Chapter 55

Jessica shook her head slightly, looking a bit hesitant.

“I’ve prepared some chicken. I’ll go make some roast chicken for you,” said Chris, without asking a single question about what Michael and Jessica had done or eaten that evening. He simply walked into the kitchen.

He was dressed in home clothes, carrying with him the warmth and woody scent of their home. At that moment, Jessica’s heart softened.

It turned out, her feelings for Chris had long been obvious.

Once out the door, the world becomes complicated—open threats were easy to defend against, but hidden ones were much harder. Whether for outsiders or within the company, she had to stay vigilant with no room to let her guard down.

Only by Chris’s side did Jessica feel no need to defend herself.

He was her last safe haven.

So no matter what, she wouldn’t let Chris go, even if he misunderstood her relationship with Michael, even if they were already divorced. She absolutely could not let Chris leave.

Other than Chris, no one else could give her this kind of peace.

Though Chris still felt bitter inside, what Roy had said made sense—he was a man, and a man couldn’t give up so easily.

He wasn’t blind. From their interactions lately, he could tell that Jessica had feelings for him.

He and Michael were completely different people. Since Jessica had feelings for him, why should he back out? Why should he admit defeat?

Even if it was just for the five years he had spent with her, he absolutely couldn’t give up now.

He could still choose to leave when things reached the point of no return, though he hoped that day would never come.

While he made the roast chicken, someone hugged him from behind.

Chris chuckled, feeling like Jessica was acting like a child. “Stop messing around. Go wash your hands and get changed. It’s almost ready.”

Jessica stood on tiptoe and kissed the back of his neck—her lips soft and light, brushing then pulling away.

“Please don’t leave me, Chris.”

Hearing those words, Chris almost couldn’t hold back his tears. His eyes turned red instantly.

The onions he was preparing made his eyes water, but he didn’t let Jessica notice.

Only after she left for the bedroom to change did he lift a hand to wipe his eyes.

So this was how it felt—to finally receive what you had been hoping for. It hurt.

But if she didn’t want him to leave, then what was going on with Michael?

At dinner that night, Roy uncharacteristically said a few good things about Jessica. He didn’t even refer to her as “that woman.”

Roy said Jessica was a strong woman, and strong women often couldn’t say everything out loud. The business world wasn’t simple; you had to trust the one you loved.

Trust.

Could he and Jessica really rebuild complete trust between them?

Normally, when they had dinner face to face, Jessica would either be looking at her phone or reviewing contracts.

But lately, Jessica had been more attentive to Chris’s emotions. She even talked to him about matters in the business world.

Chris wasn’t completely clueless. He was smart. He could read between the lines easily.

“Don’t come to where I work for now,” said Jessica while drinking her soup, raising her eyes to glance at him.

Chris paused, then looked down and gave a soft “mm.”

Using the other end of her cutlery, she lifted Chris’s chin and, unsurprisingly, saw that his eyes were already slightly red.

Jessica’s heart ached immediately.

“Don’t overthink it. Lately, I need to stir up some rumors—ones involving Michael. I don’t want you to feel upset seeing it, and I don’t want you facing company gossip. You’re not good at handling that sort of thing. Just leave it to me.”

“Jessica, actually—I’ve been thinking about going abroad for further studies.”

This was the first time Chris had openly mentioned leaving the country to Jessica—no longer sneaking off on his own; this time, he brought it up directly.

Chapter 56