Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Jessica’s POV

105 vouchers

The hospital’s revolving doors hissed behind us, spitting us out into the humid Los Angeles evening.

Throughout the entire appointment, I had been a ghost. I’d watched the surgeon’s lips move, heard the clinical terms for Aunt Lydia’s recovery, but I barely registered a single word.

My mind was elsewhere, trapped in that high-tech room with David, replaying his words about threats to Aaron, the job offer, and the inevitable collision course with my past.

“Jess, are you listening?” I shuddered, and snapped out of my trance to find Aunt Lydia staring at me, her brow furrowed with deep concern.

“Is there a problem? You’ve been completely aloof since you got back from that interview,” she said, stopping on the sidewalk.

I sighed, my gaze dropping to the cracked concrete beneath our feet. People bustled past us, umbrellas at the ready, but the world felt distant.

The sky was bruising into a dark purple, the atmosphere heavy with the intentions of an impending downpour.

“I met David, Aunt,” I mumbled.

She stopped walking abruptly, her hand tightening on my arm.

To avoid blocking the flow of pedestrians, she pulled me into a quiet corner by the building’s brick wall, not seeming to care that the sky had darkened further, thunder rumbling in the distance.

ensure

“David? As in David Tyrone?” she asked in a hushed tone, glancing around to ensure no passersby overheard.

“David? As in… David Tyrone?” she asked in a hushed, urgent tone.

I nodded solemnly.

“So… how did that happen? Does he know about Adr-”

“No, Aunt. I didn’t tell him.” I cut her off quickly, not wanting to even voice Adrian’s name in this context.

“As for how we met? Apparently, he was the one conducting the interview.

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, eyes widening like saucers.

“Wow. Talk about a small, terrifying world.” She paused, searching my face. “So what else happened? Did you get the job?”

I nodded again, though it felt more like admitting defeat than celebrating a win.

“Then why the long face? Honey, this is the step toward financial freedom we’ve been praying for. Five thousand a month? We should be celebrating!”

I exhaled a shaky breath and shook my head.

“It’s not that easy. Aaron is the boss. David told me everything-how protected Aaron has to be right now, how many people are gunning for him. If I take this, the chances of Aaron and Adrian crossing paths are… they’re high, Auntie.”

She stared at me for a long beat. The wind picked up, whipping a stray lock of hair across her face.

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Chapter 71

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“Then we’ll keep them apart,” she said firmly, squeezing my palm. “We’ll be careful. We’ll keep him shielded until the day you’re actually ready for them to meet.”

Surprise and a rush of pure gratitude blossomed in my chest. “You’d help me? Even after what you said about him needing a father?”

She nodded firmly, squeezing my palm. “Of course, honey, I will. Family first. Always.”

I burst into a sudden, messy sob and threw my arms around her. I didn’t care that we were standing on a street corner.

“We should go before it starts raining,” she said softly as we broke apart, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.

I nodded, sniffling, and we hurried toward the train station, the first fat drops splattering the pavement just as we ducked under the awning.

The moment we reached our apartment building, the clouds rumbled like an angry giant and unleashed a torrent of rain, sheets of it pounding the streets and turning gutters into rivers.

We dashed inside, and shook off the dampness.

Just as I fumbled with the key card, a wind of realization shot through me.

“Aunt, what about Adrian? Did you leave him alone?” Panic spiked in my voice as I jammed the card into the slot, visions of him wandering the empty apartment flashing through my mind.

Aunt smiled calmly, placing a hand on my forearm.

“Relax, Jess. I asked our neighbor, Ella, to watch him. I’ll go across the hall and get him now.”

I let out a massive sigh of relief, the tension easing from my shoulders. The door unlocked with a soft beep, and I pushed it

open,

“Thank you. I’ll start on dinner.”

I kicked my shoes off at the foyer, tossed my bag onto the couch, and headed for the kitchen.

Leaning against the refrigerator, I tried to think of something comforting to drown out the sound of the storm.

An idea sparked: Chicken Alfredo with garlic bread. It was Adrian’s favorite and exactly the kind of “heavy” meal we needed for the cozy night.

Ten minutes into the prep, I heard the front door beep.

“Momma!” Adrian burst into the kitchen like a small whirlwind, skidding on the tile to hug my legs.

I couldn’t help it; I picked him up, burying my face in his neck and lingering over a dozen kisses until he was shrieking with laughter.

He hugged me tight, his small arms around my neck.

“How was your day, Momma?”

“It was… eventful,” I said with a smile, setting him down. “How about yours? What adventures did you have?”

His eyes sparkled as he hopped onto a stool

“Ella and Tony are so nice, Momma! They played games with me-Tony showed me how to build a fort with pillows, and Ella made cookies. They’re the best neighbors ever.”

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Hearing him so happy in our new home settled something in me. I decided right then to make an extra portion of the pasta to send over to the Blakes as a thank-you.

“Want to help me?” I asked.

Adrian beamed and nodded. I gave him the task of breaking up the parsley-a safe, simple chore that kept him busy while I worked the stove.

Watching him, my heart swelled; these moments made all life’s chaos worth it.

Aaron’s POV

I kept glancing at my watch, the seconds ticking by with agonizing slowness. Every clink of silverware against fine china felt like a needle to my brain.

“Ron, you keep checking the time. Is something wrong?” Lauren leaned in, her voice a hushed, perfumed whisper.

Everything was wrong. I was trapped here while our grandparents and parents discussed our lives like they were negotiating a real estate merger.

Technically, that’s exactly what this “marriage” was, but hearing them glaze over the details as if I weren’t even in the room was suffocating.

Lauren was vibrating with excitement. She was currently deep in a conversation with her mother about Italian lace, French spas, and custom-cut diamonds.

The performative smiles, the forced laughter-it clawed at me until I couldn’t take it anymore.

I pushed my chair back with a screech, standing abruptly.

The conversation halted, and all eyes turned to me like I’d flipped the table.

“I’m done,” I said, my voice cold. “I’m leaving.”

“Aaron, it’s Friday night,” my father countered, his brow knitting in annoyance. There’s no reason to rush off. We haven’t even finished the main course.”

I cut him a glare that usually made my board members flinch.

“I do as I want, Father. You should know that by now.”

Across the table, my grandfather shot daggers at me through his thick brows, but he didn’t say a word. He’d grown accustomed to my rebellion over the last six years; he knew that pushing me now would only result in a scene he couldn’t control.

I turned and walked out, pulling my phone from my pocket. I hit speed dial for David, but it went straight to voicemail. Again.

“Why the fuck is that idiot not taking his calls?” I grumbled, stepping into the cool night air of the

“Aaron! Wait!”

I groaned inwardly as Lauren hurried after me.

patio.

I stayed calm, gathering my words carefully-I didn’t want to hurt her. None of this was her fault, not really.

But it irked me how elated she seemed about the wedding because she could stop it with a single “no” if she chose.

Apparently, she saw it as all glamour: expensive ball gown, longest wedding veil to beat a record, custom diamonds, and

MOR

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honeymoons in exotic locales.

She was completely oblivious to the cage it represented.

“Aaron, why are you leaving? The dinner isn’t even over,” she pouted, reaching for my arm.

I stayed still, staring at the dark horizon.

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“Lauren, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t act like my mother. I’m a man with autonomy. If I choose to leave a dinner, whether the dessert has been served or not, you should respect that.”

She scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder in that practiced, socialite way.

“That was rude, Aaron. You wouldn’t like it if you invited people to dinner and they left in the way you did.”

I forced a tight, joyless smile.

“For your information Lauren, I won’t drag two people who clearly don’t want to be married into sitting over candlelight just to hear 20th-century jokes. It’s a waste of everyone’s time.”

Her gray eyes dimmed instantly. The shock and pain that flashed through her irises almost made me feel guilty. Almost.

“You… you don’t want to marry me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Was she actually this dumb, or was being oblivious her only coping strategy?

“Lauren, I have somewhere to be. This isn’t a conversation I want to have right now.”

I turned my back on her and headed for my car.

Behind me, she began yelling my name, the sound of her sobs muffled by the revving of my engine as I peeled out of the driveway, desperate to be anywhere else but here.

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14:16 Mon, Jan 12