On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 21

A moment later, her phone rang.

There was no caller ID, but she knew the number by heart—she’d had it memorized for over twenty years.

It was her father, Kevin Brown.

She didn't have to answer to know how furious he must be, how he probably wanted to wring her neck.

Jessica Brown decisively declined the call.

He called again.

She blocked his number.

But then, a call came through from Susan Lane.

Standing at the intersection waiting for the bus, Jessica answered. “Grandma.”

Susan’s voice was laced with guilt. “Jessica, could you come to the hospital, please?”

“I can’t today, Grandma,” Jessica said, her voice flat.

She knew perfectly well what had happened. Susan must have been the one who drugged them, willing to stop at nothing to force a reconciliation. But Jessica also knew it was pointless. Even if Susan confessed to Lance right now, he wouldn’t believe her. He would assume Susan was just covering for Jessica, lying to protect her.

In Lance Smith’s eyes, anything bad could be pinned on Jessica, and it would all make perfect sense. It was as if she’d been born to be the villain in her own story.

When the bus arrived, she got on, and as she settled into a seat, she opened her email. A dozen messages had trickled in, all rejections from the companies she’d applied to. Not a single one had even offered an interview.

Jessica had barely reached the entrance to the inpatient wing when a swarm of cameras rushed toward her. Before she could react, she was surrounded by a mob of reporters. Microphones were shoved in her face, one jabbing her violently under the chin.

“Mrs. Smith, is it true you drugged your husband to get him to sleep with you?”

“Doesn’t this prove your marriage is on the rocks?”

“Mrs. Smith, we heard Mr. Smith was in love with someone else before he married you. How exactly did you manage to marry into the Smith family?”

“Did you use some kind of underhanded trick to marry into the family? Is that why Mr. Smith has always disliked you?”

Jessica tried to push through, but there was nowhere to go. “I’m sorry, but this is a private matter, and I have the right to remain silent. Please, let me through. If you continue to harass me, I’ll have to call the police.”

The reporters exchanged glances, their next questions even more outrageous. Two dozen of them had her completely trapped.