Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Jessica’s POV

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I stood there, frozen under Kennedy’s piercing gaze, the wind whipping around us like it was trying to push me over the edge.

“Do you really think he’ll easily let go of Fiona… for you?”

The question was calculated, his tone gentle in the way predators pretend to be kind. I felt it tear through me quietly. forcing doubt where certainty had lived seconds before.

He had aimed for the one place I was unprotected, and he’d hit the bullseye.

I could feel my heart shedding. That’s the only way to describe it-like the muscle was peeling away in layers, leaving me raw and hollowed out.

I felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack at twenty-two.

A desperate part of me wanted to believe what I’d seen was just a misunderstanding. A bad angle. A trick of the light. But what were the odds? He had finally gotten what he wanted.

He’d finally had sex with me. And as much as I had wanted it, as much as I had craved him, I still believed there was something sacred in that act.

I hadn’t just given him access to my body; I’d given him my heart, my soul, and every fragile part of my existence.

I had watched Aaron love Fiona since high school. I saw the way he’d been shattered when she betrayed him, and I’d seen the lingering, tortured longing in his eyes for years, hoping against hope that she hadn’t really done it.

Why wouldn’t he forgive her now? They were the same breed. They were both beautiful, powerful, and made of the same cold starlight.

“Oh, Jessica, don’t look so heartbroken. It’s not your fault. Aaron’s always had a type-polished, confident, like Fiona. You……… you’re sweet, sure, but let’s be real. He’s probably just using you as a rebound, a way to forget her. And you fell for it, didn’t you? Poor thing, thinking you could compete.”

His words were designed to sound like a hard truth, like a bit of elder-statesman ådvice given for my own good.

But the mockery was there, hidden just beneath the surface, laughing at me for being stupid enough to think I could be more than a footnote in a Tyrone’s biography.

“Well, I’ll give to you. You’re brave for trying, really. Most girls in your position would have seen it coming. But hey, at least you got a taste of the good life, right? The Tyrone charm-irresistible, isn’t it?”

He chuckled softly, the sound like nails on a chalkboard, fueling the doubts until they roared in my head.

I didn’t respond. I just stood there, tears straining behind my eyelids.

I fought hard to keep them from spilling over and giving him the satisfaction of seeing me completely destroyed.

But my silence didn’t stop Kennedy. He leaned into his cane, his eyes gleaming with the sharp, predatory instinct of a man who smelled poison in a drink.

For someone so obsessed with power and reputation, I was almost surprised he saw no issue with Aaron’s actions-then again, I forgot. There was nothing wrong at all. Not to him. Being with me was the real offense. I was the pauper. The liability. The pawn.

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Chapter 56

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If Kennedy had ever found it in himself to praise Aaron, it would be for this. For playing the game well. For knowing when to retreat. For returning neatly to his ex. leaving me as collateral damage.

“So,” he leaned in, his soulless eyes boring into mine. “are you going to change your mind now, Jessica? My offer is still on the table. It’s a lot easier to cry in a mansion than it is on the street.”

The dam broke. I couldn’t hold the emotions back anymore, and I certainly couldn’t stand to look at his smug, withered face for another second.

I didn’t care what he could do to me. I didn’t care about the trip or the family or the consequences. I just needed an escape.

I turned and ran.

I didn’t stop until I reached our suite, my lungs burning and my vision blurred by a thick veil of hot tears. I slammed the door behind me and sank to the floor.

A sound ripped through my throat. It was too fractured to be called a sob, but too sharp to be anything else.

The room was a minefield. I could still smell him—that sharp, smoky scent of pineapple and birch that I’d inhaled from his skin only hours ago.

Every corner of the suite held a memory of last night and this morning. I’d whispered “I love you” through tears of ecstasy, my first time giving everything, only to wake tangled in his arms.

And now? It all felt tainted, like a beautiful dream twisted into a nightmare.

My head spun so violently I had to grab the edge of the bed to keep myself from falling.

My heart felt like it was being picked apart by finely carved needles, each one piercing deeper than the last.

I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t be in this room for another second.

I lunged for my suitcase. Thank God I hadn’t fully unpacked yet. I began throwing my few remaining things into the bag with trembling, frantic hands.

The truth had come out early, and for that, I supposed I should be grateful. I couldn’t imagine being deceived for months, or years, only to find out I was a laughingstock to the entire Tyrone family.

Of all the things Aaron had done-the bullying, the arrogance, the pranks-I could have forgiven almost anything. But this? This proved he was exactly the monster I thought he was.

He had probably housed me and helped me just to see how long it would take to break me.

I zipped the bag shut and hauled it toward the door. I was going to get off this ship, even if I had to jump. But as I yanked the door open, I slammed right into a solid chest.

I didn’t even look up. I just started shoving at the person with a furious, desperate energy.

“Move! Get out of my way!”

“Woah, woah, woah. Easy there, tiger.”

The voice was familiar, but not Aaron’s. I looked up through my tears to see David standing there, his brow furrowed in

confusion.

“Please, David, get out of my way,” I hissed softly, the words catching on a sob. I tried to push past him, but he was like a

brick wall.

There was a brief, heavy silence as he took in my red eyes and the suitcase in my hand. He reached out and firmly grabbed

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Chapter 56

my wrist.

“Jess, are you okay?”

That simple question-the first bit of genuine kindness I’d felt since seeing that deck-crushed me all over again. I broke.

The suitcase hit the floor with a dull thud, and I dissolved into fresh tears.

Without a moment’s hesitation, David pulled me into a hug. It wasn’t like Aaron’s possessive, heated embraces. This was safe.

I clutched at his shirt, my knuckles turning white, and wept into his chest.

“Why did he have to do this to me, David?” I mumbled against the fabric, my voice muffled and broken. “I’ve done nothing but love him. I don’t deserve any of this.”

He didn’t ask for details right away. He just held me tight and rubbed my back in slow, soothing circles while the storm of my grief ran its course.

“Shh, it’s okay. Let it out.”

When I finally went limp, my sobs turning into hitching breaths, he picked up my suitcase and led me over to the bed. We sat on the edge in a heavy, miserable silence.

“Do you mind sharing what happened?” he asked softly, his eyes searching mine.

My heart broke a third time, and fresh tears leaked out.

I didn’t want to say it. Saying it made it real. But I had to. Maybe he could help me disappear. Maybe he could do something -anything-to stop the bleeding in my chest.

It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but I managed to choke out the story.

I told him everything: my history with Aaron, Kennedy’s offer-finally unburdening what had been lodged in my chest.

Then I told him about last night. About the sex. About the confession. About the way Aaron had looked me in the eye and promised that nothing would change afterward.

When I was done, I covered my face with my hands and sobbed harder.

“Please take me out of here, David. I want to leave. I can’t be on this ship anymore.”

David exhaled a long, shaky breath and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Jess, it’s not going to be easy to leave. We’re in the middle of the ocean. The next port is in three hours. We’d disembark there for a day tour.”

“I don’t care,” my voice cracked, raw and desperate. “I don’t care about the tour. I just want to leave. I’ll find a way home from there. I’ll walk if I have to.”

He didn’t say anything for a long minute, but I could feel his burning gaze on the side of my face.

“Jess,” he called quietly, his voice laced with a strange kind of gravity. “Are you absolutely sure of what you saw?”

Slowly, I lowered my hands to meet his worried eyes. He had a look of pure disbelief, like he was trying to reconcile the cousin he’d known his whole life with the person I was describing.

And I won’t deny it-there was a tiny, nagging nudge in my chest that wanted to believe it.

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Chapter 56

A part of me screamed that Aaron wouldn’t do that, not after the way he’d held me this morning. But I fought it. I killed that hope before it could grow.

I’d rather live on the cold assumption of what I’d seen with my own eyes than be a fool for another second.

“I know what I saw, Dave,” I whispered, my voice cold and flat.

He didn’t push me further. He saw the finality in my expression.

“I’ll get you out on the next stop,” he promised.

“But on no occasion-and I mean this, Jess-should you let him know that you sought my help. If Aaron thinks I helped you run, this whole trip will turn into a bloodbath.”

I nodded, offering him a weak, trembling smile.

He didn’t have to worry about that. I wasn’t just planning on running away from the trip. I was running away from Aaron forever.

I wanted to disappear so completely that he’d never find me again. I wanted to go back to being the girl who lived in the shadows, far away from the Tyrones and their gilded, poisonous world.

“Thank you, David,” I whispered.

He squeezed my shoulder one last time before standing up.

“Stay here. Lock the door. I’ll come back for you when we’re docking. Don’t answer for anyone else. Not even him.”

I watched him walk out, the click of the lock sounding like a death knell.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my suitcase, and waited for the world to end. It was the best solution to my problem.

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59

Chapter 57

Chapter 57

David’s POV

The ship pulled into port with a low groan, eventually settling against the pier.

On the dock, vendors vied for attention, the sweet aroma of fried plantains clashing with the salt spray of the sea. It was a picture of paradise, but I barely noticed any of it as my attention stayed on Jess.

I felt like a man walking a tightrope over a pit of vipers.

I kept my pace brisk but casual, one hand on her elbow to guide her, the other clutching her suitcase, and my eyes scanning every face for a hint of a family member.

We blended in as best we could-me in sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled low, her with her hood up, face half-hidden.

The last thing we needed was attention.

I respect Aaron. I love him like the older brother I never had.

We always had each other’s backs during family feuds, and we shared late-night talks about life, dreams, and everything in between.

But there was something about Jessica’s tears that gutted me. Those wide, broken blue eyes, rimmed red and pleading, had me trapped in the middle of this mess.

Logically, I knew I should stay out of it, mind my own business, maybe even verify her story with Aaron first.

Hell, I should’ve kept my damn ass in my room this morning, scrolling memes or hitting the gym.

Now look what it’s gotten me into: smuggling his girl off the ship like some covert op. Still, a part of me was screaming that this was a mistake.

Aaron can be a colossal jerk; he’s arrogant, he’s stubborn, and he’s an ass when he wants to be. But there is one thing I know he isn’t, and that’s a traitor.

He wouldn’t hurt Jessica that way-not after everything.

His obsession with Fiona used to be so intense everyone thought he was bewitched.

But after seeing the way he fought for Jessica, the way he’d warned me, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from her-I knew the spell had been broken. It was only a matter of time before he was completely charmed by her.

How could he not be? She’s beautiful, sure, but she has a heart and a personality that actually makes you want to be a better

person.

I couldn’t accept the idea of him kissing Fiona. There had to be a misunderstanding, a trick of the light, or a lie fed to her by grandpa.

But Jessica wasn’t in the mood for “what-ifs.” She’d latched onto what she saw-or thought she saw, and chosen to believe it.

A misunderstanding, I was sure, but pushing her now would only drive her further away.

I couldn’t ask Aaron for his side, either. If I brought it up, he’d know immediately that I had a hand in her disappearance. I i didn’t want to lose the brotherhood we had.

He’d eventually find out I helped her. Aaron finds out everything.

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