When Estre spat out the words, her stomach cramped with pain, but she refused to ny weakness in


    front of Jason. A woman’s vulnerability only matters to a man who cares, so she had no intention of


    humiliating herself.


    show any


    “You’re brutally honest, Estre, Jason said with a pinch that drained the color from her face. She bit


    back her pain and mustered a defiant response, “Korey is back, and I sure as hell don’t want to waste


    any more time on you.”


    Jason couldn’t contain himself. He Brycet down and bit Estre’s lip hard enough to draw blood. It hurt.


    It really hurt, but to Estre, it was nothingpared to her current disillusionment. He always found a


    reason to argue and took out his frustrations on her


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    whenever he was in a bad mood.


    Seeing Estre pale and trembling, Jason let go. His anger subsided. “Estre, anything I’ve used,


    even if I don’t want it, is still mine. You know what I’m like.”


    spent


    Estre touched her face, remembering the dog Jason had as a kid. It ran away. He a lot of effort to get


    it back, fed it well, and then… She never saw that dog again, but the cherry tree in the Nelson family’s


    backyard bloomed better each year after that.


    Remembering this sent chills down her spine. Back then, she only saw Jason’s good side and forgot


    about his ruthless nature.


    The room fell silent. Estre’s stomach pains came in waves. She sat quietly by the bed until the


    difort subsided a little. Seeing Jason brooding by the window, she grabbed


    her clothes and headed to the bathroom.


    The hot water washed over her face, but Estre’s heart felt colder than before, and her


    mind was clearer. She wasn’t scared off by Jason’s words earlier; she just realized she had


    overestimated their rtionship.


    However, the Dorvold family wasn’t one to be trifled with.


    Half an hourter, when Estre emerged from the bathroom, Jason was gone. She dried her hair with


    a towel, feeling a sense of relief. When disappointment reaches its peak, you stop caring about right or


    wrong, and you just want the person to disappear.


    Another wave of stomach pain hit, and Estre put down the towel, filled a kettle with water to boil, and


    made some instant noodles from the desk. As she ate, she thought about the grievances and


    compromises she had endured over the past two years, and she couldn’t help butugh at the irony.


    He had brought up Holly that night, reminiscing about her right in front of Estre. Now she saw him for


    who he truly was. His agreement to marry her was just to appease his family.


    But if Jason thought he could keep treating her like a punching bag, he had another thing


    11:32


    After finishing her noodles, Estre pushed the thoughts aside and started sorting through the


    information she had gathered that day with her recorder. But she couldn’t concentrate, perhaps due to


    the argument or her stomach acting up. Eventually, she had to lie down on the bed.


    She tossed and turned all night, and the pain never subsided, so her sleep was restless.


    The next morning, she was awakened by a loud knocking. Reluctantly, she crawled out of bed, and,


    wrapped in a nket from home, opened the door to find Bryce standing there like a whirlwind.


    “Estre, why’s your phone off? You’re not answering calls, not replying


    to texts?”


    Bryce’s unexpected appearance caught her off guard. Estre, wrapped in her nket, stared nkly


    for a moment before lifting her hand to her forehead. “Must’ve run out of battery, and I forgot to charge


    it.” After the argument with Jason, she hadn’t even looked at her phone.


    “Come in,” she said weakly, moving aside for Bryce.


    Bryce, carrying a bag of goodies, checked her forehead with concern. “You look awful. What’s up?”


    Estre brushed his hand away and walked back inside. “Stomach pains. I didn’t sleep


    well.”


    Bryce was visibly annoyed. “And you didn’t charge your phone, making yourself unreachable? Estre,


    you’re just asking for trouble.”


    He put down the breakfast he brought from a local deli in Ravenwood where he’d woken up the owner


    in the middle of the night to make it.


    Estre felt a wave of gratitude as she looked at the warm milk, bagels, and a fruit box. “You’re the only


    one who’s got my back,” she said with a mix of sarcasm and affection.


    Bryce handed her the fork and spoon and poured the milk. “Luckily I thought to bring a thermal


    container, eh?”


    “Bryce, thank you,” Estre said earnestly. At that moment, she wasn’t just thankful for the breakfast;


    she was grateful that, when she was feeling down and unwell, he was there for


    her.


    Bryce brushed it off in a casual way. “We’re in this together, aren’t we?“


    After breakfast, Bryce insisted on taking her to the hospital. The doctor checked her and gave her an IV


    drip, but she worried about missing work. Bryce reassured her, “Get your treatment. We can head back


    a couple of dayste. I’ll stay with you.”


    In the infusion room, sitting side by side, watching TV, Estre felt almost back to normal.


    ncing sideways at Bryce, she quipped with a yful smirk, “So, my phone goes straight


    11:32


    to voicemail and you just hightail it over here?”


    Bryce lifted a hand tozily scratch at his tousled hair. There was a sheepish grin spreading across his


    face. “Well, it’s not entirely that. I mean… there’s also…”


    His stammering trailed off under Estre’s cool, prating gaze. With a resigned sigh, Bryce blurted


    out, “Alright, alright, I’ll spill the beans, okay? It’s about Jason…”


    11:32