Chapter 11
Jessica started her vacation the next day, so she slept straight through until noon.
She didn’t get up to wash up, but checked the location of her car instead. As expected, it had been taken for servicing.
Her plans for that day were simple; she would just enjoy herself.
She slipped on a pair of high heels, which she rarely wore, along with a sexy body-hugging dress. The perfect lines of her figure looked even more flawless beneath the fabric.
Her exquisite features, flawless skin, and golden hair made her appear both beautiful and
noble.
Jessica stood in front of the full-length mirror and looked at her reflection.
She was five feet and four inches, but since Derrick wasn’t very tall either, they ended up eye
to eye whenever she wore heels.
So she had naturally given up on wearing them, afraid that she would make him appear short whenever they stood together. But now, things were different. She could wear whatever she
liked.
Jessica couldn’t help but laugh at herself. She laughed at how slow she had been to realize things, and how late she had started to live for herself again.
After dressing up, she picked up her bag. Just as she was about to head out, she noticed Zachary’s coat on the couch.
She had forgotten to return it to him again.
After hesitating for a moment, she casually draped it over her arm and walked out the door.
First, she had her nails done and styled her straight golden hair into soft waves. Then she got her makeup done at a salon before heading out on a shopping spree.
Then, Jessica ended up at a custom clothing store. It was an old place that specialized in private custom tailoring. Normally, clients had to wait for months, sometimes up to half a year, for an appointment.
“Hello, I’d like to order a shirt.” Jessica handed the suit jacket in her hand to a clerk.
“Hello, do you have any special requirements?” The young store attendant greeted her warmly.
Jessica said, “This is my boyfriend’s suit, but I don’t know his shirt size. Could you make a shirt based on this jacket?”
She had torn two of Zachary’s shirts. At the very least, she ought to replace one.
But since he liked black so much, she decided to order him a white one instead. She didn’t want
to owe him any favors.
The store attendant took the jacket and carefully examined it. Her gaze eventually fell on the label inside the jacket, which read, “ZJ.”
Not daring to make any assumptions, she politely said, “I’ll need to check with our tailor. Please have a seat. I’ll let you know shortly.”
“Alright, thank you.” Jessica sat patiently on the couch.
The store attendant took the jacket to the back of the store and handed it to an elderly man with a white beard. She explained the situation and pointed out the label inside.
The old tailor glanced out at Jessica and adjusted his glasses.
“Are
you
certain she said it was for her boyfriend?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes, Mr. Jones Senior.” The store attendant chuckled softly.
“Call her in,” Richard Jones said. His eyes flicked toward Jessica, who was glancing curiously
around the store.
The store attendant beckoned to Jessica, who looked over and noticed Richard watching her.
She gave a small nod of thanks, picked up her bag, and walked gracefully to the back, her heels
clicking lightly.
On her way to the back of the store, she walked along a quiet little path, her elegant figure drawing admiring glances from others waiting for their fittings.
“Hello,” Jessica said sweetly.
Richard nodded slightly. “Are you ordering clothes for your boyfriend?”
Jessica smiled faintly. She had just said that as a casual excuse. “Yes, why? Are you not able to make a shirt just from the suit jacket?”
Richard pressed his lips together and stroked his beard. “Why not bring him yourself?
Wouldn’t that be easier?”
Jessica replied, “I don’t want him to know that I ruined his shirts. I thought that I would make him a new one, but all I have from him is this jacket.”
“Ruined his shirts…” Richard’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Can it be done?” Jessica asked.
“Yes. Let’s exchange contacts. I’ll message you once it’s ready.” Richard pulled out his phone, and the two of them exchanged information.
“What’s your name?” Richard asked.
“Call me Ms. Lockman.” Jessica preferred not to reveal too much about herself.
“Alright. Go home and wait for my message,” Richard said.
Jessica hesitated. “Don’t I need to pay a deposit?”
“There’s no need.” Richard handed the jacket back to her.
“I see.” It was her first time ordering something without being asked for a deposit.
“Don’t you need to take measurements?” Jessica asked again.
“I don’t. With just one glance at the garment, I can determine the size. Don’t worry about it!” Richard said before he laughed. At that moment, his phone started ringing.
Not wanting to disturb him any further, Jessica nodded at Richard politely and left.
Just to avoid any misunderstandings, she later sent him a message with the note, “Make it
white.”
Carrying all her bags, Jessica didn’t get home until after 7:00 pm.
She finally checked her phone, which she hadn’t looked at all day. Derrick had sent a flood of flirty messages, but she chose to read them without replying.
At that very moment, however, Celine sent her a different kind of message.
Celine wanted Jessica to attend her engagement party the following Wednesday.
Jessica couldn’t help but think the little pair of cheaters was made for each other. She stared at the words on her screen, and her eyes misted over.
She told herself not to cry and tried to force back her tears.
After cheating so brazenly, Celine was now asking Jessica to bear witness to it all. Jessica couldn’t believe how shameless these two could possibly be.
She texted back, “Congratulations! Who’s the lucky fiance? Why so sudden? You never mentioned it before.” She wanted to curse at Celine, but decided against a direct approach.
Celine wrote back. “It’s someone you know. You’ll find out then.”
Of course Jessica knew who it was.
But Derrick was still being a coward. He didn’t dare to be honest with Jessica and chose to string her along instead.
Nothing could be more shameless than that.
Jessica wiped her eyes before casually pulling up the car’s dashboard camera feed.
As she had expected, Derrick and Celine were sitting right there in her car.
Jessica chuckled, turned her phone volume to maximum, set it on the kitchen shelf, and began microwaving some food.
The quarrel between them continued for some time. From the video, it seemed that Derrick wanted Celine to get rid of the baby, but she refused.
He admitted he was only friends with benefits with Celine and that the one he loved was Jessica. That was why he refused to agree to the marriage or attend the engagement party.
Jessica was startled to hear that and almost believed Derrick truly loved her. She sneered and lost all her appetite, shoving her food aside.
Looking around the apartment she had rented just a year ago, Jessica sighed.
It was time to move again. She knew Derrick would inevitably accept Celine’s marriage proposal, and she also knew he wouldn’t let her go easily.
Indeed, Derrick genuinely loved Jessica. However, his love for her was cheap.
Not wanting to provoke anyone, Jessica decided to just let the two of them have each other.
The next day, Derrick drove the car straight back to Jessica’s place.
The moment he walked into the apartment, he noticed a man’s suit jacket on the couch. “Jess,
this is…”
Derrick set the car keys on the table. He knew that the jacket wasn’t cheap, but he also knew that Jessica wasn’t that sort of person.
He admired her beauty, her intelligence, and her natural allure.
“As you can see, I’m seeing someone else. So, let’s break up.” Jessica cut things off with him cleanly, wasting no words. That had always been her way.
Derrick was stunned. “Jess…”
He wanted to ask if it was because of Celine, but he didn’t dare accidentally expose himself.
“Is there anything else? If not, you can leave.” Jessica didn’t even look at him.
“You found out something, didn’t you? That’s why you’re using this as an excuse to brush me
Chapter 11
off and humiliate me!” Derrick’s eyes reddened.
Jessica kept her head down as she packed her suitcase. She didn’t respond to him at all.
5/5
Enraged, Derrick grabbed her wrist and forced her to stop. But the moment he yanked her to her feet, he saw that her eyes were red and swollen.
She shook off his hand and shot back, “What exactly did I find out? Don’t touch me. You’re filthy!”
He froze in place when he heard that. “So you know about everything?”
“Yes! Letting you go is a relief for me, too. Let’s spare each other and never cross paths again.” Jessica’s gaze was completely hollow.
The two of them were silent for a long time.
“Leave. Save us both some dignity.” She then walked back into her room, shut the door, and lay on the bed in tears.
With that, Derrick’s world came crashing down.
