Chapter 858


    Had it not been for Karen''s worrying, Dorothy might have outright refused the ride in Jeffrey''s car.


    It wasn''t personal—she just felt awkward alone with any man who wasn''t Everett. There was


    something about it that made her skin crawl, a difort she couldn''t quite shake off.


    So, she sat silently in the back seat, her gaze fixed on the parade of neon signs that streaked past


    the window, their colors dancing across her face.


    Jeffrey seemed to get it. He didn''t push for conversation, respecting her quiet mood.


    At a red light, he nced at Dorothy through the rear-view mirror, cleared his throat hesitantly, and


    finally spoke up.


    "Did you hear about Everett putting the Bay Residence on the market?"


    Dorothy''s hand twitched. She met his eyes in the mirror and shook her head slightly.


    "No, we haven''t been in touch."


    "He texted mest week and asked me to handle the sale of the ce."


    "Oh."


    Jeffrey frowned, dissatisfied with her indifferent response. "What went down between you two after


    you got back from Everglow City?"


    He wasn''t one to gossip, but curiosity was eating at him.


    As Everett''s friend, Jeffrey knew all too well how much Everett cared for Dorothy.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    They''d had their fair share of conflicts and arguments. Everett had imed to move on more than


    once, but at the slightest hint of Dorothy''s presence, he''de running back.


    But now...


    Selling the Bay Residence?


    Jeffrey was certain Dorothy understood what that meant.


    "I told him to leave me alone."


    "That''s it?"


    "Yeah."


    Jeffrey snorted softly. "I don''t buy it."


    Dorothy looked down, reying the conversation in her head. She really hadn''t said much, just...


    once again chose to push him away.


    "Dorothy, do you even love Everett? Because you''re really dragging him through the mud."


    Her eyes drifted outside, avoiding the question.


    Since Jeffrey had broached the subject, he pressed on, "I know his mom''s been a thorn in your


    side, making things tough for you both. But when you''re together, you can fix it! There was no need


    to be so harsh, to break his heart."


    "It''s not fixable."


    Dorothy wouldn''t entangle herself with Everett any longer.


    The oue of the uing court case would determine whether she had a future at all.


    She was tired, too tired to even think about all the things weighing on her.


    Sometimes, she even wished for a swift verdict, win or lose, just to have closure. Even if it meant


    losing, at least she could face her mother''s murderer with clear intent and meet her own end without


    regret, rather than living like a mindless body, a shell of herself.


    "Is that so, or do you just not want to fix it?" Jeffrey was blunt, not bothering to pick up on Dorothy''s


    mood.


    "Look, in the end, you just don''t love Everett enough, do you? You''re not willing to drop everything


    for him; you can''t love him as selflessly as he loves you."


    "Maybe." Faced with Jeffrey''s relentless probing, Dorothy had no defense. After all, she felt the


    weight of Everett''s devotion and her own failure to reciprocate.


    Suddenly, Jeffrey mmed on the brakes and pulled over, turning to face her.


    "You''re just going to admit it?"


    Caught off guard, Dorothy nodded faintly. "Yeah."


    "Wow, heartless!" Jeffrey bit back his anger.


    "Do you have any idea what Everett has done for you? You''re alive today because he''s been


    shouldering your burdens! You want revenge for your mother''s death, but Everett didn''t kill her! How


    innocent is he? Did you ever think about that?"