Lahat ng Kabanata ng Bound by a billionaire : Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

~JESSICA~The next morning was oddly peaceful.Grace had gone off to school after giving me one last squeeze and a stern reminder to eat real food. Even though I had a room of my own in the new luxurious apartment Daniel bought, I still shared a room with Grace because I was used to it, and because it makes me feel less lonely.“Make sure you eat!” Grace had called out loudly before leaving the room.I promised I would, though I knew the tea and toast waiting for me on the kitchen table would be more out of obligation than appetite.I wandered into the kitchen in Daniel’s oversized hoodie…now just my hoodie. It didn’t carry his scent anymore. Just fabric and cotton, and memories I was slowly reclaiming for myself."Morning, sweetheart."I turned to find Sarah,my stepmom, standing at the stove, flipping pancakes like a pro, her hair tied up in a messy bun, and her face glowing with the usual calm that made everything seem okay.“Morning,” I murmured.She peered

~JESSICA~I stared at my wardrobe for what had to be the fifth time in ten minutes.“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, yanking a floral summer dress off the hanger and tossing it on the bed beside the two others I had already rejected. “It’s just dinner.”But who goes to just dinner with a man who texts like a poet and smiles like a Disney prince?Leo was…different.He wasn’t Daniel. He wasn’t complicated. He wasn’t emotionally constipated. At least, I didn’t think he was.So why was I pacing around my bedroom in a towel, debating between red lipstick and nude gloss like I was preparing for prom?“Get it together, Jessica,” I told my reflection, pulling my hair into a loose updo. “You’re not dressing up for him. You’re dressing up for you. Because you want to feel good. Empowered. Fresh start and all that.”But a tiny voice in my head snorted.You want to impress him.Ugh.I settled on a simple navy-blue wrap dress that clung to my waist and flared just below the k

~JESSICA~Just as we stood to leave the park, laughing quietly over Leo’s terrible penguin impersonation, a figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking our path.I looked up to see who that was, and…My laughter died.My breath caught.No. No. No.Albert.Time stopped.Same dark eyes. Same perfectly smug face. Except this time, the look he gave me wasn’t one of charm or desire. It was disgust. Judgment.“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, breath catching in my throat.Albert??Of all people. Of all days??He crossed his arms. “Took you long enough” he smirked.His sharp, cold eyes raked over me, then shifted to Leo. The smirk that curved his lips made my stomach twist.Leo glanced at me. “Friend of yours?”I didn’t answer.Albert looked at Leo from head to toe like he was a bug on his shoe. “Let me guess. The new guy?” he asked.Leo’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”“I’m her ex-fiancé,” Albert said with a dark grin. “The one before Daniel. Before she jum

~JESSICA~It's finally daybreak. I had stayed up in my room all night and crying my eyes out.I heard noises outside my room but didn't want to come out yet.After Grace had gone off to school with her usual dramatic sigh about math class, I wandered downstairs in my oversized hoodie and mismatched socks, expecting to mope around all day because of how said I was feeling.Instead, I was greeted by the smell of something sweet.“Is that cinnamon I smell?” I called out, following the scent.In the kitchen, Sarah, was at the counter, a light dusting of flour on her cheek and a confident smirk on her lips.“You’re finally up,” she said. “I figured we could do something fun today. I know you’ve been... off lately.”I blinked. “Fun like what? Therapy baking?”She raised a brow. “Baking is therapeutic. Especially when you’re making cinnamon rolls from scratch and blasting Whitney Houston.”I couldn’t help but smile at that.“Whitney?” I asked.Sarah turned to the speaker

~JESSICA~My friendship with Leo continued and he's been the sweetest person ever to me, but I started to notice some changes in my body.I was always feeling weak and sleepy. I was always feeling dizzy and heavy.But I really didn't pay much attention to it.Maybe it's just my body breaking down from all the stress.Then….A Few Days Later.I woke up nauseous.Not just a little. Not just that off feeling from crying too hard the night before.This was different.I was brushing my teeth when the nausea hit me again.Violent. Unexpected.I barely made it to the toilet before I was throwing up the little I’d eaten.Grave was sitting straight on the bed when I went back to the room.“Hey Jess, what's up?? Are you okay??” She asked with concern in her voice.“I don't know. I just feel weak and dizzy these days” I replied.“Are you sick??” Grace asked.“I don't know,” I replied.“Check yourself. If you still feel same, you'll go to the clinic” she said.I nodded.Th