The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 288

Bruised 288

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Condition

Zain’s POVO

I stood beside my car without getting in, lighting up a cigarette instead.

The smoke curled upward as I squinted through it, telling Joanna, “I’m going to the office.”

Joanna’s voice came through the phone with a note of surprise. “Zain, Carry’s got a fever again.”

My jaw tightened with worry. “I’ll get her aunt to stop by and check on her.”

Silence stretched between us for what felt like forever.

Finally, with obvious hesitation, she pressed, “Zain, where are you really? Are you actually going to the office?”

Her suspicion hit me like a punch to the gut.

Something twisted uncomfortably inside my chest at her tone.

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After a beat, I answered simply, “Yeah.”

But that only made her more suspicious. “Zain, can we video chat? I really miss you.”

I shut that down immediately. “Joanna, I’m about to drive. Not a good time for video.”

I could practically feel her assumption that I was brushing her off so I could run off and do my own thing.

Her voice grew tight with anxiety. “Zain, are you really driving right now?”

“I’m driving,” I replied without missing a beat.

Desperation crept into her tone. “Zain, please, can you just turn on the video for one second? Just one moment, please.”

I slid into the driver’s seat and buckled up. “Joanna, don’t make this difficult. I really need to go.”

“Zain, just—”

I hung up before she could finish.

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The dial tone buzzed in Joanna’s ear, and her heart clenched into a painful knot.

In that moment, her entire world seemed to crumble- her heart plummeting into a bottomless void.

She gripped the blanket with shaking hands, tears streaming down her face in an endless cascade.

The harder she cried, the more suffocating it became -each sob stealing more of her breath away.

Carry didn’t have a fever at all. Joanna had fabricated the whole thing, desperate for Zain to come over and stay with her.

But even using Carry’s fake illness as leverage hadn’t brought him to her side.

Carry wasn’t even in the hospital room. Before calling Zain, Joanna had sent her out to buy fruit.

Only with Carry gone had Joanna dared to lie so brazenly.

The hospital room door burst open. Joanna looked up through her tears to see Lillian standing there, arms full of shopping bags. Seeing her mother, Joanna’s

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tears flowed even harder.

Lillian dropped the bags on the nightstand and rushed to wipe away Joanna’s tears, her voice thick with concern. “Why are you crying, sweetheart? Is your leg bothering you again?”

Joanna shook her head, sobbing harder. “Mom, it’s Zain… He and Blanche are together again.”

Lillian stared for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. “Joanna, that’s just how men operate–never trust a man when he says he loves you.”

Panic flared in Joanna’s chest. “But Mom, what am I supposed to do? I’ve devoted years to him, done everything for him, even played nanny to his kid… Was it all pointless? Was it all for nothing?”

Lillian stroked Joanna’s hair with gentle fingers. “It’s okay, baby. You still have me. Don’t be scared–Mom will always have your back.”

But Joanna was beyond hearing–her tears just kept falling in torrents.

Lillian pulled Joanna close, speaking softly. “Honey,

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don’t let it consume you. As long as you don’t obsess over his affairs, it doesn’t matter who he’s screwing. Let him play around and don’t go crawling or throwing

tantrums.

Stay cool and act like you couldn’t give a damn.

Men are all the same–they only chase what ignores them. Stop caring, and trust me, he’ll come sniffing around again.”

Understanding dawned on Joanna’s face as she nodded slowly, “Like how I handled Drew and Kaden?”

Lillian nodded. “Exactly”

The logic clicked for Joanna, but the gnawing anxiety remained–what if Zain truly had a change of heart and went back to Blanche? The thought sent ice through her veins.

Lillian could read her like a book. Joanna was still hung up on Zain. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be crying this hard.

Joanna had always been surrounded by admirers, but honestly, most of those guys left her cold.

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She craved the rush of being pursued–the attention was intoxicating, but her heart never really engaged.

When it came to actually falling for someone, it had only happened twice: Zain, and Vincent before him.

Seeing Joanna’s distress, Lillian offered more comfort.

Finally, Lillian said, “Don’t worry. Once this mess settles, I’ll make sure that little brat Carry keeps bringing you up to her dad, so he won’t forget you

exist.”

Joanna felt a sharp ache in her chest, but she could only nod. “Okay, I understand.”

After Lillian’s reassurances, Joanna’s heart still felt weighted down, but she was considerably better than before.

Then it hit her–Carry had been gone for quite a while

and still hadn’t returned.

Anxiety crept in as she asked Lillian urgently, “Mom, did you see Carry when you came up?”

Lillian glanced around, confirming Carry’s absence. “No, haven’t seen her. She’s probably just out playing

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somewhere.”

Joanna’s worry persisted. “Mom, could you please go look for her?”

Lillian immediately dismissed the idea. “Come on, she’s old enough to handle herself. You think she’s going to get lost?”

Joanna wouldn’t let it go. “But what if something happens?”

Lillian frowned. “Oh, please. Stop stressing about it. She’s out there having fun—she’ll come back when

she’s tired.”

Joanna fell quiet, though worry continued eating at

her.

Carry was in her care, after all. If anything went wrong, Joanna knew she’d take the heat.

Since Lillian refused to budge, Joanna sighed and dropped the subject.

In her current condition–injured and completely exhausted–there was no way Joanna could even get out of bed.

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Blanche’s POV

At exactly five in the evening, the sky blazed in fierce reds and oranges, setting half the horizon on fire. Even my room was bathed in warm orange light.

I’d thrown the curtains wide open, letting the glow from the clouds flood every corner, casting everything in that soft, golden hue.

I sat by my floor–to–ceiling window, watching under the orange–tinted sky as a car slowly pulled into Blissfield Villa. Zain’s car.

It wasn’t long before I heard his footsteps on the

stairs.

He pushed open the guest room door and found me sitting by the large window. In a few quick strides, he crossed the room, leaned in with his hands braced on the back of my chair, and spoke softly near my ear, “It’s Nicholas’s birthday today. Come to dinner with me?”

I shifted away from him, keeping my voice cold and

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distant. “Zain, I’ll go–but before we leave, you need to sign the contract you promised me.”

Hearing me mention the contract, I could feel the sudden tension radiating from him.

‘Damn, is she really that eager to cut ties with me?‘ he thought darkly.

Wasn’t she the one who used to beg for my attention, always wanting me around?

Now I was finally offering her what she’d always asked for–so why did it seem like she didn’t want it

anymore?

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