Chapter 1296

Joe's indifferent, distant tone made Skylar acutely aware of his near-total lack of trust. Given her pursuit of him from Jipsburg to Murida, and her investigation into his whereabouts, her actions would naturally arouse suspicion. She wasn't surprised by his reaction.

Quickly composing herself, she produced several documents from her bag. These included photographs—one of Ned wearing glasses, and one of Joe—along with supporting evidence. The glasses made it easy to spot the differences between them, even in their demeanor.

Joe glanced at the photos impassively, skimming them briefly before examining the documents.

"You and Ned were in the same car accident three years ago," Skylar began calmly, though recounting the events was deeply painful. "Almost everyone died. You were thrown from the car, later mistaken for Ned Sowle, and taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, the real Ned and your assistant were captured, taken to an unknown location, and restrained…"

She managed to explain all the key details. As she spoke, Joe carefully read the documents, noting their more detailed investigations than he'd previously uncovered. But what most intrigued him was his question: "If I am Joe Martin, what was our relationship?"

Skylar was momentarily stunned. The photos and documents didn't explicitly detail their relationship, nor was it mentioned in past media coverage. Meeting his gaze, she slowly said, "We were married." She then produced their marriage certificate and a photograph taken with it on the day they registered.

Rosa arrived at Joe's apartment around five o'clock. Their home was a large villa, but this was the apartment where Joe stayed before their marriage. She had a key. She visited whenever she could, helping to organize things, even though Joe employed a housekeeper to clean and prepare meals. This gave her a profound sense of belonging, a feeling that they were meant to be together. They belonged to each other. No one should come between them.

However, tonight, the housekeeper had left after preparing dinner. Joe should have been home, but he wasn't. An inexplicable unease settled over her. She immediately called him, but the call went unanswered. She then contacted his psychologist, learning that Joe had left after his session as usual.

Worried, she asked, "Doctor, is there any chance Mr. Sowle might have regained his memory?" She had opposed Joe seeing a psychologist from the start, fearing he would remember their past. She'd always told him the past didn't matter; only their future. Yet, he continued his appointments, though fortunately, he hadn't remembered anything from the past few years.