Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 213

Chapter 213

Daphne’s POV

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I sat on the edge of the bed, tears still drying on my cheeks, while Jessica paced slowly in front of me.

Her arms were crossed, and her expression had softened into something distant, like she was stepping back into a memory she didn’t visit often.

“I already mentioned to you before, Daphne,” she said quietly, “I loved Aaron for a long time. Fate eventually stepped in and we became roommates, but it wasn’t simple. He asked me to be his fake girlfriend for a specific family dinner. He needed a shield because his ex was going to be there.”

My eyes widened. I felt a spark of genuine curiosity cut through my own misery.

The Tyrones certainly had a catalog of polished secrets hidden behind their designer suits.

“His ex?” I asked, leaning forward slightly. “Is she… here too?”

“She’s late.” Jessica confirmed. Her eyes clouded over, a film of ancient sadness settling there that made me pause.

I blinked, confused by the heavy grief on her face.

“You…. you aren’t happy about that?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how callous they sounded.

Jessica snapped her head toward me and let out a dry, unexpected laugh.

I felt my face heat up and I offered a sheepish, hurried smile.

“I don’t mean to sound evil. I just… I find it strange to mourn someone who caused you so much trouble.”

Jessica shook her head, her expression softening.

“I understand you, Daphne. Believe me, I do. I had an endless mountain of problems with Fiona. As a matter of fact, she was the reason Aaron and I started the lie, and eventually, she was the reason we split up.”

I watched the light shift in Jessica’s eyes as she spoke. There was a profound exhaustion there, a shadow of a woman who had fought a war she never asked for.

I reached out, touching her arm.

“You don’t have to continue, Jessica. I didn’t mean to dig up your past.”

She offered a small, tired smile and squeezed my hand.

“No, I want to. I’m telling you this so you don’t make the same mistake I did. I was exactly where you are now. I was on a deck, trying to enjoy a peaceful summer night, when Kennedy-Aaron’s grandfather-came to me. He was a master at moving people like chess pieces. He manipulated ine, pointed me toward a figure in the shadows, and made me believe I was seeing Aaron with her. I didn’t stay to check. I didn’t ask questions. I just assumed the worst, buckled under the pain, and ran without wanting to hear a single word of truth”

I swallowed hard, the parallel to my own evening feeling uncomfortably tight.

“I went back to the room to pack,” Jessica continued, her gaze fixed on a point somewhere behind me “And David walked in

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Chapter 213

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He was looking for Aaron, but he found me instead, falling apart. I was desperate. I bribed him with my tears, I emotionally guilt-tripped him into helping me escape without telling anyone. David was torn-I could see it in his face. He was caught between helping a friend and being loyal to his cousin, whom he considers a brother. He begged me to talk to Aaron, but I wasn’t having it. I left the moment the ship docked.”

She paused, a single tear escaping and tracing a path down her cheek.

“Six years later, I found out it was all a lie. A fabrication by a bitter old man. I deprived Aaron of the first five years of his own child’s life because of a misunderstanding I refused to clear up. And when Aaron finally found out that David had helped me disappear… it broke him. He felt betrayed by the one person he trusted most. It took weeks to heal that scar. Don’t do that to David, Daphne. Talk to him. If it’s really what it looks like, I’ll be the one to help you pack your bags and I’ll support you every step of the way. But find out first.”

I felt the dam break. The weight of her story, the regret in her voice, and my own bottled-up terror came pouring out.

I broke into tears, clutching Jessica’s hands.

‘I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. “I’m so sorry for what you went through.”

Jessica smiled, her own eyes damp, and pulled me into a hug.

That phase is over now. We’re okay. But you need to make sure you’re okay too.”

We sat in a heavy, sad silence for a long time, the only sound the distant engine of the ship cutting through the water. Eventually, I wiped my eyes and looked at her.

‘What happened to them? Aaron’s grandfather and Fiona? How did she die?”

jessica sighed, a long, weary sound.

Kennedy died as a result of his own wickedness. He was the one who killed Fiona. Near the end, she wanted to atone for everything she’d done to us. She wanted Aaron’s forgiveness-and mine. Kennedy sensed that. He saw her desperation to do he right thing as a threat to his control over Aaron. He tried to use her to get to us, but she refused to talk. So, he ended her.”

‘So she wasn’t a bad person?” I asked softly.

essica chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, she was a terrible person, Daphne. Truly. But even the worst people can want to :hange.”

It was almost II p.m. by the time Jessica left. I had promised her I would stay, that I would listen and wait, but my soul was a restless, vibrating mess.

David wasn’t back yet. Every minute that passed felt like a drop of acid on my nerves.

Where was he? Was he still holding her face? Was he whispering the same promises to her that he’d breathed into my that night?

skin

I couldn’t stay in the room anymore. The scent of him was too loud, too present. I needed air-real air, not the filtered stuff from the vents.

I slipped out of the suite and began to wander the hallways. I moved aimlessly, my heels muffled by the thick carpet, until I ended up on a different deck entirely.

This area was livelier, filled with a younger crowd that looked like college students on a graduation break.

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The music was louder here, more modern, and the air smelled of sweet cocktails and coconut oil.

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I felt out of place in my evening wear, a bird of paradise lost in a flock of seagulls. I turned to leave, wanting to find a quieter corner, when a voice stopped me.

“You look like you could use some company. Or at least a better view than staring at the floor.”

I turned to see a guy leaning against a tall bar table.

He was undeniably handsome: classic blonde hair pushed back in a messy style, tan skin, and a smile that was a little too

confident.

He looked a few years younger than me, maybe twenty or twenty-one, but he carried himself with an easy charm.

“Is that your best line?”

His lips curled into a smirk. “It worked, didn’t it? I’m Connor, by the way.”

“Daphine,” I replied.

“Daphne,” he repeated, testing the name. “That’s a classic. Suits the face.”

I wasn’t sure if that was meant as a compliment or some kind of backhanded remark, but I decided to take it as a good thing and offered him a small smile anyway.

Almost as if he could read the doubt on my face, Connor chuckled softly, his gray eyes sparkling with amusement.

“It wasn’t an insult,” he said, leaning a little closer over the railing. “I simply meant your name fits your face perfectly—like it was made just for you. You’re beautiful, Daphne.”

He didn’t look away. His gray eyes burned with a level of sincerity that felt almost too intense for a stranger on a deck.

It sent a heat crawling up my neck, making me blush so hard I had to bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from grinning like an idiot.

The compliment felt genuine, easy, and for a brief second it pushed some of the heaviness in my chest aside.

We fell into light conversation. He told me he was on the cruise with friends celebrating a recent graduation. I kept my answers simple, enjoying the distraction.

Then he tilted his head and asked, “So, are you here with family, or are you à solo traveler looking for adventure?”

I’m… with- I started, then I froze.

The question hung in the air. Am I? I wanted to say yes because despite the pain, my heart belonged to David.

But then I saw his hands on Julie’s face again. If I said yes, was I being a loyal fool?

If I said no, was I opening a door I wasn’t ready to walk through? I didn’t want to lose David, but I didn’t want to be the woman waiting at home while he chased someone else.

Before I could find my voice, the air behind me shifted.

A deep, familiar chill settled over my shoulders as a strong arm slid around my waist. The touch was possessive, unyielding, and left no room for doubt.

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David pulled me back against him, his chest a solid wall against my spine.

I felt his fingers dig into the silk of my dress, his grip tightening until it was almost a bruise.

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A flutter erupted in my chest; a mix of relief and lingering anger. He smelled of sea air and that same sandalwood, but there was an edge to him now, a coldness that wasn’t there before.

“She’s with me,” David said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that made Connor’s confident smile falter.

David stepped forward slightly, keeping me tucked firmly against his side. He didn’t look at me; his eyes were locked on Connor with a predatory stillness.

“I think it would be better if you stayed on this deck and mingled with girls your own age, lad. Don’t you?”

Connor held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, though a playful glint remained in his eyes. He chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the threat.

“Sorry, big man. Just making conversation, I didn’t mean to step on any toes.”

He turned his gaze to me, ignoring David’s death stare for one last second.

“You’re beautiful, Daphne. Truly.” He gave me a quick wink before turning back to his friends.

David didn’t wait for another word. He turned me around and began to drag me toward the elevators, his stride long and impatient.

His hand was still anchored to my waist, his thumb pressing into my skin in a way that told me he was fuming.

I followed him in silence, my mind racing. He was acting like the jealous boyfriend, but all I could see was the image of him with Julie.

The fire in my heart was battling with the cold reality of what I’d seen, and as the elevator doors slid shut, sealing us in the small, mirrored space, I knew the talk Jessica had promised was finally about to happen.

The tension was so thick I could hardly breathe, and David looked like a man who was one word away from losing his mind.

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