When His Perfect Mask Shattered I Awoke (Anneliese and Zacharias) novel Chapter 626

Brody's obvious attempt to change the subject was both abrupt and clumsy.

If the fire had truly been an unambiguous accident, he would have just told her the truth directly. Instead, his roundabout assurance made him seem evasive, as though he was deliberately hiding something, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Anneliese continued chatting for a few more minutes before gloomily ending the call.

Standing on the dimly lit street, she was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. She leaned against a tree to steady herself, her breathing fast and shallow.

The branches above swayed in the wind, casting eerie shadows across the pavement. A sudden sense of being watched prickled her skin, sending a chill sliding down her spine. She whipped around in panic, heart hammering in her chest.

But the sidewalk was empty. Only two figures appeared in the distance. Judging by their pace and posture, they were nothing more than random pedestrians passing by.

However, she couldn't calm down. Quickening her pace, she pulled out her phone to hail a cab. It didn't take long for the ride-hailing app to show that a driver had accepted her request.

Then she reached into her bag for the pepper spray. Wrapping her fingers around the small canister in her hands made her feel just a little safer.

At that moment, she noticed a shadow approaching from behind. She immediately lengthened her strides, but the shadow gained on her with alarming speed.

A hand shot out, reaching for her.

The moment she felt something touching her shoulder, she screamed in panic and wildly sprayed the pepper spray behind her.

Strong arms locked around her waist despite her resistance. She struggled frantically, thrashing around in fear when a low, familiar voice entered her ears.

"Shh! It's me!"

She froze, then slowly turned around.

It really was Jonathan.

He was looking a little worse for wear. In holding back to avoid hurting her, he had left himself exposed, which meant he couldn't defend himself against her assault.

More than half his face was now covered in the harsh, stinging spray. His right eye was so swollen he could barely even open it.

"Did it get into your eyes?" Flustered and angry at herself, she quickly grabbed a tissue and gestured for him to lower his head.

"What were you thinking? Why did you sneak up on me like that? Couldn't you have said something first?"

He gave a helpless laugh. "I didn't think you'd react so strongly. Were you trying to murder your own husband?"

Eyes closed, he obediently allowed her to hold his chin with one hand and wipe his face with the other.

Just then, Zion brought the car over. Seeing what had happened, he quickly rushed over with a bottle of water.

Anneliese deftly cleaned Jonathan's face with some tissues and water until he could finally open his eyes again. He blinked slightly, then took her hand and led her into the car.

"Hiss…" He gasped in pain, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. His eyes reddened further.

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