Semua Bab Where My Love Could Not Reach: Bab 11 - Bab 20

No one in the group chat responded.Jake waited for a while, thinking the message might not have gone through due to a poor connection. He sent another one.“Has anyone seen Madison Spencer?”This time, someone finally responded with a single word.“No.”The people Jake had added to the group were all wealthy socialites—sons and daughters of prominent families. They were part of his inner circle. To them, Madison had always been nothing more than the clingy fiancée who followed Jake around like a shadow.Back when Jake still cared about her, they showed her basic respect because of him. No one made things difficult. But ever since Xena came back, everything had shifted.Jake had made no effort to hide how close he was with Xena. He spent time with her in front of Madison and had even lashed out at Madison more than once over matters related to Xena. In their eyes, it was only a matter of time before Madison got dumped. If they had been married, things might have been more comp

The young man was Dylan Harris, Jenny’s younger brother. He was three years younger than her.The Harris family wasn’t wealthy, but they were close-knit and full of warmth. Dylan was a college student, bright and cheerful like a walking ray of sunshine.“Madison?” he called.She nodded. “Sure. Thank you.”Dylan’s eyes lit up. “Get ready to be impressed! I’m about to show off my skills.”And he did. Before long, he had dug up several crabs, plus a few sea snails and moon shells. He was thrilled.Back in school, Madison had always been a quick learner, the kind of student who only needed to be shown once. She hadn’t changed.Dylan patiently explained how to spot the telltale signs of crabs and other shellfish, like their tracks and tiny breathing holes. He demonstrated how to dig properly, and soon enough, Madison unearthed a giant sea snail.As soon as she picked it up, the sea snail sprayed water and quickly retreated into its shell.Dylan looked even more excited than if he h

Mrs. Norman’s eyes darted nervously.Jake caught it right away and barked, “Tell me the truth!”She flinched and whispered, “It... it wasn’t pig’s blood.”His ears rang. He stepped forward, voice thunderous. “Why did you lie?!”Mrs. Norman shrank back, mumbling, “Miss Ford told me to.”Jake staggered, taking two steps back until he was leaning against the wall. He looked like he had just taken a punch to the chest.“She told you to lie to me, and you just went along with it?”Mrs. Norman lowered her head, her voice barely more than a whisper. “But Mr. Zimmer, you were always yelling at Miss Spencer because of Miss Ford. That first day she came, when Lily accidentally spilled tea on her, Miss Spencer tried to explain. But you fired Lily on the spot. Miss Ford has a lot of influence here. If she ever said my cooking wasn’t to her taste, I’d probably be next.”Jake stared at her in disbelief. “That’s not possible.”Mrs. Norman looked up, her voice rising with emotion. “Why not? S

But what about Jake?What had he done?He stared at the stack of reports in his hands like he was looking at a monster. His eyes stayed locked on the pages for a long time.Then, without warning, he snapped.He tore the documents apart, page after page, ripping them into pieces with a kind of desperation that bordered on madness. When he was done, he was breathing hard. He slowly crouched down, then collapsed onto the floor.He held his head in his hands and started to cry.His cries were loud, gut-wrenching, filled with regret and anguish. The longer he cried, the louder it got, until it became a full-on breakdown.And finally, he remembered what his grandmother had said.She had warned him that he would regret it.“I’m sorry, Madison.“I’m sorry, Grandma. I should’ve listened to you.”He truly regretted everything.After crying his heart out, Jake ran straight to find Xena.She was at a nightclub, dancing wildly under flashing lights. The table in front of her was covere

Madison had finally settled into a peaceful and fulfilling routine. On the Harris family’s suggestion, she adopted a corgi and gave it the simple name “Milo.”Milo was chubby, bold, and loved greeting everyone on the street. If he had a tail, he probably would have wagged it right off. Madison took him out for long walks every morning and evening. Kids adored him.Because of Milo, Madison became much more approachable. On her own, she gave off a cool, distant vibe that made most people hesitate to come near. Even those who wanted her number rarely dared to ask. But now, children would run up and sweetly ask, “Can I pet your dog?” or “Can I play with him?”Even guys started using Milo as an excuse to talk to her, asking about the dog and slipping in a request for her contact information.When Dylan found out, he was quietly frustrated. One evening, while walking Milo with Madison, he saw two guys trying to strike up a conversation and couldn’t help blurting, “If I had known this wou