The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 102

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102 Chapter 102 Time to End This Circus

102 Chapter 102 Time to End This Circus

Zain’s POV 1

I’d just wrapped up reading some medical journals when fresh news about Vincent and his supposed girlfriend caught my attention.

Something made me click on the trending topic, even though I usually skip gossip.

The headline screamed tabloid drama: Vincent caught hooking up with his girlfriend in a car.

The photos kept the woman’s face hidden, but her outline and outfit struck me as strangely familiar.

My brow creased. ‘Is that Blanche in those shots?‘

Before I could dig deeper, Joanna appeared downstairs.

“Zain, what’s got you so absorbed?” Joanna asked, sliding onto the couch next to me.

I slipped my phone away, meeting her gaze with a slight smile. “Just random stuff.”

“Carry asleep?” I asked, changing the subject.

Joanna nodded. “Completely wiped out from playing all day. Bath time knocked her right out.”

“Your mom too?”

“Yeah, she’s down for the night,” Joanna confirmed.

I studied Joanna’s face–those perfect features, that porcelain skin that glowed even bare of makeup. Pure beauty, but exhaustion

shadowed her eyes lately.

My chest tightened watching her struggle. “You need rest too. These past few days have been brutal on you.”

Her eyes immediately welled up. She couldn’t hold it together anymore–her head dropped as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Zain, thank

you.”

Seeing her break down twisted something inside me. I reached over, brushing away her tears. “Hey, what’s this about?”

Joanna pressed closer, burying her face against my chest. “You’re always here when everything falls apart.”

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, rubbing her back gently. “Don’t thank me for this, sweetheart. It’s what I’m supposed to do.

My attempts at comfort only made her cry harder.

So I held her tighter, one hand cradling her head as I stroked her silky hair.

When her sobs finally quieted, she spoke in a raw whisper. “Zain, I’m going to help mom find a place.”

I eased her back, looking down at her with soft eyes. “When your mom gets to Oakwood, she should stay at Blissfield Villa. Carry adores her, and you won’t kill yourself running between them.”

Joanna hesitated. “But…”

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102 Chapter 102 Time to End This Circus

I cut her off. “Get some sleep. Once we’re back in Oakwood, you’ll have missed schoolwork to catch up on

She finally smiled. “Okay.”

I smiled back, nodding toward the stairs.

Joanna reluctantly turned away and headed upstairs.

After Joanna disappeared, I pulled up that trending story again. The more I stared at those photos, the stronger my certainty grew. That

woman had to be Blanche.

I tried calling Blanche on video.

It rang through–no answer.

Multiple calls in a row. Nothing.

Finally, I dialed Heidi.

“Mr. Jacob,” Heidi answered.

“Is Mrs. Jacob home?”

“Mrs. Jacob left after discovering Miss Carry wasn’t at Blissfield Villa. She hasn’t returned,” Heidi reported.

I went quiet for a beat. “Okay.”

I ended the call and gripped my phone, staring into space.

Blanche used to be so different–warm smiles, constant check–ins, making sure I was alright.

Now she wouldn’t even call me first.

When she did call, it was only about Carry.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that Blanche was becoming a stranger.

‘Is Blanche really involved with Vincent?‘ The thought churned uneasily in my mind.

Blanche’s POV

After my shower, I stood in the bathroom doorway, absently touching the bracelet on my wrist.

I’d silenced my phone to avoid waking Camila, so I completely missed Zain’s video calls.

When I finally noticed the missed calls, calling back never crossed my mind.

Before bed, I mindlessly opened a video app. The first post had a tag suggesting I might know this person.

Looking closer, I recognized Joanna’s account.

Vinshub had just shared a photo of her being embraced, showing only the guy’s shoulder and jawline.

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102 Chapter 102 Time to End This Circus

I knew instantly it was Zain.

The caption made my stomach turn: [You’re always there for me when I need you. Your embrace is so warm. Zain, I love you.]

That video killed any interest I had in my phone, so I tossed it aside.

But sleep wouldn’t come. I spent hours tossing and turning before finally drifting off near dawn.

Sunday arrived. I took Camila to the amusement park, and we had a blast all day. We didn’t get back to the Callum Mansion until after

evening.

Amber and Irene were already busy in the kitchen when we walked in.

After dinner, the whole family went for an evening walk.

My phone buzzed unexpectedly–Amara calling. I hadn’t heard from her in forever.

“Blanche, can you come get me?” Amara’s voice sounded eerily calm.

I had no idea what was happening, but Amara asking for help meant I couldn’t refuse.

“Sure, send me the address,” I said without hesitation.

After we hung up, Amara texted the location. A bar.

When I arrived and found Amara, she was sitting with Marquis and his crew.

Amara sat quietly in the corner, looking completely out of place among Marquis’s loud friends.

The moment I pushed open the VIP room door, Amara stood up and killed the pounding music and flashing lights.

Marquis scowled. “Amara, what the hell are you doing?”

As we left the bar together, Amara finally broke down and told me what had happened earlier that night.

She’d arrived at the VIP room and overheard Marquis talking to his friends about their relationship.

“One of his friends asked when we were getting married,” Amara said, her voice hollow. “Marquis just laughed and said my parents weren’t begging him to marry me, so why would he bother? He said he’d had plenty of fun with me for free, and if he wanted to upgrade,

he could just find some college girl to marry instead.”

I watched Amara’s face as she recounted the cruel words, seeing how deeply they’d cut her.

“His friends were all laughing, cheering him on,” she continued. “I just stood there in the doorway, trying not to cry. Then I came in and

sat in the corner, pretending I hadn’t heard anything”

Amara looked at me with tired eyes. “I texted you because I wanted you to witness the end of this whole mess. I’m done with Marquis,

Blanche. It’s time to end this circus.”

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