Chapter 260 Heart-Wrenching Pain
Facing the janitor's concern, Jennifer quickly wiped away her tears. "I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Just a little overwhelmed. Thank you for your concern."
The janitor, his cart still half-full, nodded understandingly. He had plenty of work left to do. With a parting nod, he pushed open the door and left.
As soon as he was gone, Jennifer scrambled for her phone. She had to get to the bottom of this.
"Tarquin," she said, her voice tight with suppressed anger. "You need to tell me where you got those photos. Right now. If you don't give me a good explanation, you're fired."
Jennifer rarely lost her temper, and the thinly veiled threat in her voice sent a shiver down Tarquin's spine.
"Dr. Johnson, I swear, those photos were delivered to the clinic today. The courier slip had your name on it! I wouldn't lie about something like this. Ask Leander, he was there!" Tarquin replied urgently.
Jennifer's heart sank. The last flicker of hope, the possibility that this was all just a cruel joke, flickered and died. She clenched her fists, fighting back the urge to scream, to break down in front of her employee.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to sound calm. "And the sender? Who sent those photos?"
"It just says… 'A Well-Wisher,'" Tarquin replied, his voice hesitant.
'A Well-Wisher?'
Jennifer frowned. This was no random prank. Someone had gone to great lengths to capture those photos, and to have them delivered to her.
'But who? And why?' she frowned.
But those questions could wait. Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.
She needed to find out if those photos were real!
The thought sent a fresh wave of nausea through her. She couldn't even bring herself to consider the possibility that they were real.
"Don't worry about it," she said, her voice artificially light. "Those photos are fake. Someone's trying to stir up trouble."
"But Dr. Johnson," Tarquin began, his voice hesitant. "I… I used to dabble in photography. I know a thing or two about spotting fakes. And those photos… they look authentic to me. I think… I think Dr. Smith might be…"
He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Jennifer's legs turned to jelly. It felt like the ground was splitting open beneath her, swallowing her whole.
"Dr. Johnson? Are you still there?" Tarquin's voice, faint and distorted, reached her through the phone.
Jennifer hung up without a word.
She sank to the floor, burying her face in her hands, and finally allowed the tears to come.
It was true. Deep down, she'd known it all along. James had betrayed her. And it was with Harmony, of all people.
The realization hit her with the force of a physical blow. Her best friend, the one person she'd trusted without reservation, had stabbed her in the back.
Sobs racked her body, each one a painful reminder of her shattered world. She'd never cried like this before, not even when her parents had passed away. She hated herself for falling apart like this, for letting her emotions get the better of her. But she couldn't stop. The pain was too raw, too overwhelming.
It felt like someone was tearing her apart from the inside out, shredding her heart into a million pieces.
"Why?" she whispered, her voice choked with sobs. "Why would they do this to me?
"It's not real. It can't be real.
"Harmony wouldn't do this to me. She's my best friend. We promised…
"Is it because of James? Has he changed so much that… that she couldn't resist him?
"How could they do this to me? How could they?"
The more she thought about it, the more unbearable the pain became. She wanted to confront James, to scream at him, to demand an explanation. She wanted to call Harmony, to remind her of their friendship, of their promises.
But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She'd always thought of herself as strong, as someone who could handle anything life threw at her. But now, faced with this betrayal, she felt utterly powerless.
She was pathetic. Weak.
Desperately, she tried to rationalize the situation. It was just a marriage of convenience, after all. They hadn't even kissed, let alone… She shouldn't care. It didn't matter.
But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, the pain remained. Because somewhere along the way, she'd fallen for James. She'd gotten used to his presence, to their life together. And the thought of him leaving her to be with someone else… it was unbearable.
And Harmony… her best friend of all these years… the thought of losing her, of them becoming enemies… it was too much to bear.
Could she pretend this never happened? Could she simply go back to how things were before?
No. She couldn't.
The pain was too real, too visceral.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated with an incoming call. Her hand moved instinctively, her actions mechanical and detached.
The name on the screen flashed: Harmony.
Jennifer answered the call.
"Harmony," she croaked, her voice hoarse and devoid of emotion.
On the other end of the line, Harmony, back in Lindwood City, had finally worked up the courage to call Jennifer. She'd spent the entire day with a therapist, trying to make sense of her own tangled emotions. She was finally starting to feel a glimmer of hope, a way forward.
But when Jennifer's voice came through, flat and lifeless, it sent a chill down her spine.
"Jennifer? Are you okay? Your voice…"
Harmony's worry cut through Jennifer’s desolation. She became painfully aware of the raw anguish in her own voice.
Her breath hitched, her chest constricting. She tried to speak, but no words came out.
Harmony's tone grew urgent. "Jennifer? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Panic clawed at Harmony's throat. Something was terribly wrong.
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