Chapter 265 Trust
Thinking of this possibility, panic welled up inside James. He quickened his pace and tried to catch up.
Jennifer burst out of the mall and onto the bustling street. Oblivious, she walked straight into the path of an oncoming car, its headlights bearing down on her.
James’ heart leaped into his throat. He lunged forward, grabbing her hand and yanking her back just as the car sped past.
"Are you insane?!" he roared, his eyes wide with fear. "You could have been killed! Don’t you even look when you cross the streets?!"
Jennifer ripped her hand from his grasp. "Get away from me!" she shrieked. "Don’t touch me!"
Her voice, sharp and brittle, betrayed her utter emotional collapse.
James stiffened, loosening his grip. Jennifer instantly took a step back, her entire body radiating agitation and rejection.
"You know, don’t you?" he asked quietly.
He wasn’t stupid. Her reaction could only mean one thing: she knew about him and Harmony.
Jennifer’s breath hitched, her teeth clenching so tightly her jaw ached. Her eyes were filled with a potent mix of pain and betrayal.
Seeing her like this, any lingering doubt vanished. She’d seen the photos. That was the only explanation for this raw, visceral reaction.
A chill settled over James. The previous incident of being secretly photographed flashed through his mind. Someone was framing him, and all signs pointed to the Perry family.
'How dare they mess with me like this? I won't let them get away with it. I will make them pay.' He swore internally.
But beyond the anger, a strange mix of emotions stirred within him. Surprise. Confusion. A flicker of something akin to… hope? He’d always believed Jennifer’s feelings for him were borne out of habit, a comfortable familiarity built over time. He never imagined she would react this strongly, her pain so raw and real. It meant that she… loved him.
The realization hit him with the force of a physical blow, leaving him reeling.
"Jennifer, please," he pleaded, reaching for her hand again. "You have to listen to me. It’s not what you think."
His sincerity sparked a flicker of hope in her eyes.
'Could the photos be fake? Have I misjudged him?' she wondered.
Her mind, a maelstrom of emotions just moments ago, desperately clung to this possibility. She had to know. She pulled out her phone, her hands shaking as she scrolled through the photos. She stopped at a particularly damning image and thrust the phone at him.
"Tell me," she choked out, her voice trembling. "Is this real?"
The photo showed him leaning over Harmony, sucking the snake venom from her leg. From that angle, it suggested an intimacy that was anything but innocent.
James’ pupils contracted. This was it. This was the source of her pain.
He opened his mouth, denial on the tip of his tongue. He just wanted to erase the hurt in her eyes.
But before he could speak, Jennifer’s gaze pierced through him with unrelenting clarity. "Don’t you dare lie to me!" she spat.
James froze, his gaze dropping to the ground. Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken truths. Finally, he nodded, a single, defeated movement. "It’s real."
Jennifer’s body went rigid, her last shred of hope withering away. The pain returned, sharper this time, stealing her breath and threatening to consume her. She stumbled back, her legs buckling beneath her, and leaned against a nearby lamppost for support.
"Jennifer!" James rushed to her side. "Please, you have to understand, it’s not what it looks like. There’s nothing between me and Harmony. I swear, I would never betray you like that."
But the moment he touched her, she flinched away as if burned. "Get away from me!" she screamed, her voice cracking with the effort of holding back a sob. "Don’t touch me, you disgust me!"
Her words, raw and full of anguish, cut through the noise of the street, drawing stares from passersby.
"Jennifer, please, just calm down," James pleaded, forcing a smile he didn’t feel. "Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk about this. I can explain everything."
But his words were lost on her. She raised her hand, and this time, there was no hesitation. The slap landed with a resounding crack, momentarily silencing the world around them.
James stood frozen, his cheek stinging, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony twisting in his chest.
Jennifer stared at him, her chest heaving, a flicker of guilt momentarily clouding her eyes before hardening into resolute anger. Everything about him, his touch, his words, his very presence, filled her with a visceral disgust.
"Don’t touch me," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "You make me sick."
James remained silent, the weight of her words crushing him. She didn’t believe him. She wouldn’t even give him a chance to explain.
He understood her pain, he truly did, but he also didn’t understand how she could so easily dismiss his years of unspoken devotion. He’d done so much for her, always remaining in the shadows, his efforts unseen, unappreciated. He thought that even if she didn’t love him the way he loved her, she at least knew him, and trusted him. But he was wrong.
She didn’t trust him at all.
Still, he couldn’t give up. He had to try, no matter how futile it seemed.
"Jennifer," he said, his voice low and earnest, "I swear to you, there’s nothing between Harmony and me. Whatever you think you saw in those photos, it’s not what it looks like. I would never betray you."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips, a sound filled with contempt, sorrow, and self-pity. "James, do you really think that’s going to work? Do you think I’m a child you can just lie to?"
James opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat. He was a skilled physician, a man of strength and intelligence, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was utterly lost. He was clumsy, and awkward, his words failing him when he needed them most.
In the face of her anger, everything he said seemed hollow and insignificant.
He had so much he wanted to say, so much he needed her to understand, but all that came out was a pathetic, "I’m sorry."
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