"Why are you out so late tonight?"
"Jean, go ahead and sleep. I’m at a friend’s birthday party. I’ll be ho soon."
"Don’t drink too much, then," Jean cautioned.
"Got it!" he said, then hung up.
Jean Grant lay in bed and read a book on prenatal education for a while, but she couldn’t fall asleep. Her thoughts drifted to Ethan Ellsworth.
Figuring he was probably still awake, she dialed his number.
He answered quickly.
"Hello." His voice was as magnetic as ever.
"I’m surprised you answered my call."
Ethan’s grip tightened. He chuckled, "After all, we’ve known each other for so many years. Didn’t we agree to stay friends?"
"You’re right." Jean suddenly didn’t know what to say next.
"I went ho to see my mother today. She said that after Zoe’s wedding, they’ll start planning my wedding."
Ethan humd calmly. "I’m not in a hurry. Anyti is fine."
"Ethan, I’m having a baby girl."
"Is sothing wrong? A baby girl will be adorable, and just as beautiful as you," he replied.
"But my mother-in-law doesn’t like girls. She has a strong preference for boys. I’m starting to lose the confidence to make this marriage work. Ethan, I feel like I’ve taken the wrong path. Married life feels so oppressive. Even though I have nothing to do all day, I just feel so exhausted."
Ethan didn’t know what to say. "It’s the path you chose, Jean. You have to see it through to the end, even if you have to crawl. There’s no turning back now. As long as Marlon is still good to you, don’t lose the resolve you once had."
Jean lowered her eyes. "Ethan, I failed you, and yet you’re still willing to talk to ... I can’t believe it."
"I wanted to never speak to you again, too. But Jean, after all these years... even if we couldn’t be lovers, we’ve long since beco like brother and sister. Don’t you think?"
Her eyes suddenly welled with tears. She didn’t know why, but hearing Ethan say that—knowing in her heart it was the truth—made her feel an uncontrollable surge of fear.
She still didn’t understand where this fear ca from.
"It’s getting late. I should get to sleep. You should sleep soon, too."
Ethan uttered two words, "Good night."
They both hung up.
Only then did Jean Grant feel a bitter ache in her heart.
She got out of bed, opened the closet, and took out a letter that had been tucked away among the blankets.
She read it from beginning to end, unable to stop the tears from falling.
Jean placed a hand on her round belly. ’Just like he said. Since it’s co to this, the only thing to do is to keep moving forward with resolve.’
Tucking it back among the blankets, Jean Grant turned off the light and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, she reached out to the other side of the bed, only to find the sheets were still cold.
Startled, she turned on the light and checked the ti. It was nearly one in the morning.
She had no choice but to call Marlon again, but this ti, no one answered.
A faint sense of unease settled over her. Jean Grant threw on so clothes, grabbed her wallet, and decided to go find him.
Outside the main gate, the residential complex was deserted, with only the streetlights flickering in the dark.
She grabbed her keys and got into her Porsche, speeding out of the complex. She drove straight to a KTV near the entrance of Alveria University to look for him, but after a quick search, she couldn’t find him.
After a mont’s thought, she drove to a place called Tempting Lips.
She went up to the second floor.
"Ruby!"
Ruby turned around, and her eyes widened in recognition. She imdiately broke into a cheerful smile. "Miss Grant, what brings you here so late at night?"
"My husband is out celebrating a friend’s birthday. Is he here by any chance?"
"He is! He is! He’s in Room 309. Go on up."
Jean Grant gave a slight smile. "Thank you."
Ruby waved her hand. "Don’t ntion it. No need to be so formal with ."
Jean Grant went upstairs to Room 309. From outside the door, she could hear a racket.
’No wonder he didn’t hear calling.’
She pushed open the door. "Marlon!"
Soone spoke up, "Drake, is that your wife?"
Marlon Marshall was dead drunk. His voice was weak and slurred as he leaned against a female classmate. "My wife? My wife’s at ho. No way she’d be here!"
"Dude, look! It really is your wife."
Jean Grant walked forward. He squinted his eyes slightly. "Huh? It really is my wife. You’re here to take ho."
"It’s one in the morning, and you’re still here? Let’s go. We’re going ho."
Marlon unsteadily got to his feet, chuckled, and waved his hand. "Alright, everyone—HIC—party’s over! It’s on !"
A male classmate said sheepishly, "Let’s just split it. Everything at Tempting Lips is pretty expensive. Drake, do you even have that much cash on you?"
Marlon replied with drunken bravado, "So what if it’s expensive? My family’s loaded! Don’t you guys know? My wife is Quentin Grant’s sister. The Grant Group is world-renowned! So that’s that! It’s settled!"
Hearing this, Jean Grant felt a knot of discomfort in her stomach. But with so many of his classmates around, she couldn’t bring herself to embarrass him.
"Well, since you insist, thanks for treating us! It’s getting late, everyone, let’s head out!" the birthday boy announced.
Everyone imdiately started heading out, and soon, only a few people were left in the room.
Jean Grant thought he was about to leave, but instead, he closed his eyes and plopped right back down on the sofa, his body slumping against the female classmate who still hadn’t left.
Jean Grant said awkwardly to the young woman, "Excuse , you can get up. Don’t worry about him."
But the classmate introduced herself instead. "Hello, Miss Grant. My na is Carol Young."
Jean Grant froze. "Carol Young? Do you know Charlotte Young?"
"She’s my sister."
Jean Grant stared at her. "What a coincidence. Your parents certainly have a way with nas. Charlotte and Carol... it sounds like a song."
"Yes, that’s what my parents say."
Just as she said that, Marlon’s hand suddenly fell onto hers. Jean’s expression instantly turned hostile. She snapped at Carol Young, "Are you going to leave or not?"
"He’s leaning on , I can’t get up."
Anxious and furious, Jean Grant yanked Marlon to the side. Only then could Carol Young get up and leave.
Helpless, and too pregnant to drag him ho herself, she had no choice but to pay the bill and ask Ruby to have a security guard help get him into the car. Only then was Jean able to take him back to their complex.
She didn’t bother with him anymore, simply storming upstairs to bed.
The next morning, an exhausted Marlon stumbled out of the car and back into the bedroom. The sight of him made Jean’s blood boil. "You really know how to party, don’t you? It was one in the morning and you still didn’t think to co ho! And you made pay for the room and everything. You’re just so generous, aren’t you!"
Marlon chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. "Honey, isn’t it all thanks to you? If you weren’t my wife, I’d have no way to show off in front of my classmates."
"There’s a Carol Young in your class?"
Marlon looked taken aback. "Yeah, there is. What about it?"
"I didn’t even know she was in your class. And do you know who her sister is? It’s Charlotte Young! The woman engaged to my brother! And last night you were touching her hand. Marlon, to lay a hand on another woman right in front of ... you’ve got so nerve! If I hadn’t shown up, what else were you planning to do with her?" Jean couldn’t hide her fury. She hadn’t slept a wink all night. He may have been drunk, probably couldn’t even see straight, but she couldn’t get that image out of her head.
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