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Chapter 272 Reminder
Chapter 272 Reminder
Anneliese was shocked.
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Her chest tightened like a knot being pulled too tight. She had finally started to bury the memory of that burning kiss, and now Jessica had dragged it back to the surface.
Anneliese shot her a glare sharp enough to cut, then spun toward the captain of the guards who stood stiffly at the basement door.
“What exactly did Mr. Fullbuster tell you?”
The captain’s tone was steady. “He told us you have the final word, Mrs. Fullbuster. Only when your anger is gone do we release them. We follow only your orders, Mrs. Fullbuster.”
He called her Mrs. Fullbuster again and again, each word clear and heavy. From the corner of her eye, Anneliese caught the sly glint in Jessica’s gaze, and heat swept across her cheeks.
She spoke quickly, her voice low but firm. “Then let them out later. I’m already calm.”
She knew she couldn’t really let the White family suffer.
She would never put Jonathan in that kind of danger.
“Yes, Mrs. Fullbuster.”
In the car, Anneliese leaned close and told Jessica about the watch, urging her to look into that
woman.
“She’s probably living in Starlake Gardens with her kid. Last time I came to get you, I saw her there.”
That night Marcus had tied Jessica up in Starlake Gardens, Anneliese had caught sight of the woman through the car window as she drove away with her.
Jessica’s body went rigid. Anneliese remembered that night as well, the way Jessica had been bound hand and foot like a trapped animal. Guilt cut through her for not realizing the danger
sooner.
She spoke in a rush. “We should just call Detective Hayes instead-”
But Jessica gave a sudden smile. “It’s fine. I can handle something this small. Besides, Marcus didn’t
get what he wanted that night, and he’s already out of Occaton. I’m not as breakable as
you think.”
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The memories clawed back anyway. Jessica had been sixteen when Marcus showed what kind of monster he was.
It began with him peeping through the bathroom door. Then came the nights when her doorknob rattled like someone was trying to force their way in. Then her underwear began to vanish from her closet.
She turned into a girl frozen by fear, too afraid to fall asleep.
The Johnsons never stood by her. Her pleas were met with curses and blows. They called her names, said she was tempting her so–called brother.
Labeled and despised, Jessica fought to survive. She studied harder than anyone, believing a good college could free her from that house.
But Marcus destroyed even that. He changed her college applications.
She should have gone to a top university in Halden. Instead, she was shoved into a second–rate teachers‘ school in Baytree, practically in her backyard.
When she found out, she stormed back to the Johnsons‘ estate. She demanded answers. Marcus cornered her, almost raped her, and she had only escaped by smashing an ashtray over his head.
Marcus‘ fiancée, Faye, hated her enough to beat her until she was barely alive.
They crushed every path she had. With no way forward, she ran.
She escaped by sheer luck, shed her old name, and went into hiding.
That night, she had been tied to a bed. If it hadn’t been for her period, she might not have lasted long enough for Anneliese to save her.
She talked big now, but Marcus had left wounds no one could see. She made jokes, but intimacy haunted her. The night with Zane wasn’t born of love. It was the wild release of finally breaking free, of years of pressure exploding all at once.
But Zane had been like a cure.
The only drug that worked.
Since that night, Marcus‘ shadow had lost its grip. The memories no longer carried fear or disgust.
Now, when she remembered, her chest thumped hard and her blood burned. It was no longer
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horror. It was fire, chaos, and the kind of intensity that shook her to her core.
“Get out. We’re here. What are you blushing for?”
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Anneliese gave her a playful push, snapping her out of her haze. The car had stopped at Maple Bay.
Jessica yanked on the collar of her turtleneck, hiding her face. She shook her head quickly.
“It’s too warm. Too many layers.”
She pushed open the door and stepped out first. When she turned, she froze. A black Bentley sat not far away.
The driver’s door opened, and a tall man climbed out.
He wore a black shirt tucked neatly into dress pants, but over it he had thrown a long leather coat, unbelted and loose. His walk was casual, careless, almost dangerous. He didn’t look like any lawyer. Well, that was just Zane.
Jessica’s heart jolted. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. This couldn’t be real.
But then he came right up to her. He bent just enough, snapped his fingers in front of her face, and his low, lazy voice curled close to her ear.
“You know, you ought to do something with the way you look at people. Or else they might think you’re… up to something. Something… lewd.”
Jessica’s breath caught hard.
He was wrong. She wasn’t lewd!
He was the one standing too close. Too close for strangers.
The sound of Anneliese climbing out of the car jolted her. Jessica shoved him hard without thinking.
Zane hadn’t expected her to treat him as if she didn’t know him. He also hadn’t expected so much strength from someone so small.
Her shove sent him staggering back two steps, thrown off balance like a statue cracking at the base. His face darkened with frustration.
Before he could speak, Jessica turned away and caught Anneliese’s arm.
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“Annie, take it slow. You’re still not fully better.”
:
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Anneliese laughed softly, her eyes sharp with amusement. Jessica’s reaction was too strong, too guilty.
She nodded toward Zane. “Zane, what are you doing here? Did you come for Jess?”
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Chapter 273 Shy Friend
