After the call ended, Madeline had been bombarded by creditors twice and was out 50 thousand dors. Her face twisted with rage. “Jessicalb” /bshe growled.

    ‘It has to be her, Madeline thought. ‘Nobody else would dig up this information and send it directly to my creditors except that bitch Jessica.

    ‘Damn it! Jessica, you were born with everything handed to you, while I’ve fought for scraps and still have nothing. And now you’re making my life even

    harder!‘

    Madeline gripped her phone tightly, truly hating Jessica with every fiber of her being.

    Before, she’d only wanted to force Jessica out of Brian’s world so she could take her ce. But now, she wanted Jessica to disappear from this world entirely.

    ‘You brought this on yourself!‘ Jessica thought. After receiving the third call from a debt collector demanding payment, her hatred for Jessica reached its breaking point.

    Once Sana had leaked Madeline’s sry records, Jessica enjoyed a period of peace and quiet. She figured Madeline had finally learned to back off.

    Without Madeline’s constant harassment, Jessica’s mood improved considerably.

    Brian, who made it his daily routine to hover around her and try to get closer, immediately noticed the change in her demeanor. This convinced him even more that Wesley’s assessment was right, so he seized the opportunity to put their new n into action.

    “Jessica, it’s the weekend tomorrow. I’m nning to take Jake shopping for some new clothes. He’s grown quite a bittely, and his ok suffis getting too small,” Brian said that evening.

    He’d just finished cleaning up the kitchen and walked over to where Jessica was teaching Jake how to draw.

    “Just go buy them. Why are you telling me?” Jessica replied without looking up.

    Brian shot Jake a meaningful look.

    Jake had ibeen /icoached by Brian beforehand, so he immediately set down his paintbrush and looked up at his mom with hopeful eyes.

    “Mom, Dad’s choices aren’t very good. Could you please help me pick out a few outfits? Please?” Jake sped his little hands together and pouted with his best puppy eyes.

    Jessica found him so adorable that her hand trembled, and she almost gave in right away. Thankfully, her rational side won out. She lowered her head, pretending to examine his drawing while actually avoiding his gaze, forcing herself to stay firm.

    “If you think your dad’s choices are ugly, then pick your own. You don’t have to ask me,” Jessica said.

    “But the ones I pick are ugly too,” Jake replied without missing a beat. He tugged at Jessica’s sleeve and started putting on a pitiful act, even pulling out his saved–up allowance money. He said he’d pay her to be his personal shopper for the day.

    Jessica had ino /iidea where he’d learned to say things, like that, but after he kept pestering her, she finally got annoyed enough to give in. “Just this once.b” /bShe emphasized.

    “Yes!” Jake nodded enthusiastically, though he was already thinking he’d definitely try again next time.

    This little victory made Jake even more convinced that Brian was right. Jessica still cared about them deep down. As long as he and Brian kept trying, she’d eventuallye back to their family.

    Since Jessica had promised to help Brian and Jake pick out clothes, she wouldn’t go back on her word. So the next morning, bshe /bbgot /bbinto /bbBrian’s /bbcar /band they drove Jake to the biggest mall nearby.

    15:35 Sat, 23 Aug J

    Brian stared at the empty passenger seat, a flicker ci sadness crossing his eyes. But when he nced up at the rearview mirror and saw Jessica band /bJake getting along so well in the backseat, he felt better. Things were actually pretty good the way they were now,

    When they reached the mall, Jessica headed straight for the familiar children’s clothing brand with Jake in tow. She immediately asked the sales associate to bring over several styles in Jake’s usual sizes.