Chapter 162
“I have to.” She steps back from him, breath catching. “I owe you the truth. I owe her.” Her gaze flicks to me again. Then lands on Tuli. “And I owe it to myself.”
No one moves.
Jessica looks down at her hands, then lifts her chin and meets Seth’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “For everything. But you need to hear this.”
Seth lets go of Liam. Shoulders stiff. “You don’t ever have to apologise to me, Jess.”
I sigh under my breath. “You’re gonna regret saying that.”
And right on cue, she drops the grenade.
Her eyes don’t leave Tuli’s face.
“Rowland’s not mine. He’s not Liam’s. And he’s not yours, either.”
EMILIA
There’s a beat.
Then all hell breaks loose.
“What?” Tuli snaps, voice cutting like glass.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Seth shouts, already stepping forward like he needs to physically shake the truth out of her.
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Liam doesn’t move. Doesn’t flinch. His face is carved out of stone.
Jessica keeps going. Her voice wobbles now, but she doesn’t stop. “There was never anything between Liam and me. Not romantically. Not physically. I never even thought it was possible people would believe that Liam-” Her words trail off, shoulders curling in. “There was nothing like that. Ever.”
Tuli’s hands tremble, but her mouth stays firm. “Jessica, what is the meaning of this? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course Liam is Rowland’s father. You’re his mother. You can’t just disown the poor boy-”
“I’m not disowning him!” Jessica barks, turning on her like she’s been holding it in for years. “And don’t you dare act like I did this alone. If you want someone to blame, look at your husband. He manipulated a nineteen–year–old girl and you let him.”
Tuli’s face goes ghost–pale. “What?”
And now I’m starting to piece it together – tiny puzzle fragments clicking into place – but Jessica doesn’t stop. She’s past the point of
no return.
—
“I lied.” she says simply. “I let everyone think Rowland was mine. And Liam… he stepped up because he thought Seth was the father. He was just trying to protect his brother. But I’ve never even been with Seth. I just… did what I was told.”
Seth looks physically pained, like the floor’s been yanked out from under him. His voice is raw when he manages, “Told to? By who?”
Jessica’s breath catches. Then she drops the match.
“Your father,” she says. “Rowland’s not your nephew, Seth. He’s your brother.”
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The room turns to ice.
“No.” Tuli’s voice is a whisper. Hollow. Like if she says it gently enough, it’ll undo the truth.
Jessica scoffs. The look she throws Tuli is pure venom. “What?
Shocked? Don’t act like you didn’t know. You booked the hotel rooms
–
for them – your husband and his secretary. You made sure no one would find out.”
Tuli stares at her, frozen.
“And when his secretary got pregnant and refused an abortion, your husband panicked,” Jessica keeps going, her voice rising. “The board, the press, the investors – they’d have eaten him alive. So guess who he picked to clean up his mess?”
She gestures to herself. A bitter laugh escapes.
“A teenager. Some lovesick idiot who didn’t know better. He told me if I didn’t go along with it — if I didn’t fake the pregnancy — he’d ruin me. Said he’d make sure I never worked again. That I’d lose Liam forever.”
Jessica turns to Liam now. Her face crumples, but she doesn’t cry. “I needed help. I needed someone to tell me it was wrong to feel the way I did about you. But your parents fed me lies. They used me. And I let them.”
She wipes at her face, furious. “Do you think I wanted to drop out of college? Turn down work? Sit around for months pretending to be pregnant, hoping no one would figure it out?”
She breathes hard. Her next words come sharp, like blades.
“I hate them for what they did. And I hate myself for letting it happen.
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Because every time that I look at Rowland, I can’t see a kid or a person, but a reminder of everything they used to tear me apart.”
I don’t realise when my vision blurs. Or when Julie steps up beside me.
Her hand lands gently on my shoulder. I jolt.
I don’t know how long she’s been standing there or how much she’s heard, but she offers me a small, tired smile. “I brought down your stuff. You and Liam’s. It’s by the stairs.”
I glance back. She’s right. Our bags sit at the foot of the steps.
Julie sighs, shaking her head. “I just wish Jessica waited. Just a few more minutes. But now…” Her voice trails off. “Now Liam has one more reason to never come back.”
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Chapter 163
