Chapter 23
He never imagined a day would come when she would look at him this way.
Once, her gaze held nothing but love and dependence, her eyes sparkling like stars, brilliantly radiant.
But now, everything had changed.
Maxwell felt as if his heart had been torn open, wind howling through the gaping wound.
A man she had known for mere days received Jessica’s protection, while for him, she offered only coldness and distance.
Maxwell couldn’t accept this outcome!
Just as he was about to grasp Jessica’s hand to explain, Adrian deliberately rubbed his wrist until it reddened.
“Jessica, he just grabbed me and tried to bribe me to leave you. He doesn’t like me, but I want to continue with the project. I don’t want to be driven away by him.”
Jessica was immediately drawn to his reddened wrist, her brow furrowing with concern.
“I’ll get you some medicine. If you don’t want to leave, I’ll find a way to make him abandon this idea.”
With that, she led Adrian away, her eyes full of concern.
Maxwell nearly choked with rage. How could she not see through such a clumsy act?
When Adrian rubbed his wrist, his expression hadn’t changed one bit, showing no sign of pretending to be pitiful. Yet she believed him instantly?
Maxwell’s heart felt as if it were drowning in acid, his eyes reddening with jealousy.
So this was how it felt to see the person you love caring more for someone else…..
Only now did he personally experience what she had once suffered.
Yet this was barely a fraction of her pain.
Maxwell walked dejectedly across the campus.
Strangely, images of holding hands with Jessica during their university days surfaced in his mind.
Back then, his happiness had been so simple.
Just holding her hand as they walked together, escorting her back to her dormitory in the evening, exchanging a kiss beneath her residence hall–that had been enough for perfect happiness.
But how had they reached this point?
This time, Maxwell truly regretted everything.
Without Olivia’s appearance, without his change of heart, he would surely still be happy today.
He returned to his hotel in a daze, caressing old photos of himself and Jessica, his heart filled with nostalgia.
For several days afterward, Maxwell didn’t appear before Jessica. He simply followed her silently, watching her daily life from corners where she couldn’t see him.
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His ‘Harmless‘ 10–Year Fling? My Secret Divorce Papers Say Goodbye Forever!
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Chapter 23
Without him, her days were incredibly fulfilling.
Besides occasionally substituting for Professor Smith’s lectures, she spent most of her time in the laboratory.
Het collaboration with Adrian was seamless, and they conversed increasingly more.
Although most discussions concerned their experimental project, it was evident that the atmosphere between them had changed from before, becoming so harmonious that others couldn’t intrude.
Maxwell felt alarm bells ringing loudly in his mind.
With the utmost speed, he arranged a romantic setting.
After a full day’s work, Jessica exhaled deeply, stepping out of the laboratory to rest.
At that moment, countless roses came into view, forming a massive heart with candles, spelling out the words “I’M SORRY.”
Maxwell stood at the heart’s center, holding a transparent glass jar filled with paper cranes.
“Jessica, I’m sorry. I was wrong. It was all my fault for breaking my promise and changing my heart. I truly regret everything now. Can you forgive me this one last time?”
“This jar was your first birthday gift to me. You said one paper crane could be exchanged for one reasonable request, one forgiveness for a mistake I made.”
“I’ve never used these paper cranes before. Now, can I exchange all of them for your forgiveness?”
He opened the jar, taking out one paper crane with each utterance of “I’m sorry.”
No matter how many paper cranes he removed, no matter how many times he said “I’m sorry,” Jessica couldn’t be bothered to listen
or count.
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