Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 405

Joan yawned, her voice sleepy on the phone. “I just woke up. I was thinking of making myself a big breakfast.”

“Okay” Brett paused, waiting for her to ask how his day had gone. She didn’t, so he went on. “I stopped by the office this morning, then went to see my dad and Neil this afternoon. I’ve been making sure someone keeps Neil’s grave clean. It looks good.”

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and when Joan spoke again, her tone had gone cold. “You don’t need to do that. Whatever happened to him was his own doing.”

Brett let out a long sigh. “Don’t talk like that. He was your father. I know you say you hate him, but I think you miss him, even if you don’t want to admit it. He was your only family.”

“Just stop! I don’t want to hear another word!” Joan’s voice cut through the phone, sharp and shaking. She started to cry, each word tangled up with her sobs. “I don’t miss him! If anything, I wish I could hate him more! If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been forced to… Ugh, it’s all his fault!”

“Joan,” Brett said softly, caught off guard by how much she was hurting. He gripped his phone tightly, trying to calm her down. “Okay, okay, I won’t bring him up again. Please don’t cry. It kills me when you cry.”

Joan’s breathing slowed, her crying fading away. After a while, her voice came back, shaky but softer. “Did you… see him? Is he… okay?”

She didn’t say a name, but Brett knew exactly who she meant. For a moment, the whole car felt still.

He managed a weak smile. “Yeah, I saw him. He’s doing alright.”

It felt like forever before Joan said anything else. “Really? That’s good.” Then she hung up fast, leaving nothing but silence.

Brett stared at his phone, the screen gone black, his thoughts scattered. He rolled down the window, letting in the cool air outside. Only after a long breath did the pressure in his chest start to ease.

Meanwhile, Cindy had pulled herself together and was on her way to meet Nina. When she slid open the door to the private room in a restaurant, Nina was already waiting inside.

The food arrived quickly. Nina started serving Cindy, piling food onto her plate like a doting mom. “Eat up, Cindy. You’re too skinny. Has work been busy lately?”

Cindy smiled and thanked her. “Yeah, the company’s landed a bunch of big projects lately. But I have this amazing coworker, so things haven’t been too crazy for me.”

Nina raised her brows. “A coworker? Someone even more capable than Jon?”

Talking about Rebecca always made Cindy light up. She told Nina about all the things Rebecca had accomplished since joining the company.

Nina listened, eyes wide. When Cindy finished, she gave her thigh a little slap. “Wow, she sounds incredible. I always thought Stephen and Jon were the smartest people I knew, but there’s always someone out there who’s even better, isn’t there? You should bring her around sometime. I never worked myself, so I really admire women like your mom—strong, independent types.”