Chapter 96

Sally grinned, “I just had a fortune teller read Yvonne’s fortune. He said the next baby will be a boy.”

“Mommy, why not give me a little brother ASAP?” Yvonne said, all cheerful as she shook my hand. “I want a little brother.”

“Alright, Yvonne, don’t say that out loud. Just keep it in your heart,” Sally said, beaming like she thought I could give her a son tomorrow.

Jared walked over, and Sally looked at him in surprise. “Jared, didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”

Jared replied gently, “Mom, the child belongs to both of us. Praying for a child only works if both husband and wife come together.”

“Daddy?” Yvonne spotted him, let go of my hand, and ran over with a big smile.

Jared bent down, scooped her up, and gave her nose a playful tap. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes, Daddy. When are you going to kiss Mommy? Grandma said if you two kiss, I’ll get a little brother,” Yvonne asked, grinning from ear to ear.

As soon as those words left her mouth, not just us—even Sally turned red. She hurried to cover Yvonne’s mouth. “Hush now, sweetie. There are so many people here. Your parents will get embarrassed.”

Jared just smiled indulgently, “Don’t worry. It’ll happen soon.”

I really didn’t want to hear their talk. It was like my feelings didn’t even exist to them. Nobody bothered to ask what I wanted.

“Where’s Quinn?” Jared asked.

Sally shot me a reproachful look. “She left right after praying. Her friends wanted to hang out.”

“How about we all have lunch together?” Jared suggested, glancing at me. “Victoria, it’s been ages since we all had a meal out with Yvonne.”

Sally nodded. “Alright, I was planning to buy Yvonne a toy at lunchtime anyway. Let’s go to the mall.”

On the way back, Jared asked me to ride with him. Seeing that I didn’t respond, Sally said, “Victoria, why don’t you talk to Jared? Yvonne can come with me.”

I hadn’t driven over. I’d come in Sally’s car, so now I had no choice but to ride with Jared.

He didn’t bring a driver and drove himself. When I went to open the back door, Jared was clearly annoyed. “Come and sit in the front.”

But I ignored him and settled into the back seat.

“So now I’m just your driver, huh?” Jared turned to look at me, looking even more furious.

“If you don’t want me in your car, I’ll just call a cab,” I said, reaching for the door.

“Alright, quit it,” Jared said, trying to rein in his temper. “Being your exclusive driver isn’t exactly a big deal.”

I kept quiet. It was still up in the air whose exclusive driver he actually was. Not like I was lucky enough to enjoy that kind of treatment.

Jared looked pretty good behind the wheel, all laid-back and casual. He just drove in silence for a long while.

At a red light, a Marbach squeezed in next to us. Jared glanced over, adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see me sitting in the back.

I was eyeing the car, too. Thinking about how Nathan drove the exact same model, my heart fluttered a bit.

“What? Are you fantasizing that Nathan’s the one in that car?” Jared shot back, his words edged with thorns.

I crossed my arms over my chest, my tone cool. “And what if I am? Are you going to police even my thoughts now?”

Jared tapped his long fingers on the steering wheel. “Victoria, as long as we’re still married, you’re my wife. Nathan doesn’t even get to fantasize about you.”

His words carried an unspoken threat, even without anger. It sent a chill through me, reminding me just how deep Jared’s possessiveness and dominance really ran, always hidden beneath the surface.

“Got it? Nathan may be young, but you’d better keep your hands off him.” Jared’s eyes fixed on me through the rearview mirror, staring me down with that possessive intensity.

It was both a reminder and a warning.