Chapter 3

Joseph's brow twitched at my silence. He asked cautiously, "Could you have been following me and Tessa the whole time?" The hallway was dead silent. I could hear the hoarseness in my voice from crying for so long. "Joseph, don't you think it's ridiculous for you to even ask that?" He didn't say anything. He probably realized how absurd his question sounded as well. After a long pause, he reached out to pull me up from the floor. Only then did he notice the paper in my hand. "What's that?" Just then, Mandy suddenly appeared. She said frantically, "You little brat! Do you even realize you almost killed your father?" When he heard that Frederick had been hospitalized due to his heart condition, Joseph frowned and looked at me unhappily. "Yelena, you know my dad can't take this kind of shock at his age. This was between us. Why did you have to involve my parents?" He added, "Also, how could you tell everyone without even verifying the facts? Do you realize how this will affect Tessa's reputation in the future?" His scolding tone stung me. It was as if a heavy pressure was lodged in my chest, suffocating me. I said slowly, "Mr. Top Lawyer, you should face the consequences of any mistakes you make. Or do you commit perjury for your clients in court, too?" That line was a direct jab at Joseph's professional ethics, which caused his expression to darken instantly. Mandy shoved Joseph. "Who is this Tessa you're talking about? Hurry up and apologize to Lena! Even if it was for work, you can't just leave a woman alone at the altar! That's completely outrageous! Your father and I were furious." Joseph froze and looked at me in surprise. Of course, I knew Frederick had a weak heart. The fact that I chose to refrain from exposing Tessa was the last thing I was willing to do for our relationship. Naturally, Mandy had assumed that Joseph left the wedding for work. After all, he had always been known as a workaholic. No one would ever guess that he had lost all sense of judgment over a woman he'd only known for less than three months. In fact, she was an intern who hadn't even passed the bar exam. Joseph's face instantly turned pale. He said hesitantly, "I'm sorry, Lena. I…" Then, Tessa stepped out on her own. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Payne. I shouldn't have snuck in and disrupted the wedding. It's all my fault." Tessa started to sob as she held her IV drip pitifully. "So you're Tessa?" Mandy finally pieced things together and was just about to explode when Joseph quickly cut in. He said, "That's enough, Mom. Don't blame Tessa. She's a good person." It was clear that he was trying to protect Tessa. Mandy had never imagined that her normally calm and always-reliable son could be so irrational when it came to his emotions. Her hands trembled in fury. "And what about Lena? You two were about to get married!" I quietly looked down at my belly, which was still flat. Then, I said softly, "We're not getting married anymore." Joseph had a disapproving look on his face. "Yelena, you shouldn't say these things out of anger. I already told you I'd transfer Tessa away after her internship. Everything's been arranged, so what more do you want?" The tiny life in my belly seemed to flutter for a moment. Or maybe it was just my imagination. "Where do you plan to transfer her?" I asked Joseph. "To the branch at Southwest End," he replied. "And how is that supposed to be any different?" I shot back. I didn't even blink. Strangely enough, I didn't even feel a shred of disappointment. "That's the farthest branch from the headquarters! Yelena, do you want to force her out of the city before you're satisfied? She's just a fresh graduate!" Joseph argued. The man who would once stand protectively in front of me, unwilling to let me be hurt in the slightest, now stood so hostilely on the other side. Just like that, seven years of love were completely ruined. Suddenly, I felt completely drained. I had cried enough. If he couldn't bear to make Tessa leave the city, then I would leave the city myself.