Before he could finish, Estre’s phone buzzed inside her purse. It was a client on the other end.


    Without hesitation, Estre picked up, “Hello, Danny.”


    As soon as she answered, Dannyunched into a tirade ofints, going on and on without end.


    Drew’s intended words got stuck in his throat, unsaid. But what really got to him was Estre’s constant


    referral to Jason as “your boss.” It struck Drew that the gap between her and Jason was widening by


    the minute-she didn’t even use his first name anymore.


    Over ten minutester, they pulled up to thew firm, and Estre, still on the phone, managed a quick


    thanks to Drew before dashing upstairs.


    That evening, Jason returned to Sandalwood Qasis, while Estre was out of town on business. For


    the next three days, Jason kepting home, but Estre was away on business in Silverbrook. She


    didn’te back once during that time. Jason got a taste of


    what it was like to be home alone.


    It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon, when everyone else was off, that Estre returned from Silverbrook.


    She went straight to the office to catch up on work. The life of awyer often meant no regr hours.


    Buried in case files, Estre lost track of time. Her mom called at dusk, inviting her for dinner, but


    Estre was too swamped even to eat.


    Clutching her freshly organized documents in one hand and pressing the other to her stomach, she


    ignored the twinge of pain that had started during her train ride home.


    However, following that, her stomach pain grew more intense than before, making her unable to


    straighten her waist. She felt weak all over, with cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.


    Unable to bear the difort any longer, she grabbed her phone and dialed Jesse, “Hey, Jesse, you


    up?”


    Soon after, Jesse, with her short hair and in a dark floral shirt, rushed over, scolding her, “How on earth


    did you wait this long to ask for help?” Without another word, Jesse helped Estre downstairs.


    At the hospital, the doctors diagnosed severe gastroenteritis. They admitted her and hooked her up to


    an IV.


    By her bedside, Jesse lectured her with a stern face, “Everyone else is resting, and here you are,


    working yourself sick. Do you own the firm? Is all the money going straight into your pocket?”


    15:22


    Estre replied weakly, “What else am I supposed to do when I’m off?”


    Thinking about how things between Jason and Serene were getting out of hand, and how the office


    gossip had reached her ears, Jesse lost the heart to scold Estre further. We all needed an outlet for


    life’s frustrations.


    They didn’t notify Jason or Estre’s family about the hospitalization, but by the next day, word had


    gotten out anyway.


    Early in the morning, Cole and Autumn came to visit, fussing over Estre for hours. Estre cated


    her parents with a story about eating something bad while on business, then gently ushered them out.


    When they were alone, Jesse chuckled, “Your mom sure can nag.”


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Estre quipped, “You should see her when she cries.”


    Jesse pocketed her hands, her smile tinged with envy. Jesse often wished for that kind of attention


    from her mother, but those days were gone.


    Just as Estre settled back into bed, the door swung open again. To her surprise, it was Jason. “What


    are you doing here? Not busy today?” she asked, taken aback.


    Jason replied dryly, “What would I be busy with on a weekend?”


    Estre fell silent. His tone wasn’t like the old days. After a moment, she turned to “Jesse, could you


    get him a ss of water, please?”


    Jesse,


    Her polite request, along with her initial surprise, made it seem like Jason wasn’t her husband but an


    old friend she hadn’t seen in ages.


    “Sure,” Jesse agreed, grabbing a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and offering it to Jason, “Mr.


    Jason, here’s some water.”


    Jason didn’t take it, instead staring coldly at Estre and demanding, “Estre, is Jesse your husband


    now?”


    The night before, Jason had waited up for her, only to be told by Bryce the next morning that she was


    in the hospital. Everyone knew about her condition and visited, except for him.


    At Jason’s usatory tone, Estre chuckled, I didn’t want to trouble you.” All she wanted from Jason


    was a child; she had no expectations beyond that.


    But Jason’s mood darkened further, “Estre, cut the sarcasm.”


    Estre was trying to be cordial, yet Jason was unrelenting. She couldn’t help butugh, “Jason, have


    ever fulfilled your duties as a husband? What right do you have to be upset?”


    Jason retorted, “I haven’t, but can Jesse?”


    15:22


    Estre’s expression hardened at the mention of Jesse, “Jason, are you really picking a fight with me?”


    She usually let hisments slide, but not when they were aimed at Jesse.


    Jason was about to respond when Jesse stepped forward, her voice cold, “Jason, you are here to


    me Estre now, but where were you when she needed you?”


    Before Jason could answer, Jesse continued, “Yes, Estre didn’t call youst night, but do you even


    know why she didn’t? That’s because when she called youst year after the ident, asking you to


    come over and sign some papers, you hung up on her. She stayed in the hospital for more than ten


    days, and you never went to see her.”


    Jason’s face went ashen with the realization. A whole year had passed, and she hadn’t


    even mentioned that car ident once.


    In that moment, Jason’s mind was flooded with images of Estre, the way she always seemed to carry


    a smile just for him. No matter how much he pushed her buttons or how icy his demeanor, she had a


    knack for defusing the tension with a few light-hearted words or a witty quip. It was her way, he


    realized, of keeping the peace and hiding her own hurts.


    15:22