The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 214

214 Chapter 214 Bruises Hidden By

Smiles

Zain’s POV

Joanna climbed the stairs, spotting Kaden downstairs as she rounded the corner.

Seeing him look completely bewildered and blindsided, she seemed pleased by the attention.

With all these men drawn to her, she appeared quite

satisfied.

Upstairs, she headed straight to my bedroom.

Walking in, she found me halfway through changing from my pajamas.

Joanna didn’t pause, marching right over to me.

At the sound of footsteps, I turned. Recognizing Joanna, I casually resumed buttoning my shirt and teased, “Couldn’t stay in bed a bit longer?”

Joanna moved close, rising on her toes to straighten my shirt collar.

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She deliberately pressed near, shrinking the space between us until I only needed to dip my head slightly for my cheek to graze hers.

While adjusting my collar, she replied with a playful grin, “You’ve got work today, don’t you? That’s why I came to check on you. Honestly, without my help, you’d show up to the office with your tie completely lopsided.”

She always handled my ties for me.

As she spoke, she flashed me a tender smile.

I gazed down at her, and seeing her beaming face, I couldn’t resist a smile pulled at my own lips.

Just then, Carry’s soft voice floated from the doorway, “Daddy, Miss Joanna.”

Both of us automatically looked toward the entrance, our intimate moment shattered.

Carry stood there with her hair cascading over her shoulders, still clutching her stuffed animal.

Spotting Carry, Joanna’s expression shifted slightly, as if recalling something from the previous night.

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I noticed Carry, extended my hand and said, “Come here, let Miss Joanna fix your hair.”

Carry entered the room, hugging her toy close.

After Joanna finished arranging Carry’s hair, she announced, “There, perfect.”

As Carry spun around, still gripping her plush toy, her sleeve rode up slightly, revealing scattered bruises on her arm.

I was too preoccupied adjusting my own outfit to notice Carry.

Suddenly, Joanna appeared flustered. Terrified that I might spot the bruises on Carry’s arm, she immediately positioned herself in front of me, completely blocking my view of Carry.

I saw Joanna step between us, obstructing my sight, so I frowned and questioned, “What’s wrong?”

Joanna’s eyes darted as inspiration struck. Adopting a stern expression, she said, “Zain, you’re a grown man, and Carry’s just a child. You really shouldn’t stand around with your shirt unbuttoned in front of her—it could send the wrong message.”

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My shirt remained only partially buttoned at this point.

Hearing this, I quickly finished fastening my buttons. I glanced at Joanna with an apologetic smile, “I guess I wasn’t thinking–thanks for catching that.”

Joanna smiled back, “Alright, I’ll take Carry to her room. Just come over when you’re finished dressing.”

I nodded, “Perfect.”

During the entire exchange, Carry stood aside, feeling invisible and completely overlooked.

Watching Joanna and me interact so seamlessly, her eyes burned with that familiar ache–tears threatening before she even understood why.

Only when Joanna finally turned and reached for her hand did Carry’s pain overflow, tears streaming down as the sting of being ignored hit her full force.

Joanna saw Carry silently weeping, but didn’t attempt to console her–she simply guided her back to the bedroom, acting like nothing happened.

Back in the room, Joanna selected an outfit for Carry to wear that day.

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She dismissed the tears in Carry’s eyes, roughly tugging the clothes over her head without any gentleness.

Once Carry was dressed, she suddenly grabbed

Joanna’s hand, her voice shaking, eyes wet. “Aunt Joanna, will you always love me? You won’t stop loving me, will you?”

At this, Joanna reached up to gently brush the tears from Carry’s cheeks, her tone filled with warmth. “Of course, sweetheart. I’ll always love you.”

But Carry remained frightened, throwing herself into Joanna’s arms and clinging tight. “Aunt Joanna, please don’t ever leave me. I don’t have a mom… You’re my mom now, okay? Don’t abandon me.”

Joanna softly ran her fingers through Carry’s hair, her voice gentle as a vow. “Okay, I’m your mom. I’ll always be here for you.”

&

At the doorway, I had just finished dressing and was about to enter. The instant I heard Carry’s words, I froze, hand suspended mid–reach, unable to move forward.

Witnessing how desperately Carry needed Joanna, I

Cha

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couldn’t help thinking, ‘Maybe divorcing Blanche was actually the smartest decision I ever made!‘

Blanche’s POV

Saturday marked the kindergarten’s autumn field trip.

The evening before, Amber called to tell me she had other commitments and asked me to take Camila to

the outing alone.

I agreed, so I woke up early to prepare everything.

When Camila and I arrived at the kindergarten, the place was already alive with activity–nearly every parent was there, chatting and preparing their children for the adventure.

The teacher began roll call with enthusiasm, working through the list name by name, until everyone noticed -Carry and her guardian still hadn’t arrived.

I stood among the waiting crowd, holding Camila’s hand and scanning the kindergarten entrance, hoping to spot Carry.

Since Carry was small, I had always taught her about being punctual.

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But now, quite some time had passed and everyone was still waiting just for her.

As time stretched on with no sign of Carry or her

guardian, some parents began voicing their complaints openly.

“Can we leave now or what? Do we really need to wait for every single person?” someone snapped, sounding irritated.

“Come on, it’s the weekend! I’ve got a mountain of work waiting. I only came out for this trip, but we can’t just waste our entire day here,” another parent grumbled, growing more frustrated.

“Hey teachers, can we get moving? Time’s running out -wasting it is just ridiculous. Don’t you understand?” another voice shouted, impatience building.

Soon, the place filled with complaints, everyone talking at once—the entire kindergarten buzzed with

annoyance.

I stayed out of the chaos, my eyes fixed on the kindergarten gates, quietly watching for any sign of Carry.

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But then, Camila suddenly tugged my hand and called out, “Aunt Blanche.”

At her call, I knelt down, my expression gentle as I asked, “What’s the matter, Camila?”

Camila whispered, her voice barely audible, “Mr. Aarav keeps staring at you.”

Hearing that, I glanced in the direction Camila pointed.

Vincent stood in the crowd, with Dorian Austin right next to him.

But when I looked over, Vincent quickly looked away.

Seeing that, I gently touched Camila’s cheek and said, “Camila, Mr. Aarav is just a friend. It’s completely normal if he glances at me occasionally.”

Camila was still young, so she didn’t really understand and didn’t press further. She just held my hand and said, “Okay, I just want you to be happy!”

My heart warmed at that. I pressed my forehead tenderly against Camila’s and smiled softly. “Okay.”

A while later, Joanna finally appeared, arriving fashionably late with Carry trailing behind.

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When they reached the kindergarten gate, Joanna immediately noticed all the annoyed expressions and understood exactly why. Flashing an embarrassed smile, she quickly said, “Sorry for keeping everyone waiting, we hit terrible traffic. Coffee’s on me later, and ice cream for all the kids–my treat!”

With just a swift apology and a small bribe, all the grumbling disappeared instantly, replaced by everyone suddenly praising Joanna and singing her praises.

“Sue’s mother isn’t just gorgeous, she’s got the sweetest heart and she’s so generous too? Seriously, she’s perfect!” someone gushed.

“God, if my spouse was even half as thoughtful and caring as Sue’s mother, I’d be the luckiest person alive,” another parent sighed, clearly envious.

“Sue’s Dad struck gold–how did he land such an incredible woman?” someone else laughed, shaking their head in amazement.

Just like that, all the earlier complaints transformed into flattery and praise.

Joanna stood among them, beaming from ear to ear, practically radiating joy.

<

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.

Carry stood right beside Joanna, but with all attention focused on Joanna, it was as if she was invisible-

completely overshadowed by Joanna’s radiance.

215 Chapter 215 A Wound Deeper Than Skin