bChapter /bb358 /b

    “What are you doing?” Jessica snapped. “Sorry! Jessica, are you okay?” Brian was equally startled and started unbuckling his seatbelt, ready to eat ca and check on her in the backseat.

    Jessica’s eyes went wide with panic, and she shouted without thinking. “Are you insane? We’re about to get on the highway! If you bdon’t /bcare about your life, I care about mine. Sit down and drive!”

    Brian immediately settled back down, gripping the steering wheel tightly while keeping an eye on the traffic behind them. He kept bncing /bat Jessica with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should stop at a hospital and get you checked out?”

    “No, just drive!” Jessica barked impatiently.

    She’d noticed her temper had gotten a lot worsetely, but she didn’t want to rein it in.

    Just like Wesley had said, sometimes, letting her emotions out actually felt really good. She’d spent ten years holding herself back, and now that bshe /bwas finally free, she shouldn’t keep doing it.

    With that thought, Jessica decided to say exactly what was on her mind. “Brian, can you stop being so jumpy about everything? We’re divorced now.

    “Whatever I decide to do, wherever I go, I don‘ to check with byou /bfirst. If you c

    can’t understand that, then don’t show up in front of me.”

    Her words hit like a p across the face. Brian’s face twisted with bitter resignation as he listened. “I get it,” he said quietly.

    Of course Brian would get it. He’d already lost the Jessica who used to revolve her whole world around him, and it was entirely his own fault.

    The Jessica now was free, and he had no right–he didn’t deserve–to try to trap her again.

    But still, he couldn’t help but speak up, “I’m worried about you, Jessica. You’ve been traveling for two days and you’re exhausted. Can’t whatever this is wait until you go home, rest up, and grab a proper meal?”

    Brian didn’t mention that when he’d heard she wasing back today, he’d spent hours cooking all her favorite dishes. Jacob had even helped bhim /bmake two desserts from scratch, both of them excited about having a family dinner together.

    He could have told her about Jacob’s efforts. Maybe she would have agreed toe home just to avoid disappointing Jacob. But bhe /brefused to guilt her

    into anything anymore.

    “I’m just going to lunch,” Jessica said tly. “I already made ns with someone, and I want to give him the gift I brought back.”

    Her tone waspletely detached. She could see that Brian was holding back words he wanted to say, but honestly, it didn’t matter anymore.

    As long as Brian didn’t spell it out, Jessica could pretend she didn’t notice anything. She wasn’t going to waste any more sympathy on him anyway.

    Caring too much about Brian would only bring her bad luck. Jessica had already wasted ten years being miserable. Now that she’d finally broken free, she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

    Brian’s mind suddenly shed to a face that made his teeth clench with hatred. “That guy fromst time?” he blurted bout/b.

    Jessica didn’t answer, but her silence was answer enough.

    Brian’s hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles went white.

    It was one thing for Jessica not to bring him a gift from her business trip. He could even understand bher /bbforgetting /bbabout /bbJacob/b.

    But bit /bcrossed a line when she specifically bought something for Wesley. ‘What gives him the bright/bb? /bHow is bhe /bbworthy /bbof /bbanything /bbfrom /bbher/bb?/bb” /bbhe /bbthought/b.

    The car fell into a suffocating silence. Jessica stared at the gift bag in her hands, wondering bif /bshe bshould /bbexin /bbherself/b. bBut /bbthen /bbshe /bbremembered /bbshe’d /balready said everything she needed bto /bbsay /bst time, and her recentment didn’t need any bexnation /bbeither/b.

    Jessica convinced herself to bstay /bquiet and wait until they reached the city so she could get Brian to bpull /bover. But bBrian /bacted like he couldn’t hes band /bkept driving straight ahead.

    Jessica’s anger red. “I told you to stop the car!”

    The moment she said it, Brian whipped his head around.