The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 309

309 Chapter 309 The Daniel Left Waiting

Every time Joanna pictured Blanche heading back to graduate school, an uncomfortable knot twisted in her

stomach.

Everyone always raved about Blanche being some kind of genius, but marriage had pulled her away from medicine.

Now Blanche wanted to dive back into her studies.

Even though Joanna was already pursuing her graduate degree, she couldn’t shake the fear that Blanche would completely overshadow her.

Secretly, Joanna found herself hoping Blanche would bomb her entrance exams.

Those anxious thoughts kept her tossing and turning all night.

Before dawn broke, she crept silently toward Zain’s bedroom.

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The moment she caught the guest room door creaking open, Joanna yanked Zain’s door wide.

She’d chosen a stunning red silk robe that hugged her curves, her hair deliberately tousled and her cheeks. glowing with just the right flush to look utterly tempting.

Blanche’s POV

I didn’t need anyone to draw me a picture—the scene spelled out exactly what had happened the night before.

I gave Joanna one quick glance before heading downstairs.

When I didn’t react to her little performance, I could see Joanna’s rage building.

That’s when Carry’s voice drifted up from below. “Mommy.”

Standing on the staircase, I assumed she was calling for me.

“Yeah?” I responded automatically.

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But the second Carry looked up and spotted me, that bright smile vanished from her face completely.

“Oops, wrong person. I thought Miss Joanna was coming down,” Carry quickly corrected herself.

Her words hit me like a tiny electric shock, though I barely let it show.

I kept my voice even. “Mm.”

Then I continued down the stairs.

Joanna stayed on the staircase, watching Blanche’s brief moment of hesitation. A cruel smile spread across her lips.

This is definitely going to throw her off today, Joanna thought with satisfaction.

Once Blanche’s car pulled away, Joanna rushed straight back to Zain’s room.

She found him perched on the bed’s edge.

His pajama shirt hung loose over his shoulders, and the morning light caught the defined muscles of his

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chest with a warm, golden gleam.

Joanna stared, her pulse quickening.

Zain lifted his gaze to meet hers, his stare ice–cold and cutting. “What are you doing barging in here this early?” he demanded.

He’d kept his eyes closed on purpose earlier, feigning disinterest while figuring out Joanna’s real game.

Heat flooded Joanna’s cheeks. She put on her most vulnerable expression and whispered, “Zain, I… I just missed you so much, and I…”

She let the words hang there, giving him her most heartbreaking look.

Watching her on the verge of tears only sparked Zain’s irritation. He had zero interest in continuing this conversation. “Go downstairs and spend time with Carry. I need to get ready.”

Joanna caught the clear annoyance flashing in Zain’s eyes, and it felt like a sharp blade twisting in her chest.

Still, she forced on a sweet, compliant mask. “Okay, I’ll

head downstairs.”

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As she walked away, tears threatened to spill over, hurt and resentment choking her throat.

Joanna couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it started, but somehow Zain had just… stopped caring about her. Like every feeling he’d ever had for her had simply evaporated.

Zain was impossible to decode–warm one minute, freezing the next. Joanna couldn’t crack his code

anymore.

Blanche’s POV

By afternoon, I’d finally completed my graduate school

entrance exams.

Walking out of that exam hall felt like shedding a heavy coat–pure relief washed over me. Deep down, I felt pretty good about my performance.

The area outside the exam hall was surprisingly quiet, but as soon as I stepped through the doors, I spotted Demetrius’s black Audi and Zain’s unmistakable

Daniel.

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Zain wasn’t actually there–Desmond sat behind the wheel instead.

Demetrius had clearly been waiting for quite a while.

Seeing both Demetrius and Desmond there caught me off guard.

Desmond approached first. “Mrs. Jacob, Mr. Jacob arranged a celebration dinner for you. He sent me to pick you up personally.”

I barely acknowledged Desmond before turning my

attention to Demetrius.

Finally, I looked back at Desmond. “Could you tell Zain I’ll be home late tonight?”

Desmond’s expression tightened uncomfortably. “Mrs. Jacob, don’t put me in this position.”

I held his stare, dropping my voice to almost a whisper. “Then don’t put me in one either.”

Desmond struggled for words. “But Mrs. Jacob, Mr. Jacob specifically requested this.”

He was trying to use authority to make me give in.

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But I stood firm without hesitation. Turning to Demetrius, I said clearly, “Demetrius, let’s go.”

At my signal, Demetrius stepped forward and politely opened the car door for me. Only after I was settled inside did he get behind the wheel.

Demetrius had already booked us a table at a spicy Sylvanian restaurant for tonight.

When we arrived, someone was already waiting: Patty.

Seeing Patty there surprised me. I glanced between Demetrius and Patty, trying to piece things together.

Before Demetrius could explain, Patty jumped in. “What’s with that suspicious look? Come on, we’re all medical people–the medical world is tiny! Running into each other is basically inevitable.”

I still felt a bit confused, but I took the seat Demetrius

pulled out for me.

Noticing my uncertainty, Patty continued, “I got called in for a guest surgery here in Oakwood, and guess who I bumped into? Demetrius was operating too. He invited me to dinner afterward, so we caught up. Then

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today, he texted me saying you’d just finished your grad school exams and thought it would be perfect timing for all of us to get together.”

I looked from Demetrius to Patty. “Oh, that explains it.”

Demetrius jumped in at the perfect moment. “I figured you’d be in a great mood after finishing your exams- and since Patty was your old roommate, I thought you two would enjoy catching up and unwinding together.”

I smiled softly at Demetrius. “Well then, go ahead and

sit down.”

The table was long and rectangular, pushed against

the window where no one could sit.

Patty and I sat across from each other on opposite

sides.

Demetrius lingered by the aisle, staying close to my

side.

His intentions were crystal clear–he wanted the seat

next to me.

I knew exactly what he was hoping for, but I refused to make room. Instead, I gestured toward the space

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beside Patty.

It wasn’t for any complicated reason–I knew Patty had feelings for Demetrius, and honestly, Patty was an amazing person.

So I decided to maybe give them a little push and see what might develop.

Who knows, maybe Demetrius will actually develop feelings for Patty, I thought to myself.

Demetrius completely understood what I was suggesting, but he ignored my hint. Rather than sitting beside Patty, he grabbed a chair from a nearby empty table and positioned himself at the short end by the aisle.

As he settled in, his chair naturally angled toward me, as if magnetically drawn in my direction without him even noticing.

Patty obviously caught onto my matchmaking efforts, but when Demetrius still ended up right next to me, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Then Patty turned to me and teased, “Seriously,

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Blanche, are you really that oblivious about Demetrius?”

My heart did a nervous skip. I shot Patty a warning look and said quickly, “Patty, stop teasing me.”

But before Patty could even respond, Demetrius turned toward me, his gaze steady and direct. “Blanche, Patty’s telling the truth,” he said.

When Demetrius met younger female colleagues from his alma mater, he’d just use their last names—or throw out a casual “kiddo” if he barely knew them.

But with me, he never used anything like that. He always addressed me directly, using my actual name,

Blanche.

I probably never noticed that small detail.

But in Demetrius’s mind, I already stood apart from everyone else.

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