Chapter 3

An hour later, I found myself standing outside the Clark Group building.

I headed straight upstairs, and sure enough, there was Judith.

Jonathan had said he'd help her get a job, and it turned out he'd made her his personal secretary.

Through the blinds, I saw Judith with her arms around Jonathan's neck, the two of them sharing a bowl of fruit like they were the only ones in the world.

My fists clenched tightly as I forced myself to push the door open.

Jonathan instantly shoved Judith aside, panic flashing across his face. "Babe, what are you doing here?"

I was seething inside, but I forced my voice to stay calm. "What, did I interrupt something?"

No matter how hard I tried to keep it together, the resentment bubbled up, and my voice came out sharp and bitter.

Jonathan immediately frowned.

Judith bit her lip and hung her head, putting on her best pitiful act. "I'm sorry, Stella. I guess I'm just stuck in old habits from when Jonathan and I were kids, and I forgot that now I should know my boundaries with him."

"I'll resign and move out of your house right away," she added.

She shot a sneaky look at Jonathan, and when she saw his brows twisted in concern, she knew her little pity show was working.

Smug on the inside, she faked wiping away a tear, then lifted her foot to walk out.

Suddenly, her wrist was caught. Jonathan had grabbed her, stopping her from leaving.

With one hand still gripping Judith, Jonathan shot me a frosty glare. "Is it those pregnancy hormones making you suspicious all the time?"

"Judith is just my friend. I'm only helping her out at work, that's it," he explained carelessly.

Just then, the intercom phone rang. It was Jonathan's assistant calling him to a meeting.

He hesitated for a moment, then tightened his hold on Judith's hand, not backing down. "Judith and I have work to do. Stop making trouble and go home and get some rest."

I bit down hard, watching them leave the office.

Only then did I sit down in Jonathan's chair, opened his drawer, and took out his personal stamp. I pulled the documents from my bag.

I pressed his stamp onto the signature line, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

To prove he meant business, Jonathan had given me 3% of the Clark Group's shares. That made me a significant shareholder.

If I wanted to sell those shares, I'd need the board's sign-off.

That was why I came here to swipe Jonathan's stamp.

With the stamp in hand, I went straight to the stock market and listed those shares for sale.

After that, I swung by the mall, got a fresh haircut, picked out some new clothes, and glammed myself up until I looked drop-dead gorgeous.

Even if I was leaving, I was going to walk out with my head held high, looking absolutely fabulous.

*****

By the time I finally made it back home, it was already nighttime.

Jonathan and Judith were already there, waiting for me.

Jonathan was absolutely floored by how stunning I looked. He couldn't take his eyes off me. Meanwhile, Judith shot daggers at me, biting back her envy.

Without warning, Jonathan grabbed my hand and started pulling me away.

I looked at him, puzzled.

"Babe, I'm taking you somewhere," he said.

Jonathan pulled me into the car and drove off without saying a word about where we were headed.

On the way, he just kept rambling to himself. "I was out of line today. I wanted to apologize after the meeting, but you were already gone.

"Babe, I'm sorry. I've just been so stressed and anxious lately, and I ended up snapping at you. Will you forgive me?"

I just stared blankly at the streetlights ahead, giving a careless reply. "It's okay."

If Jonathan really cared about me, he would've noticed something was off a long time ago.

When we arrived at the beach resort, Jonathan knelt down in front of the waves and pulled out a property deed.

"Babe, didn't you say you love the ocean? I got you a beachfront villa. Whenever you want to watch the sea, just come and stay here," he said.

I took the deed and managed a weak smile. "Thanks."

I never actually liked the ocean. The salty wind was annoying, and the waves were way too loud. I always preferred somewhere quiet.

Judith was the one who loved the ocean.

Jonathan couldn't even remember that.

Jonathan didn't notice how reluctant I was. He took my hand, gentle as ever. "This is time just for the two of us. Let's go for a walk."

I turned away. "I'll go grab a jacket from the car."

Back in the car, I grabbed my coat and tossed the deed into the glove compartment on the passenger side.

Just as I was about to get out, I noticed a beige corner sticking out from the glove compartment.

I was curious, so I pulled it out. It was another property deed.

When I opened it, I saw it was for a villa right next to mine in the same neighborhood. And the owner was Judith.

So even his so-called apology gift wasn't unique.

When he said he was "renovating the old house," he was really just prepping a brand new one.

Clutching my chest, I realized the pain had already turned numb. I wiped at my eyes, but they were bone dry, not a single tear left.

We walked along the beach for about ten minutes when Jonathan's phone suddenly rang.

He just declined the call without even checking who it was. Then a text notification popped up right after.

Jonathan glanced at his phone, and when he saw me trying to see, he quickly turned off the screen.

"Babe, something urgent just came up at the office," he said awkwardly.

I couldn't help but want to laugh.

Something urgent at the office? But I just caught a glimpse of the name "Judy" on his screen. Seriously, who else would he call that but Judith?

Jonathan looked all kinds of nervous, clearly scared I'd notice something was off, but he couldn't wait to run off.

He was so wrapped up in his own panic, he didn't even see the look on my face.

I said softly, "Just go. Work comes first."