Chapter 277
“Jamison, what are you doing? There are people in the house!”
“Ms. Lester isn’t going to come downstairs,” Jamison replied, completely unfazed.
While the two of them were fooling around, the recording on the phone kept playing.
“What’s so shameful about this, anyway? Isn’t that what men and women are together for? And really, if you were so prim and proper, then how did Micah come into this world?”
Hearing that, Ivy wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her up. She had no problem mouthing off to Carla–after all, Carla was the one who started it. But in front of someone she actually liked, she still wanted to maintain a little dignity, keep up some kind of image. That remark… it really was over the top.
Sure enough, Jamison turned to look at her, a mix of shock and a flicker of admiration in his eyes.
“No wonder you said you pissed Carla off so badly. Only you could come up with a line like that.”
Ivy’s cheeks burned bright red. Well, he’d heard it anyway–might as well own it. She huffed out, “I’m just being honest! We’re all adults here, no need to pretend we’re so innocent.”
“So, what, you agreed to marry me just for that kind of thing between a man and a woman?” Jamison latched onto her words, his voice half teasing, half serious.
She caught his wicked grin, and after a moment’s hesitation, decided to go all in. “Didn’t the doctor say so? Maybe my problem could be fixed by finding a man.”
“Yet you won’t move in with me–doesn’t that defeat the whole point of getting married?”
“I… I’ve got a unique situation, okay? Give me some time to adjust.”
Jamison kept staring at her as if he still wasn’t convinced, so Ivy stiffened her neck and made something up on the spot. “Look, if I have to go out there and pick from a bunch of losers, I’d much rather find a drop-dead gorgeous guy. At least a perfect man like you might help calm my nerves."
Jamison was so taken aback by her serious tone that, for a moment, he actually believed her. Was this really why she’d agreed to their whirlwind marriage?
“Ivy, do you mean to say you don’t love me at all–” Jamison couldn’t help but start to ask about her feelings. But before he could finish, the voice on the recording cut through, and his face suddenly went pale.
“Ivy, do you know who Jamison’s first love was?”
“It was his sister-in-law, Thad’s wife. Back then, Jamison actually fell for Miss Foster first, but there was a big age gap–he was still in school. The Foster and Ludwig families had always planned for the eldest son and eldest daughter to be married. Jamison was stubborn, and after that, he stormed off overseas and didn’t return for years.”
“I think the only reason he insists on being with you is to rebel against his family, to prove a point. You think you’ve found love, but really, you’re just a pawn in Jamison’s family feud.”
The air between them turned heavy, the silence almost suffocating. Ivy watched Jamison’s reaction, her heart tightening. If he was still so shaken hearing about it now, did that mean he still hadn’t let go of Miss Foster? And Micah’s mother was right–was she just a pawn to him, a way to get back at his family?
“Jamison, I didn’t mean to pry into your past. Last time we talked about this, you didn’t really elaborate, so I figured–”
Seeing his silence and the shadow that crossed his face, Ivy forced herself to break the silence. But before she could finish, Jamison came back to himself, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “Ivy, this is my fault. I should have explained everything to you from the start.”
“Huh?” Ivy was stunned. She hadn’t expected an apology.
Jamison put his phone down on the table and clasped her hand, gripping it tightly. “The reason I didn’t tell you before wasn’t because I wanted to hide anything. I was just afraid that if you knew, you’d think there was something wrong with me, that I was messed up somehow–and that you’d see me differently.”