Chapter 646

He reached out, his thumb brushing her pale cheek. “I don’t want to see you so worn out, you know! After my parents… it made me confront things. Fame, power, money… None of it really matters. What matters is family being healthy, being together. That’s the real win.”

Jermiler grabbed his hand like a lifeline. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna be happier than ever. Yeah, your parents split, but you’ve got our home, Solat and me. And I need to be the department head. It’s all for our future.”

"Because I have no other choice," she thought. "There’s no going back!"

“The number you’ve dialed is not available. Please try again later.” The automated voice…

Jonathan’s hand went slack. The phone slipped from his numb fingers and clattered onto the floor, but he didn’t seem to notice. He just leaned his head back against the sofa, lost.

It was the tenth time he had called. Somehow, no one answered.

“Mr. Lynh.” Jonathan’s assistant came into his office and handed him a single sheet of paper. “The flight manifest you requested. All flights from here to Gorthany today. Ms. Johnston is confirmed to be on board.”

Jonathan sat up straight, his eyes scanning the paper until they locked on her name: Teresa Johnston. Staring at it, he distanced himself, as if he were looking at the name of a stranger.

“Mr. Lynn?” The assistant asked, his voice trembling slightly as he took in his boss’s thunderous expression.

“You may leave.”

“Mr. Lynn, your meeting’s in half an hour…”

“Cancel everything.”

“Y–yes… Mr. Lynn.”

A strange, chilling sense of…

The door clicked shut softly, leaving Jonathan alone. Jonathan melted into the sofa, a dead weight. A long time seemed to pass before another knock came. He pressed his throbbing temples. “Come in.”

It was Edward. He studied Jonathan for a moment before speaking. “Jonathan, I need to head out early. It’s my dad’s birthday, and I need to get home for his party.”

“Fine,” Jonathan said, his voice raw.

Edward lingered, a frown on his face. “Jonathan. You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jonathan said.

“Okay. You sound a little rough, and I thought you were coming down with something. Oh, hey, my mom said to invite you…”

“…to dinner,” Edward said.

Jonathan let out a small, tired sigh. “Tell her I’m swamped with work, I can’t make it. I’ll have my assistant send something over for your dad.”

Edward nodded. “Alright, got it. I’ll head out then.”

Jonathan gave a limp wave, his head already resting against the back of the sofa.

Edward was halfway to the door when he stopped and turned around. “This doesn’t add up,” he thought. "Jonathan gave me 300 thousand dollars to plan his ten year anniversary with Teresa. Hired the best event company in Narelgh. Fireworks. A custom light show. We spent a fortune. He should be on cloud nine."

“Jonathan,” Edward blurted out, unable to stop himself. “You and Teresa still haven’t made up? Was it my fault the plan didn’t work? I mean, she loved romantic stuff like that, right?”

Jonathan’s head snapped up. He stared at Edward, his eyes cold. “Get out.”

Edward’s stomach dropped. He thought, ‘Oh, crap. They really didn’t make up.’

“But Jonathan, you’ve known each other for ten years. With that, I think there’s nothing you can’t work out.” Edward couldn’t help himself.

“I said, get out.” Jonathan’s voice was dangerously quiet now, a tone he rarely ever used.

Edward instinctively touched his nose. “Right. Yep. Leaving. Shutting up now.”

The door clicked shut. Jonathan leaned his head back against the sofa and let out a bitter laugh. He wondered, ‘Ten years. So what? We’re done. There’s no going back.’

Chapter 647