The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 39

The emotional turmoil must have taken its toll. As soon as Suzie reached the ground floor, a wave of nausea rose from her chest to her throat, and she felt an urgent need to be sick. She panicked and ran for the first-floor bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she began to vomit violently.

The sound of hurried footsteps followed, and Martha rushed in, handing her a glass of water to rinse her mouth while patting her back.

“Oh my, what’s wrong? Is your stomach condition getting worse? Why are you suddenly throwing up like this? Are you having any other symptoms?” Martha fretted, crouching beside Suzie to get a better look.

Embarrassed, Suzie weakly pressed the flush button. After rinsing her mouth with the water Martha gave her, the nausea still lingered. Her stomach was empty now, leaving her to suffer through waves of dry heaves that made her entire abdomen clench.

Martha watched her with a puzzled, worried expression, her brows knitted together. Just as she was about to ask something, Jamie’s cool, detached voice came from the doorway. “What happened?”

Martha glanced at Suzie, who gave her a small shake of the head, silently telling her to drop it. With a heart full of suspicion, Martha led Jamie to the end of the hallway. “Mr. Baylor… Mrs. Baylor, she…” Martha started, then hesitated. Suzie's symptoms were just like her own morning sickness when she was young. But given their current relationship, would a man of Jamie's temperament force Suzie to terminate the pregnancy?

“Spit it out,” Jamie commanded, his sharp tone making Martha flinch.

She collected herself and replied, “Well… Mrs. Baylor’s stomach condition seems a bit severe.” After careful consideration, she decided against telling him the truth.

Jamie’s gaze shifted toward the bathroom, and he started walking in that direction. By the time he reached the door, Suzie was at the sink, rinsing her mouth and washing her face. A moment later, she looked up and saw Jamie’s handsome face in the mirror behind her. She paused, deciding to ignore him, and looked past him for Martha.

“Martha, did you happen to see a velvet box in my bedroom drawer when you were cleaning?”

Martha, who had followed Jamie back, answered earnestly, “No, Mrs. Baylor. We don't touch the drawers or cabinets when we clean, only the surfaces.”

Suzie’s brow furrowed as she once again replayed the sequence of events in her mind. She was positive the necklace was in the velvet box, and the box was in the nightstand drawer.

“Martha, you can go back to your work.”

Martha nodded and, after a moment's hesitation, left them alone.

Only then did Suzie look up at Jamie. “That necklace is very important to me. Give it back… ugh…”

Halfway through her sentence, another wave of sourness rose in her throat, and she let out an uncontrollable gag. She quickly patted her chest, trying to swallow it down.

“What about Richard? Are you abandoning him too?” his cool voice called out just as she reached the main door of the villa.

Suzie didn’t stop. “As for Richard, tell him I’ve gone abroad to study. I’ll video call him often. You don’t need to worry about it.”

In the next second, Jamie grabbed her arm. Before he could speak, Suzie exploded. “Jamie, are you sick? Stop this! If you’re not tired of it, I am! Go be with Chloe and leave me alone! I’m sick and throwing up because the sight of you makes me want to vomit!”

Jamie’s hand faltered, and he released her, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Suzie didn’t linger. She shot him one last venomous look and, fighting the discomfort racking her body, walked out of the Baylor Manor.

Jamie stood frozen in the vast courtyard, his large, well-defined hands clenched into tight fists, a vein throbbing in his forehead. This was the angriest he had ever seen her. There was no playful pouting this time; her bloodshot eyes were filled with pure hatred, even revulsion.

Did she really despise him that much? Why couldn't she just talk to him calmly?