Chapter 10

Tanya's face paled, her fair skin becoming almost ghostly. She gripped her juice glass, her hands trembling. "I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to."

She looked so fragile and pitiful that I almost believed I'd hurt her feelings. But I pressed on. Having started, I might as well finish. "Maybe you didn't mean to, but it has affected us. If it wasn't intentional, just be more mindful in the future. No need to apologize."

"If Desmond were still here, I would never trouble Jace," Tanya said, tears streaming down her face. Her theatricality was palpable.

Her words were carefully chosen, leaving me at a disadvantage. She looked at me, her eyes shimmering. "I turn to Jace because Desmond entrusted him with that responsibility before he passed, and Jace agreed."

Her hands continued to rub the glass as she added, "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't bother Jace."

This was her way of excusing herself while subtly blaming me. But we were all adults here. Who didn't have a few tricks up their sleeve? She could play the pitiful, fragile woman; I could play the saint. "Jace agreed to help you because your husband asked him to, but there should be some boundaries. Now that your husband is gone, people might start talking if they see you and Jace together all the time. It won't bother Jace much, but for you, as a woman, rumors can be damaging. And it would be even harder if your child heard those rumors, right?"

Tanya's face darkened. "Keira, you say all this because you resent Jace taking care of me. Do you not trust him, or are you insecure about yourself?"

Her sharp retort was entirely unlike her. I looked at her and chuckled. Finally showing your true colors, huh? No more pretending?

Before I could respond, Tanya's tears started falling again. "I'm sorry. If you're still upset, you can hit me or scold me, but please don't talk about my child."

"Huh?" I hadn't even mentioned her child.

Tanya stood, hand on her belly, the picture of an expectant mother, and started to leave. Jace took a large step forward and stopped her, his third intervention of the evening. His eyes blazed with anger as he looked at me. "Rea, what are you doing?"

At that moment, I understood why Tanya suddenly mentioned the child. This melodramatic tactic, too cliché even for television dramas, was apparently her go-to strategy.

"What did I do?" Seeing the coldness in Jace's eyes, I felt a pang of disappointment. He blamed me without even hearing my side. Ten years together, and I was no match for Tanya's manipulations.

"Jace, don't argue," Tanya said, grabbing his arm. "It's my fault. I know I trouble you a lot and take up your time. It's my mistake…"

Her words weren't meant to console but to further enrage Jace. "Jace, I'm sorry for disturbing you two," Tanya added, pulling away from him and quickly running outside.

"Tanya!" Jace called out, ready to chase after her.

I stopped him. "Jace, my clothes are stained."

He glanced at his other hand and seemed to remember my period. In the next second, he placed the sanitary pads he'd bought for me on the table and removed his jacket. "Rea, Tanya is pregnant and emotionally unstable. We can't let anything happen to her."

With that, he threw the jacket at me and was about to leave. "Jace Johnston, if you go after her, then we are over." My words stopped him.