Chapter 516

Natalie recalled Skylar mentioning marrying Joe, confirming her suspicions. Previously, she hadn't believed a word Skylar said, but now she felt foolish.

Skylar hadn't expected to reveal this to Natalie so soon. "Everything I told you before was true," she said. "He's my husband."

Natalie's lips twitched as she reminded herself to stay calm. She then hinted meaningfully, "No wonder Andrew was so shocked earlier. He knew about your relationship with Joe. You should go talk to him."

"We can settle things here," Natalie continued, "but you need to explain yourself to him properly. You can make it up to me later. If I had known he was your husband, I wouldn't have mentioned your husband being my cousin, the detective."

She patted Skylar's shoulder. "Good luck. I'm getting a cab."

Jacky and Natalie had both left unnoticed.

Skylar faced Joe's intense, inscrutable gaze. Taking a deep breath, she walked over.

As Skylar got into the car, Joe's first words were, "Is your husband a detective? How did you end up with this guy?" He vaguely recalled Natalie introducing Skylar to a man who seemed to be a detective, and wondered if she'd thought of him first in moments of danger. He pondered why she hadn't used his name in that situation; it seemed she didn't realize the name "Joe Martin" carried significant weight.

"Well," Skylar explained helplessly, "at the time, we didn't think much of it. It was just a casual mention. Unexpectedly, Andrew took it seriously." She hadn't expected Joe to find out.

Joe seemed skeptical. "Have you taken a liking to that detective?" The man did seem to attract women, and for some reason, this made Joe uneasy.

Chapter 516

Skylar was taken aback. She looked into Joe's cold, inscrutable eyes and asked directly, "Are you jealous?"

Joe frowned. "You're overthinking it." He would never be jealous.

After watching Joe's car leave, Natalie prepared to hail a cab. At that hour, there were plenty available. As she waited, she wondered about Skylar and Joe's relationship; its development had been entirely unexpected. Skylar's marriage to a man like Joe was impressive.

While Natalie silently mused, a car pulled up in front of her. Seeing the familiar vehicle instead of a cab, her expression changed abruptly. She stopped short.

A tall figure emerged and approached her urgently, his tone concerned. "Are you alright? Did Andrew hurt you?"

In the past, Natalie would have immediately confided in Jeremy and sought his help. She had been scared, but this time, she stood her ground, unmoving.

"I'm fine," she said coldly.

Jeremy furrowed his brows. "Get in the car."

Seeing Natalie's distance and wariness, Jeremy felt a sharp pain in his chest, escalating from a dull ache to a spreading intensity.

"No need. I'll take a cab," Natalie said, walking away. She couldn't understand how Jeremy could maintain a façade of normalcy after betraying their marriage. She couldn't pretend as if nothing had happened.