Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1884

"I knew Ms. Thorne was your wife, and I didn't want to take the job. But he threatened me. He said if I didn't follow his instructions, he would hurt the people I care about."

"So, I did as I was told. I made the cake and had it delivered to her."

Jae-hyun let out a long breath as he spoke.

"I had never interacted with Ms. Thorne or Ms. Newsom before. The fact that they are so instinctively repulsed by me... there has to be a reason."

"I suspect it's because of this eye and this kidney."

"In reality, they aren't disgusted by me. They're reacting to Zane."

Jae-hyun spoke with total sincerity. Nothing in his demeanor suggested he was lying.

Tarquin frowned, deep in thought...

If what Jae-hyun was saying was true—that he literally carried Zane's eye and kidney inside his body—then it made sense that Elysia and Winona would subconsciously recoil from him, even if they couldn't logically place the connection.

And that heart-shaped cake on New Year's Eve...

It all lined up perfectly.

If that was the case, Jae-hyun was completely innocent!

But was he really?

Tarquin kept his brow furrowed, his gaze locking onto Jae-hyun. His eyes were sharp as knives, looking as if they could slice through the man's exterior and peer straight into his soul.

Even under that crushing scrutiny, Jae-hyun met his gaze calmly. No panic. No fear.

He looked entirely like a man telling the absolute truth, without a shred of guilt.

They stared at each other for several seconds before Jae-hyun spoke again.

"I'm not lying. I can provide all the medical records for my surgeries, as well as the proof of my father purchasing the organs on the black market. If you still don't believe me, you're more than welcome to investigate it yourself."

"I'm explaining this to you because I plan to build my career in Zhinora long-term. I don't want any bad blood between us."

"You're all Diane's friends. I'd like us to be friends, too."

Tarquin stared at him for another moment before finally breaking eye contact.

He picked up his coffee, took a slow sip, and said,