Chapter 310 Jessica's Bravado and Sorrow
Even though he hated to admit it, Gabriel had to acknowledge that the scene in front of him was pretty darn peaceful and beautiful.
He lifted his foot, wishing he could just walk over and scoop Jessica back into his arms.
But seeing her sleep so soundly, he ultimately stopped in his tracks and didn't disturb them.
He knew all too well the pain and sadness she was carrying. She needed some time to chill and be alone. So, even though it sucked, he told himself to give her some space.
In his mind, he thought, 'Jessica, I'm giving you space, not to make you sad or upset. I know you haven't figured out how to deal with me yet, and you need some time. But today is the last day I'm giving you. Starting tomorrow, I'm barging into your world and facing everything with you.'
So, he held back, clenching his fists, and didn't go over to take Jessica away from Vincent.
Maybe because she was super tired, Jessica slept for quite a while.
Vincent gently turned his head to look at her.
From his angle, he could see her face was really pale.
She looked worn out, like she hadn't had a good rest in ages. Her eyes were red and puffy.
It hadn't been that long since he last saw her, and she had been in good spirits when he left.
And she had patched things up with Gabriel.
So what the heck happened now?
What exactly went down?
Was it work? Or something with her relationship?
Vincent's lips moved slightly, realizing he had a million questions, but right now, he felt so heavy-hearted he couldn't say a word.
Seeing her pale face, all he felt was heartache.
Seeing that Jessica was still sleeping soundly, Vincent was super careful.
He stayed in the same position the whole time, not moving an inch, afraid to wake her.
So, Jessica slept for a while.
When she woke up and realized she was leaning on Vincent's shoulder, she immediately said, "Sorry, I fell asleep on your shoulder."
"No biggie, it's nothing."
Seeing her pale face, Vincent said with concern, "If you're tired, take a break and go home to rest. Don't push yourself so hard."
"Yeah, I will." Jessica nodded.
Soon, she'd have a long break.
"Vincent, thanks for today. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Jessica said, getting ready to leave.
Vincent's clenched fists loosened and tightened repeatedly, feeling really heavy-hearted.
In the end, all his worries turned into a bitter word. "Okay."
He nodded, and Jessica waved before turning around.
But then, Vincent seemed to be jolted by something, suddenly opening his mouth and shouting, "Jessica, wait."
"What?" She turned around.
"How have you been lately?" Vincent asked.
Hearing this, Jessica felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She felt her heart, which had just started to heal, seemed to split open again, starting to bleed once more.
If it weren't for everything that happened yesterday, she had actually been doing pretty well, even feeling happy and content.
But last night's events had taken everything from her, destroying it all.
Jessica didn't cry or even blink.
She just stared at one spot, trying to get a grip on her emotions, then looked at Vincent and smiled. "I've been doing great!"
Hearing this, Vincent felt a wave of relief.
He smiled and nodded, "That's good."
"And you guys? Is your relationship solid? Have you set a wedding date? Don't forget to invite me." It took a lot of guts for Vincent to say that.
Even though it was tough, he asked anyway.
Jessica nodded, "Yeah, Gabriel and I are doing well. Don't worry; when that day comes, you'll definitely get an invite."
She answered, and he nodded.
Even though her happiness wasn't because of him and it stung a bit, knowing she was happy and had her own joy was enough for him.
He told himself, 'Vincent, she already has her own happiness.'
But even though she said everything was fine, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was some deep sadness in her eyes.
She tried hard to hide it, but it still peeked through.
Vincent asked, his eyes full of concern, "Jessica, tell me again; is everything really okay?"
This time, Jessica couldn't say anything.
She didn't answer, just said, "Sorry, Vincent, I have something to do in the department. Let's talk next time."
With that, she hurried away.
She was scared that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't be able to keep up the act, and even more scared that she'd let all her emotions spill out.
She didn't want to be that vulnerable.
Running all the way to the department, Jessica was immediately hugged by Tina, who said happily, "Jessica, you're finally here!"
"Where have you been? We called you so many times, but you didn't answer, and you didn't reply to messages on Facebook. You weren't at the hospital, and we couldn't find you anywhere. We were so worried something had happened to you. Luckily, you showed up. If you hadn't, we were about to call the police," Tina added.
"Don't worry; I'm fine." Jessica patted her shoulder to comfort her.
"That's good."
Looking around the department, Jessica turned to Tina, asking, "Tina, thanks for holding down the fort. Was it busy today?"
Tina shook her head, saying, "Strangely enough, today was pretty chill, even though you weren't here. Otherwise, I would've been swamped."
"That's good."
She felt a bit less guilty.
Thinking about leaving, Jessica suddenly felt a wave of reluctance and nostalgia.
She didn't want to leave the people here, the hospital, Kathleen, and her mom's advice.
Looking up, she seemed to see her mom, thinking, 'Mom, will you blame me for leaving the hospital after finally getting a job here, for not fulfilling your dream? Mom, I know you won't blame me. You want me to be happy, right? I'm sorry, Mom. I really can't hold on anymore. Every time I close my eyes, I see that nightmare.'
Closing her eyes, Jessica let the tears flow inside.
Before leaving, she took one last look at the place where she had worked for months and the colleagues she had worked with.
Then, she gently closed the door, took a deep breath, and got on the elevator, pressing the familiar number.
Even though she hated it, she knew she had to face Jack no matter what, to seek justice for herself.
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