On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 55

She had just finished when Catherine appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a smug smile.

Jessica met her gaze, her expression unreadable.

“I knew you’d come back, Jessica,” Catherine purred. “I knew you’d do anything to crawl your way back in here. Even when Lance and Amy hate you, you just can’t stay away. You’re pathetic.”

“You’re right, Catherine,” Jessica replied, her voice dangerously calm. “I’m never going to divorce Lance, and I’m never going to let you take my place. If you want to be Mrs. Smith, you’ll have to wait for the next life.”

With that, she walked out of the room, deliberately shoving Catherine hard as she passed. Catherine, whose ankle was genuinely sore, stumbled against the doorframe, lost her balance, and crashed to the floor.

A ghost of a smile touched Jessica’s lips. She had laid the bait. Now, surely, Catherine would make her move. And when she did, the camera would be watching.

Downstairs, Jessica found Amy playing with a toy train set with Helen.

“Mrs. Smith, go on, play with her,” the housekeeper urged, giving Jessica a meaningful look. “I’ll go start dinner.”

Jessica sat down on the rug.

Amy pursed her lips, avoiding her mother’s eyes. “You don’t have to play with me. I can play by myself.”

“I don’t have anything else to do,” Jessica said gently. “I’d like to play with you.”

Amy hesitated, then pointed to the train. “Do you know what kind of train this is? I’ve never seen one like it.”

“It’s a high-speed train,” Jessica explained. “They go very, very fast. People take them when they need to travel a long way and don’t want to drive.”

Amy stared at her in disbelief. “Are you sure you’ve never played before?”

Jessica just smiled.

When Lance got home, the first thing he heard was Amy’s cheerful voice. “Hey! I think my magnet is stronger than yours! Why does mine always pick up so many? Are you cheating?”

Jessica’s gentle laughter followed. “It’s all out in the open, sweetie. You have to learn to be a good loser.”

“Hmph! Let’s play again. I’ll win this time for sure!”

Lance found himself standing in the doorway, watching them play, completely unnoticed, for a full half hour.