That evening, Fiona paid a visit.

Joanne was relieved to see her. Fiona had been a great help these past few days and had turned into one of the few people she could rely on without hesitation.

Leaning back on the couch, Joanne lazily plucked a grape from the bowl between them and offered some to Fiona. But her friend was lost in thought, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Liam won’t be implicated in anything," Joanne said, reading her expression. "I promise you."

She thought Fiona was worried for Liam. She had been handling it. She wouldneverallow those who helped her to suffer because of it.

Fiona’s head snapped up, looking offended. "That’s not what I was thinking about!" she huffed. Then, crossing her arms, she added, "Besides, I didn’t marry apussy."

Joanne chuckled.

Even if Joannehadn’tensured Liam’s safety, Fiona was confident her husband would come out unscathed. He wasn’t the type to cower just because people talked. He had no regrets about protecting Joanne, and that was all that mattered to Fiona.

"Then whatwereyou thinking about?" Joanne asked, popping a grape into her mouth.

Fiona pressed her lips together, then let out a long sigh. "I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow," she said. "And it’s the finals for the Junior League. Ialsohave to deal with Thomas Sullivan and hisbeige, bougiewife."

Her face twisted in distaste, fingers curling in irritation.

Joanne burst into laughter. She thought Fiona was more of her type. They were all from the same flock who thought flaunting money was the purpose of their lives. "More bougie thanyou?" she asked, amidst her laughs.

Fiona scoffed, rolling her eyes. Eventhatlooked snooty.

Joanne laughed harder. "See? That’s exactly what I mean. And you’re wearing beige too!"

Fiona ignored her, but after a moment, her expression turned serious. Joanne could see that she was not worried much about that but something else was weighing down her mind.

"I’m not sure if I should tell you this or not..." Fiona hesitated.

Joanne raised a brow. "Will it make me dance with happiness or add to my problems?"

Fiona sighed. Itdefinitelywas not good news.

"But youneedto know this."

Joanne curled up on the couch, closed her eyes, and groaned. "Ireallydon’t want to listen right now."

She wasexhausted—mentally, emotionally,everything.

But Fiona ignored her complaint.

"Last night, Philip Winchester came to our house."

Joanne’s eyes snapped open.

Fiona nodded, seeing her reaction.Yes. You need to hear this.

"What did he say?" Joanne asked, sitting up straighter. She didn’t know why Philip went to Liam’s house.

Fiona hesitated, pressing her lips together.

First, Philip had apologized for showing up so late and uninvited—like the gentleman he was. Then, without revealing much, he had asked Liam to keep an eye on Jeffrey.

So he doesn’t hurt Joanne. She knows the truth... And keep an eye on him. I cannot bear another heartbreak at my age.

Fiona had already told Liam about the shocking revelation thatJeffrey Danielswas actuallyJeffrey Winchester.

Liam, unsurprisingly, hadn’t beenshockedat all.

It had been more surprising to open the door and seePhilip Winchester himselfstanding there, torn between two impossible choices—supporting his grandson’s desire to turn over a new leaf, or protecting hisPoppetfrom the very same man.

In the end, he had left only after Liam promised to watch over both Jeffrey and Joanne.

Fiona studied Joanne carefully.

She wasn’t sure if Joanneknewthe truth yet. Philip was sure of it. But... If she did, Fiona had expected a storm to have already erupted in this house.

But everything seemed... normal.

Too normal.

"Do you know?" Fiona asked finally.

Joanne frowned. "Knowwhat?"

Fiona’s gaze sharpened, her expression unreadable. "Aboutyou know who."

Something inside Joanne stilled. A heavy, twisting sensation settled in her chest, like the slow pull of an anchor sinking into dark waters.

Then, ever so slightly, her expression shifted. The realization clicked into place like the final piece of a puzzle she had been dreading to complete.

"...Jeffrey Winchester," she murmured.

Fiona didn’t react immediately, only studying her. Joanne could feel the weight of that gaze, as if Fiona were trying to peel back the layers of her soul, searching for the truth buried underneath.

"I know he’s Jeffrey Winchester. Is that what you’re talking about?" Joanne asked, her voice quieter now.

Fiona stared at her for a long second, then exhaled in disbelief. "Youknow? Did hetellyou?"

Joanne let out a humorless chuckle, but it was hollow—empty.

"The old man didn’t tell me anything." She looked away, suddenly finding the floor far more interesting.

That part still stung. Philip Winchester had gone to Liam instead of her. He had known the truth all along, and yet he hadn’t trustedherenough to tell her directly?

That hurt in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

"No... Not him. I meantJeffrey."

Joanne let out another breath—this one slower, measured.

"I found out myself," she admitted, pressing her fingertips together as if the pressure could keep her emotions from unraveling.

Fiona narrowed her eyes. "And you didn’t...confronthim?"

Joanne let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "What would’ve been the point?"

She felt ridiculous, humiliated, and worst of all—vulnerable.

She had spent years,years,trying to bury the past. Trying to erase the nameJeffrey Winchesterfrom her heart. But now he was back, and she was falling all over again.

Like a fool.

Fiona shifted slightly, sensing her inner turmoil.

Joanne lifted her gaze, the flicker of something fragile in her expression. "Maybe he didn’t tell me because... he doesn’t want to lose me?"

Her voice wavered, but she pretended it didn’t.

Because if she didn’t believe in that possibility, then what else was she left with?

She swallowed, forcing herself to continue. "He refused to marry me back then, and now... after everything, after going throughhell,he fell for me. So maybe..."

She let the words hang in the air, waiting for Fiona to agree. To confirm that she wasn’t being an idiot for believing in him.

But Fiona only sighed. Her next words cut through Joanne’s delicate hope like a knife.

"Or what if he washidingsomething?"

A sharp, cold sensation shot down Joanne’s spine.

She hesitated. "Hidingwhat?"

Fiona didn’t look away. "Hatred for you, maybe?"

Joanne flinched.

The room felt smaller all of a sudden. Suffocating.

"Jo..." Fiona’s voice softened, but there was no sugarcoating the truth. "He lost everything after he refused to marry you. He might be hiding a lot more than just his identity."

Joanne swallowed, her fingers clenching the fabric of her dress.

Fluffy, ever so attuned to her emotions, nudged his head under her hand. She curled her fingers into his fur, clinging to the warmth, to something real.

Her throat felt tight.

"Hecouldbe doing that," she murmured.

That wasapossibility.

A terrifying one.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com