bChapter /bb436 /b

    After all, Wesley was her doctor now, band /bshe had been the one to introduce them in the first ce. It would be really weird bto /bbsuddenly /bbsay /bsomething like bthat/bb, /bbut she couldn’t just let bit /bslide.

    b“/bIt’s nothing, really. Just… if he asks you simr questions againb, /bmaybe don’t answer him. He’s been bothering me every bday /btelyb, /band it’s getting annoyingb,/bb” /bSana stammered.

    bJessica /bcrossed her hands on the desk and raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to show off right inow/i?”

    “No! Absolutely not. Jessica, don’t jump to conclusions. There’s nothing between us,” Sana protested frantically.

    She couldn’t exin the real situation, which made everything even more frustrating. ‘This is all Wesley’s faultb,/bb‘ /bshe bthought/b.

    b“/bOka, if you say there’s nothing, then there’s nothing. I believe you. Don’t get upset,” Jessica said quickly, trying to calm Sana down after she’d bclearly /bbhit /b

    a nerve.

    But Sana’s mood didn’t bounce back that easily. She sighed heavily before finally saying, “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to tell byou/bb. /bJust listen bto /bbme /bbon this /bone, Jessica.”

    Jessica nodded. She wasn’t really interested in getting involved in other people’s love lives anyway.

    After Sana left, Jessica nced down at her phone again to check for new messages. When she saw there weren’t any, she turned off the screen and set it aside.

    Butter that night, right before bed, Jessica found herself scrolling through Madeline’s Instagram. She saw post after post bfrom /bbthe /bpast few days- photos of Madeline out to dinner and shopping with Brian.

    The man in the pictures never showed his face, but Jessica could tell from his build and clothes that it was definitely Brian.

    Jessica’s finger moved slowly across the screen as she scrolled through the photos. She couldn’t quite figure out what she was feeling.

    Just then, Madeline posted something new. It was a picture taken under the moonlight by a streemp, showing the long shadows of two people holding hands.

    Jessica suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She dropped her phone and rushed to the bathroom.

    Outside the apartment building, Madeline had just finished posting hertest Instagram photo. She was inow /ipaying the male model she’d hired for the evening’s performance.

    After Madetine got rid of the male model, she checked her bank ount bnce and pressed her lips together in a tight line. There wasn’t much money

    left.

    She was running out of time. ‘Jessica, you better not let me down,‘ ishe /ithought as she looked up toward Jessica’s apartment building, her eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

    Jessica had been so disgusted the night before that she predictably overslept the next morning. She had just finished putting toothpaste on bher /btoothbrush when someone started pounding on her door.

    Jessica nced at her toothbrush, then at the dooy, and decided to finish brushing her teeth first. By the time she was done with her morning routine and walked to the door, the knocking had be frantically urgent.

    Jessica opened the door with a nk expression and found herself face–to–face with Brian, whose eyes were red with panic.

    “Jessica, are you okay? Why did it take you so long to answer?” Brian immediately started checking her over bfrom head /bbto /bbtoe/b.

    “Enough!” Jessica snapped when Brian tried to reach toward her stomach, ‘Does this guy think I’m dead bor /bbsomething/bb?/bb‘ /bbshe /bbthought/b.

    10

    Brian quickly pulled his hands back and looked down apologetically. “Sorry, I was just worried. E didn’t mean anything by bit /bto

    Even as he spokeb, /bhe kept ncing at her face, trying to figure out if she was really fine or just putting on a brave front,

    Jessica stepped back, putting some distance between them. “I was just washing up,” she said, offering that as her only exnation.

    Brian understood and let out a huge sigh of relief. “Good, that’s good,” he said, ncing at the door lock with obvious longing in his eyes. But bhe /bdidn’t bsay /banything about it.

    Jessica pretended not to notice and turned to go back inside.

    Brian automatically followed her in with the breakfast, quickly setting everything out on the dining table. Once he finished arranging the food, he couldn’t help but pull out his phone to contact Wesley.

    Jessica came out just in time to see this, and her fingers immediately curled into fists.

    biAD /i/b