Semua Bab Save the Tears for Someone Who Cares: Bab 201 - Bab 210

The outcome was no surprise.Jacklyn gave a slight nod, her face unreadable. "Eugene and Penelope did this to themselves."Along the coast, lights blinked on as the sky darkened.Stiff from sitting still so long, she shifted and turned to Liam. "Let's head back."…Back in Cyrelia, Penelope clutched a tattered doll with a name tag stitched with Jacklyn's name, driving a pair of scissors into its body with brutal, relentless jabs.With every stab, the rage in her bloodshot eyes burned hotter."Rot in hell! I hope they flay you a thousand times over. Do you think dying lets you off easy? I'll see to it you suffer forever! I hate you, Jacklyn!" she hissed through her teeth.Her screams, ragged and raw, tore through the tiny room. The hatred blazing in her stare was so fierce that it was a wonder the doll didn't tear itself apart under her gaze.Just then, a sudden knock slammed against the door.Penelope jolted at the noise. She stared at the door, fear crawling up her spine."

The murmurs around Eugene slowly faded, and every eye turned to him, filled with pity and sorrow.The officer saw the grief on his face and stepped aside without a word.Eugene staggered forward, his legs barely carrying him. Just before he reached the white shroud, they gave out. He dropped to his knees with a dull, heavy thud."Mr. Lloyd, we need you to confirm if this is your wife," an officer said, bending down. His hand hovered over the shroud. "Please prepare yourself."Eugene's eyes were rimmed with red. He shut them for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Do it."The white shroud was slowly pulled back, revealing a waterlogged face. It was so bloated that it was impossible to tell the gender, let alone recognize any features.The sight hit Eugene like a blow. He stood frozen, mind blank, unable to make sense of what he was seeing."It's…"He wanted to deny it, but then his eyes locked on the bracelet, cinched tight around the corpse's right wrist.The instant he recogniz

Jacklyn wasn't some naive, wide-eyed girl. She knew exactly what Liam was doing and had seen it coming for a while now.But after everything she'd been through, she just didn't have it in her to start over. What she'd been through with Eugene had left its mark. Love scared her now.When she didn't say anything, the light in Liam's eyes dimmed. He stepped around the dining table and crouched before her, meeting her gaze.Cornered, she finally spoke, "Liam, I-I…"His sudden confession had thrown her completely off balance. She was terrified of saying the wrong thing and ruining the easy friendship they had.Liam's voice was soft when he said, "I'm not saying this to push you one way or the other. I just couldn't keep it in anymore. I've been holding this in for so long, so I had to let it out. I really hope this didn't come off as too much."The moment the words left his mouth, regret hit him like a punch to the gut. He shouldn't have said anything, not when he knew Jacklyn still w

Jacklyn blinked. "What?""Eat on time. Don't overwork yourself. And one more thing, take care of your body." Liam's eyes softened as they dropped to her stomach. "You're still pregnant, remember?"Jacklyn paused, then said earnestly, "Thanks, Liam."His support gave her just enough strength to start fresh in the strange new place.Back at the mansion, Jeffrey had dinner ready. For once, Liam let himself take the night off.After dinner, Jacklyn headed back to her room. She had just shut the door when her phone buzzed. It was an unknown number.Hardly anyone had that number. Other than Liam and Irene—both saved in her contacts—the only one who knew it was Kacey, still undercover near Eugene.She answered, and Kacey's cautious voice came through, "Ms. Stinson, are you alright?"Ever since word got out about Jacklyn's car accident, Kacey had been worried sick. But she'd held back from calling, afraid Eugene might pick up on something. That was why this was her first check-in.Jac

Jacklyn folded her hands, her tone polite and unassuming as she said, "I'm really looking forward to working with everyone."After greeting the studio staff, Abel showed her to the office they'd rushed to set up for her the night before."Sorry about the state of it. We didn't think you'd be starting this soon, so there wasn't time to do much," he said.Jacklyn gave a casual shrug. "It's totally fine. I actually like it the way it is."As she spoke, her gaze flicked to a lone blue folder sitting on the otherwise empty desk. She frowned slightly. "What's this?"Abel leaned against the desk and picked it up. "New job. It's a joint venture between a Cyrelian company and a foreign partner. They want Eastral elements in their jewelry designs, so naturally, I thought of you."He handed her the folder. "Honestly, none of us know much about Eastral. This one's right up your alley."Jacklyn took the file, flipped through it quickly, and then nodded.After Abel left, she dove straight in