Chapter 923
The smile on her face froze slightly the moment she saw Joseph. She hadn’t expected him to show up so quickly. There’d been no sign of it at all.
“Joseph, you got here pretty fast,” she said.
Joseph smiled. “Of course. I heard you were back, so I had to be the first to welcome you properly.”
Judy gave an awkward laugh. She truly hadn’t thought Joseph would arrive this soon. He hadn’t been like this before. Back then, Joseph had still shown interest in Aurora. Judy had known that from the very beginning. Even though she’d returned from abroad and everyone called her Joseph’s one true love, only she knew what his attitude toward her had really become. It was obvious to her that Joseph didn’t treat her the way he used to. Gone was the tenderness, the thoughtfulness, and the warmth he used to show before she left the country. Sometimes, he’d even zone out while looking at her face. That was when she realized something was wrong because the Joseph she used to know wasn’t like this at all.
It was often said – when someone loved, and when they didn’t, the difference was unmistakable. She hadn’t fully grasped it before, but now she understood it completely. Still, Judy never told anyone about it, not even Joseph. Sometimes, when it came to men, she couldn’t be too eager. She had to let them realize their mistakes on their own. After that, Judy began treating Joseph with more care and subtlety. Through her quiet guidance, she slowly led him to grow accustomed to her presence again, until his attitude eventually returned to how it had once been.
This whole matter had always remained buried deep in her heart. Now, seeing Joseph being so proactive again genuinely caught her off guard.
“How did you get here so fast?” Judy felt a little awkward–she hadn’t even prepared herself yet.
Joseph sat down beside her naturally and reached out, trying to wrap an arm around her shoulder. At first, Judy wanted to dodge, but then she remembered what Kenneth told her and forced herself to stay still. Her body, though, was visibly tense.
Joseph noticed and asked with a puzzled tone, “Judy, you don’t look so well. Are you feeling okay?”
Hearing that, Judy quickly adjusted her expression. In the blink of an eye, a gentle smile spread across her face.
“Maybe I’m just a little tired from the trip.” She stood up, ready to pour him some water. “You must be tired too, rushing over like this. Let me get you something to drink.”
Seeing her go through the effort despite how exhausted she looked, Joseph immediately got up and pressed her back into the chair. “No need. I’m not that thirsty.” His tone softened. “Come on, don’t trouble yourself. You just got back. You should be resting, not fussing over me.”
Judy looked at the concern on his face and found it almost laughable. This man hadn’t always been this way. There were times he couldn’t care less about how she felt. If he wanted something, she had no choice but to go along with it. The moment he had a need, she was expected to be there. And Joseph never once considered how she felt about any of it.