“It’s just habitual dependency. Don’t overthink it. This ispletely normal,” Wesley said gently. He analyzed Jessica’s current bsituation /bbwhile /bgetting up to pour himself a ss of water.

    Out of everything Wesley exined, Jessica only really caught

    one

    “Dependency? How can I fix this? I don’t want to depend on them.

    bing too dependent on them. After all her efforts to break bfree/b, she bwas /b

    She’d pushed Brian and Jacob away before because she realized she right back where she started.

    Jessica couldn’t help feeling disappointed, but more than that, she felt scared and lost. She couldn’t depend on Brian of all people.

    Wesley stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking with a hint

    of

    suggestion in his voice, “Are you sure about that?”

    He could tell that despite Jessica’s ims about never going back, deep down, she still held onto a sliver of hope. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be struggling with this so much.

    Jessica answered quickly, like she was trying to convince herself, “Of course I’m sure. I really don’t want to depend on them at all. It’s Brian who keeps bothering me. If he hadn’t done all those things, I would’ve moved on ages ago.”

    ‘It was all Brian’s fault,‘ Jessica thought angrily, mentally adding another mark against him on her growing list of grievances.

    Wesley could tell something was wrong with her mood, so he didn’t dare push her any further. He decided to go along with what she was saying instead. “Yeah, it’s all his fault. So don’t get caught up in all that confusion anymore,” he said. “Just remember this. When you can’t decide what to do, follow your heart. Your heart won’t lie to you.”

    “Follow my heart?” Jessica murmured to herself. ‘But what did my heart really want?‘ She thought. She wasn’t even sure anymore.

    “That’s right, Ms. Grant. You need to trust yourself,” Wesley said gently.

    He spent the rest of the morning telling Jessica about some of his previous cases, sharing their stories to give her hope. They talked for hours, band /bwhen they finally hung up, Jessica almost didn’t want the conversation to end, But she knew she shouldn’t keep bothering him.

    Wesley wasn’t her personal therapist, after all. He was already going above and beyond by talking her through this during his off hours. She needed bto /bhave some boundaries.

    With that thought in mind, Jessica finished up her business at the branch office that day and drove to a nearby mall. She picked out some local specialties as a thank–you gift for Wesley the next time she saw him.

    Her two–day business trip came to an end, and as soon as Jessica walked out of the terminal, she spotted Brian standing at the pickup area with ba /bbouquet of flowers. At that moment, she really wanted to turn around and walk right back inside.

    Unfortunately, when she spotted people taking photos with their phones, she ended up keeping her expression nk and letting Brian take her bsuitcase /b

    and lead her out of the airport.

    She could hear two young girls chattering excitedly about Brian as they snapped pictures. Some were even squealing about finally seeing her in bperson/b.

    Jessica was grateful she’d worn sunsses and loose–fitting clothes. Even if the photos ended up onlineb, /bthey pr

    wouldn’t reveal her bpregnancy/b.

    “What’s on your mind, Jessica? Oh, is that gift bag full of souvenirs for Jacob?” Brian asked. He was smart benough /bbnot /bbto /bbask /bbif /bbshe’d /bbbrought /bbanything /bfor

    him.

    “No,” Jessica replied coldly. She immediately looked down at her phone to text Wesley back.

    Dr. Finch: [Got it, juste over. We can grab lunch and talk.]

    Jessica: [Sounds good. I’ll be there in about forty minutes.b] /b

    b09:53 /bbThu /b24 Jule

    After

    sending the messageb, /bshe looked

    Brian. up at

    “I’m not

    going

    homa

    first.

    Just

    drop

    me off

    downtown

    Brian

    mmed on the brakes.

    The sudden stop

    threw Jessica forward,

    but

    her seatbelt

    caught her

    before

    anything bad

    happened.

    ￥2

    色

    Co