wrong way, he’d step in. He was the only person allowed to give me a hard time.”

“He moved out eventually, and it wasn’t until he was gone that I realized I actually had a massive crush on him. Typical, right? You don’t know what you have until the person who pulls your pigtails moves away.”

I smiled, leaning in. “So, you reunited later?”

“In college,” she nodded. “It was a mess. I didn’t have a dorm, I was incredibly broke, and I couldn’t afford rent anywhere in the city. Aaron found out-don’t ask me how, the Tyrones have ways of knowing everything- and he just… took over. He housed me for my entire college stay. He saved me, really.”

I felt a lump in my throat. It sounded so romantic, so fated. But then Jessica let out a short, melodic laugh that caught me off guard.

“And then,” she continued, her eyes dancing with amusement, “he asked me to be his fake girlfriend.”

I froze. The glass of tea halfway to my mouth stopped in mid-air. I stared at her, my jaw practically hitting my

chest.

“Wait… what? You started as a fake relationship?”

Jessica giggled, nodding her head.

“Well… yup. He needed to fill a void, or make someone jealous, or just keep the family off his back-it was all

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Chapter 203

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very complicated back then. I agreed because, well, I owed him, and I loved him, even if I was terrified to say it.”

She looked at the garden, her expression turning tender.

“I didn’t know it would get to this. I didn’t think I’d be sitting in China years later with his son and a wedding ring. But here we are. Living happily and thriving together.”

I sat in stunned silence. My mind was racing, trying to piece together this new information. Aaron and Jessica -the power couple of the Tyrone family, the gold standard for romance-had started exactly the way David and I were starting.

A tiny, dangerous spark of hope flickered in my chest.

I tried to douse it immediately, reminding myself that David wasn’t Aaron, and I certainly wasn’t a girl who had known him since childhood.

But the coincidence was too loud to ignore.

Are there other Tyrones who use the ‘fake’ game? I wondered. Is this a family tradition I didn’t know about?

I became lost in my own thoughts, the sound of Adrian’s laughter and the rustle of the leaves fading into the background.

I was thinking about the way David had held me in the car, the way his thumb had traced my cheek in his study, and the soft look in his eyes on the jet.

Was he following a script? Or was the script just a way for him to say things he didn’t know how to say for real?

The idea that David might actually feel something was a dizzying prospect. I wondered if the grandmother’s pressure was just an excuse he was using to bring me closer. But then I remembered Julie.

I remembered the mystery and the closed doors. The Tyrones were a puzzle with missing pieces, and I was just starting to see the edges of the picture.

I didn’t realize how long I’d been quiet until a hand waved in front of my face,

“Daphne? Earth to Daphne?”

I snapped out of it, blinking back to reality. Jessica had finished her tea, and she was standing up, looking down at me with a knowing, gentle expression.

I realized I’d been staring at a single leaf for several minutes, my mind miles away in a world of “what ifs.”

I offered a sheepish, lopsided smile and stood up quickly, brushing the imaginary dust off my skirt.

“Sorry. I just… that’s a lot to take in. It’s a beautiful story.”

“It’s a crazy story,” Jessica corrected, reaching out to squeeze my hand.

“But the best ones usually are. Come on, let’s go see if Adrian has managed to find those cookies I hid in the

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