Chapter 343 When did Jasper Get Here?
The room went dead silent, tension thick in the air. Stella's face turned pale, her mask of composure falling apart.
She'd accidentally exposed another layer of her lies.
Jasper's icy stare pierced through her. "So, you've left Adeline alone not because you realized your mistakes, but because she and I haven't met?"
"You've been having me followed, haven't you?"
Stella shrank under his gaze, speechless.
His anger was palpable, a simmering rage that sent chills down her spine.
She closed her eyes, waves of despair washing over her.
No matter how outrageous her actions, even drugging him moments ago, he had never truly unleashed his anger on her.
She sat on the floor, fists clenched, heart pounding.
Finally, she looked up, whispering, "Yes."
"I know you've slept with her behind my back," she spat, venom in her voice. "I know everything!"
"Jasper, I'm your wife! Adeline is just a mistress!" she cried hysterically. "How can you blame me for trying to protect our marriage, for stopping her from seducing you?"
"And now you want a divorce? For her?"
Her mask had fallen, revealing a desperate woman.
Maybe, she thought, playing the wronged wife would make him reconsider.
Taking a deep breath, she blamed Adeline. "For two months, you didn't see her, and we were fine! No conflicts, no arguments!"
"But now? The moment you see her again, you run off to Neon City with her! And after just one day, you want to end our marriage?"
"It's because she's a manipulative, cheap—"
The sound of shattering glass cut her off.
Jasper stood up, fists clenched, eyes blazing. "Enough!"
It was always Adeline's fault, never hers.
"I'll say this one last time," he growled, voice dangerously low. "My decision to divorce you has nothing to do with Adeline."
"Adeline is Sebastian's girlfriend. I haven't slept with her for a long time, and I've been avoiding her."
Stella scoffed. "She followed you to Neon City to seduce you!"
"I came here for work," Jasper retorted, patience wearing thin. "She came to visit friends."
He glared at her, voice laced with warning. "Don't ever say such things about her again."
He turned to leave, pausing at the door, his voice cold. "Adeline is pregnant with Sebastian's child. She has no interest in me. You need to stop this."
Then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
Stella sat on the floor, staring at the closed door, her mind racing.
'Adeline is pregnant? With Sebastian's child?'
She shook her head, disbelief furrowing her brow.
'That's impossible.'
'Adeline has never shown any interest in Sebastian.'
After Adeline and Jasper left for Neon City, she contacted Sebastian, hoping to get some information. He sounded despondent and heartbroken. He implied that he and Adeline were over.
A terrifying thought took root in her mind.
'What if Adeline is pregnant with Jasper's child?'
Frustration gnawed at Jasper as he drove aimlessly around the outskirts of Neon City. He needed an escape from the suffocating tension.
He pulled over near the beach and stepped out into the cool night air.
The gentle sea breeze calmed his nerves a bit.
It was late, and the beach was mostly empty except for a lone barbecue stall with a few patrons. The stall owner was dozing off, lulled by the waves.
In the distance, he saw Adeline, her long hair flowing, speaking softly on the phone, staring out at the ocean.
Something about her felt achingly familiar.
Her posture, the way she stood, her silhouette against the moonlit water... it all brought back memories of the Adeline he once knew.
She had always loved the sea, especially at night. He remembered her standing on the beach, a long coat draped over her, hair flowing in the breeze, her voice soft and melodic as she spoke to him on the phone.
Flashback, Adeline, standing by the sea, called him, thinking he was in Radiance Springs. Back then, she talked a lot, and he only responded with a few words occasionally.
Little did she know, he had already arrived in Neon City to find her. He had stood behind her, watching, his heart aching with a love he couldn't quite understand.
She had thought he was still in Radiance Springs, and her voice had been tinged with sadness as she bid him goodnight. But when she turned, she found him standing there, a soft smile on his lips.
She had run into his arms, laughing, her eyes sparkling with joy and playful reproach.
That memory, etched into his very being, had never faded.
The moonlight bathed the beach in an ethereal glow, the distant coastline blending with the horizon. The moon, a luminous orb in the night sky, cast its silvery light on Adeline, painting her in shades of silver and shadow.
It was a scene of breathtaking beauty, yet a pang of sadness pierced his heart.
He closed his eyes, the image of Stella flashing before him.
The same face, the same voice... yet everything had changed.
He had hated Evelyn with every fiber of his being.
And now, his Adeline had become another Evelyn.
Lost in thought, he hadn't noticed Adeline ending her call and turning around.
Their eyes met, both startled by the unexpected encounter.
Adeline's heart pounded. She had just been speaking to Sebastian, telling him about the baby, urging him to take the children and leave.
'When did Jasper arrive? Did he overhear her conversation?'
Fear and uncertainty gnawed at her as she instinctively took a step back, her face paling.
"Mr. Foster, when did you get here?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
She hadn't dared to call Sebastian from the hotel, fearing it wasn't safe. The beach, especially at this hour, had seemed like the perfect sanctuary.
It seemed fate had other plans.
"Just now," he replied, glancing at the barbecue stall.
The patrons who had been drinking had already left, and the owner was checking his watch, getting ready to close up.
"Excuse me," Jasper called out. "Do you have any chicken soup left?"
The stall owner looked up, startled, then smiled. "Yes, we do!"
"Two bowls, please," Jasper said, then turned back to Adeline. "You haven't eaten, have you? It's on me."
Adeline eyed him warily.
He took a seat, meeting her gaze. "You're pregnant. But surely, you can at least have some soup?"
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