"Is it possible... that the man responsible for your wife's pregnancy wasn't you, Mr. Gilbert?"
The accusation hung in the sterile hospital air. My expression turned to ice as I faced Joanna. I demanded to know the basis for such a filthy claim.
Immediately, she shrank behind Jesse, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I'm a doctor. I have no conflict of interest here. I'm simply interpreting your physical condition truthfully. Why would I need to frame you?"
My gaze dropped to the ID badge pinned to her white coat.
Joanna Fox.
The name hit like a physical blow. Memories of the nightmare from ten years ago surged back—the men who had kidnapped and destroyed me. Their leader was Isaac Fox.
Ten years ago, Isaac's sister would have been just a teenager, spared from the legal fallout. But Jesse had sworn to me—promised he had exiled every member of the Fox family so I would never have to face that trauma again.
So why was Joanna Fox standing here, in Harbor City Hospital?
I looked at Jesse, disbelief chilling my blood. I needed an explanation. More importantly, I needed to know if he actually believed her lies.
He didn't answer. Instead, a faint, condescending smile played on his lips as he pulled me into his arms.
"Alright, that's enough. Whether you've had one abortion or ten, you're still Mrs. Gilbert. That hasn't changed."
The dismissal cut sharper than any insult. Ignoring my frozen expression, Jesse steered me toward the exit.
"She's just a young girl, inexperienced and eager. It's no big deal if she misdiagnosed you. Don't make a scene."
Something inside me shattered. The love I'd harbored for Jesse turned to ash. The suffocating possessiveness I once felt evaporated into cold air.
"Fine," I said, voice hollow.
After that day, Jesse began parading Joanna at every major social event. He handed the entire medical equipment division to her.
When she lost hundreds of millions through sheer incompetence, he shrugged it off.
"A beauty's smile is worth a fortune. She's young and naive. Mistakes are part of the learning curve."
But I followed the paper trail. The funds hadn't vanished—they'd been funneled into offshore accounts controlled by the Fox family.
Joanna wasn't as simple as Jesse claimed.
I hadn't planned to engage with her. But now she was encroaching on my territory. Since we were both after money, I couldn't let her stay.
For the first time, I stepped in to clean up Jesse's mess, seizing control of the project Joanna had nearly destroyed.
Jesse seemed amused rather than surprised.
"It seems I spoiled you too much. This obedient version of you is much more pleasing."
He brushed his finger against my nose in mocking affection.
"I hope you stay this way. Even if you were harmed ten years ago because of me—you're damaged goods. Marrying you and tolerating you for a decade was already supreme charity."
Perhaps sensing he'd cut too deep, he produced a velvet box containing an aquamarine necklace.
"Here. Joanna's too young for such a heavy, old-fashioned color. It suits your age better—makes you look dignified."
I'd navigated business long enough to decode the subtext. He was calling me old. Saying I was only fit for cast-offs.
Yet I smiled and accepted the box. "As long as you're happy, Jesse."
The old Tessa would have wept for nights, agonizing over whether her youth had faded.
The new Tessa? Is this worth ten million? Or twenty?
The more distracted Jesse became with his games, the more muddleheaded he'd grow—and the more I could siphon away. Only a fool fights for a husband whose heart has strayed.
I didn't need Jesse Gilbert.
I needed the Gilbert Group.
Clutching the ten-billion-dollar contract Patrick had offered me, I knocked on the study door.
"Grandpa, since I married into the Gilbert family, I am a Gilbert now. I don't need this contract as compensation for the Matthews family."
Surprise sparked in his eyes. He hadn't expected me to refuse such a massive windfall.
