30 Days Marrying You

chapter 34

Someone knocked on the door. They pulled away from the hug and looked at the direction of the door. It was Sam.

He asked Jessica to leave as he wanted to speak with the grandma, which she gladly agreed.

When the grandma said, "See you later," Jessica had to smile back and wondered if her face still looked kind. She just hoped the grandma didn't notice that she already broke her hope by leaving Xavier this morning.

After she left the hospital, Jessica wandered aimlessly around the city. Her stomach felt hollow. At first, she thought the grandma's words were the cause of her unease.
So, she dragged her feet to Emily's place. She didn't expect her brother would be there too. But, it wasn't until she talked with them that she understood.

Now, two pairs of eyes were staring at her, after she told them what happened. Of course, Charlie now knew about her fake marriage, which was the one thing she wished to hide from her brother. Now that he knew, she wondered what his thought would be.

It was Emily who spoke first. "So, you left? You really left him?" Shock was apparent in her voice. "Did Xavier really say that? Why?"

"I don't know." Jessica fidgeted, pushing a lock of hair behind her left ear. "Maybe he got sick of me."

"It's impossible. He loves you," Emily stressed the word love.

"Maybe not anymore!" Jessica clasped her hands over her knees. The unease feeling in her stomach grew stronger.

"I don't think so. You are thinking too much, Jess!"

"But, he pushed me away!"

She really couldn't think of any other reason for his action. She also couldn't fathom why Emily was backing him up. She was supposed to be on her side.

"You can't blame him –"

"I don't!"

"You do! You are punishing him for things that are out of his control. Now, I'm not saying Xavier is right either. He just isn't in his right mind. But I think it's time you flipped this little scenario around in your head. If it's your grandma that's in the hospital right now and you aren't permitted to visit her only to care for the company and its image's sake, and you came home throwing tantrums, is this the way he would be treating you?" Emily demanded.

Jessica clenched her teeth. It wasn't. It wasn't how he would be treating her at all. He would be trying to cheer her up. Not shutting her out, abandoning her, greeting her with hostility.

"But I thought he would always love me." Now, she felt her throat ached, as if she had gulped down some acidic drink. Her heart felt as if it had shrunk down to the size of a tiny, hard stone in her chest.

Emily sighed. "What were you seeing in Xavier this whole time?" she said grimly. "There is no such thing as a perfect person. Even when it looks like there could be a resolution, Xavier has a weak side to him too. He has scars that he doesn't want strangers to become involved in."

Jessica knew that she'd been perplexed by the uncertain things. Maybe Emily was right. She wasn't able to see what was happening around her. And that she was beginning to lose something important.

She couldn't resist saying, "But I'm not a stranger." She had intended her voice to sound calm, firm. Instead, it was wavering and shaken. "I'm his wife."

"So, you get mad at him because he treated you like a stranger?" Emily crossed her arms. "For God's sake, he is in pain!"

"It's not that," Jessica denied.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "So what? You couldn't stand being ignored?"

"I told you that's not it!" Jessica finally shouted.