Chapter 5 Unable To Reveal The Truth

Eleanor recoiled at the sight of the man's nicotine-stained teeth, years of heavy smoking etched into their yellowed surface, and a sharp scream tore from her throat as she flailed her hands wildly. "It wasn't me... it really wasn't me!"

Adrian let his eyes rest on Eleanor for a brief, unreadable second before turning away and drawing Jessica firmly into his embrace under everyone's gaze.

A smile curved his lips, pleasant on the surface yet edged with cold steel, as he said, "Are you blind? This is my future wife!"

Jessica understood that his words were meant to shield Eleanor.

Even so, she still couldn't help but feel her heart flutter.

After all, Adrian had been the one she had carried feelings for since her younger years.

Every casual gesture from him had always stirred a tempest in her heart.

While Jessica drifted into those memories, an abrupt voice cut straight through her thoughts.

"Jessica? What are you doing here?"

Eleanor had just stepped out of the club, intending to smoke in a quiet corner, when she spotted Jessica lingering by the roadside.

She strode over, glanced at Jessica, then flicked her eyes back toward the club entrance before letting out a derisive snort. "You've got a lot of nerve showing up at a place like this looking for Adrian."

With Eleanor present, Jessica had no doubt that Adrian was here as well.

She shook her head quickly and waved her hands in refusal. She then signed, "I'm not here for him. I'm here to-"

Eleanor cut her off, clearly irritated by her gestures, and fixed her with a mocking stare. Her lips curled with open disdain as she said, "Jessica, you really are something. So desperate to seduce Adrian that you even put on a uniform to grab his attention. What's next? Are you planning to crawl straight into his bed?"

Earlier, Jessica had rushed out with Lexi, and she hadn't changed out of her work uniform.

It was an ordinary outfit by any reasonable standard, yet to people like Eleanor, it was meant only to seduce.

Jessica wanted to explain, but then, she stopped herself.

If she said too much, her current job would be exposed.

Seeing Jessica frozen in place, Eleanor took it as proof that her insults had rendered her speechless. She lifted her chin haughtily, contempt etched across her features. "Give it up. Your cheap tricks will never work on Adrian. In his heart, there's only me. Even if you stripped yourself bare and crawled into his bed, he wouldn't spare you a second glance. Do you really think Adrian marrying you means he loves you?"

She let out a sharp scoff, every syllable slamming into Jessica's chest like a blunt strike. "That's absurd. The title of Mrs. Buckley only landed on you because I didn't want it at that time."

Her lips twisted cruelly as she continued, "Jessica, you're only ever good at picking up what I discard. When we were kids, you wore my castoff clothes and jewelry. Now, you're clinging to a man I abandoned before. It's honestly pathetic."

Jessica pressed her lips together, the color draining from her face, her shoulders quivering faintly under the bite of the autumn night air.

She knew Eleanor was telling the truth, and so did everyone in Krovale.

All these years, Adrian's heart had never strayed from Eleanor.

Jessica knew that had Eleanor not chosen to marry another man so early on, Adrian would never have married her.

At that moment, Lexi emerged from the club while directing others to move a cage holding the sheepdog. She instantly noticed what was happening.

She hurried over without hesitation, planting herself firmly in front of Jessica and snapping at Eleanor with open fury, "What do you think you are doing?"

Eleanor cast a glance at Lexi, noting the uniform and the dog hair clinging to her clothes, then shifted her gaze to Jessica standing behind her.

She pinched her nose theatrically and sneered, "No wonder you two are friends. People like you deserve nothing but gutter trash for company."

Lexi's expression darkened at that, and she shot back without restraint, "What makes you think you have the right to say that to us? It's freezing out here, yet you're wearing such revealing clothes. Are you just here to seduce men? How shameless!"

Never before had Eleanor been spoken to like this. Rage surged through her, her teeth grinding as she shouted, "Who do you think you are to talk to me that way? Just wait. I'll have someone deal with you."

Fear tightened around Jessica's chest as she imagined the scene spiraling further, drawing Adrian's attention and putting Lexi directly in harm's way.

She reached out, clutching Lexi's hand and shaking her head urgently. Then, she quickly signed, "Stop. Please, let's just leave."

Lexi resisted, refusing to back down. "Jessica, who is this vile woman? Why is she treating you like this?"

Jessica's fingers paused at that.

How was she supposed to explain any of this to Lexi?

Should she admit that Eleanor was not only her half-sister but also the woman her husband had loved all his life, or confess that her marriage existed only because Eleanor had abandoned her husband before?

She found it difficult to reveal any of that.

Unable to meet Lexi's gaze, Jessica lowered her head in quiet humiliation.

Seeing that, Lexi suddenly seemed to grasp the situation, whipping around to glare at Eleanor as she blurted, "So, you're the homewrecker, trying to steal Jessica's husband!"

That single accusation snapped something inside Eleanor.

She loathed being called a homewrecker more than anything.

In her mind, she was the one who had stood beside Adrian first.

If Jessica had not stubbornly clung to the title of Adrian's wife, Eleanor believed she would have married Adrian long ago.

How dare some outsider judge her like that?

Blinded by rage, Eleanor lifted her hand, aiming a slap at Lexi.

But Lexi, hot-tempered and now fully aware that Eleanor was the one bullying Jessica, was determined to defend her friend.

"After all the shameless things you've done, you still dare try to hit me?" She caught Eleanor's wrist mid-swing and shoved her hard, sending Eleanor crashing to the ground with a dull thump.

Never in her life had Eleanor been treated this way. Humiliation burned through her as she screamed, "How dare you push me? You bitch!"

Lexi let out a cold laugh and stepped forward. She reached down, yanked Eleanor by the hair, and swung her hand twice.

Two sharp slaps rang out in quick succession.

"Not only can I push you," Lexi said, "but I can also hit you."

Eleanor was stunned, her carefully styled hair disheveled, her flawless makeup smeared, two vivid red handprints blooming across her face.

Clutching her face, she ground her teeth in hatred, glaring at Jessica and Lexi as though she wanted to rip them apart with her bare hands.

At that moment, Adrian stepped out of the club.

The instant he saw Eleanor sprawled on the ground, his expression hardened with cold anger. "What is going on here?" he asked.

The second Eleanor caught sight of him, the malice drained from her features, replaced by a fragile, pitiful look.

"Adrian, Jessica brought some vicious woman to attack me," she sobbed weakly. "I only asked whether she came looking for you, and they beat me like this."

She pointed shakily at Jessica and Lexi, tears streaming down her face. "They didn't just hit me; they even called me a homewrecker. If you hadn't come out in time, they would have beaten me to death."

Adrian's expression softened at her words, concern flickering through his eyes. "Don't be scared. I'm here now."

He did not spare Jessica a single glance. Instead, he walked over to Eleanor, carefully smoothing her tangled hair before lifting her into his arms.

Only then did he look at Jessica, his eyes stripped of warmth. "Jessica, I'll deal with you when I get back!"

Without another word, he carried Eleanor into the club, not once glancing back.

Jessica stood rooted in place, watching him disappear. The ache in her chest swelled until it felt impossible for her to breathe, yet there was nothing she could do about it.

After a long, stunned silence, Lexi finally found her voice. "Jessica... was that your husband?"

He was handsome, but he was such a jerk!

Jessica closed her eyes and nodded slowly, a single tear slipping down her cheek.