By noon, the antibiotics had started working, and with the help of painkillers, Jeffrey felt significantly better. He turned his head to the side, and there she was...
Joanne, curled up in the chair beside his bed. Her legs were crossed, arms folded over her chest, her head bowed as she slept.
His chest tightened.Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
She didn’t have to stay. She could have admitted him to the hospital and gone ho. She had responsibilities, so many things to take care of, and he would have been fine under the nurses’ care.
But she stayed.
Through the pain, through the sleepless night, through everything... she stayed.
He had dated before, plenty of tis. And yet... none of them would have done this for him. Not even if they had been together for years.
Hell, his own mother wouldn’t stay by his side for five more minutes when he had fever.
And Joanne? They had barely been dating for a day. Yet, she stayed.
But deep down, he knew... she would have done the sa even if they weren’t dating at all.
That was just who she was. She could never let anyone suffer alone.
And yet...
He thought of the tis he had seen her cry.
They were rare monts, but each one had struck him. And he knew there were far more tis she had cried in solitude, burying her pain where no one could see.
How much had she endured on her own?
His heart clenched as he rembered his own cruelty—the words he had thrown at her in the past.
He had called her bland. He had called her gold digger.
Why? Why had he said sothing so foolish? So heartless?
She was anything but bland. She was the most incredible, selfless, beautiful soul he had ever known.
He reached out instinctively, his fingers brushing against her knee.
"Jo..."
Her body jerked, her breath hitching as she blinked awake. Her eyes were bloodshot, the remnants of dried drool clinging to the corners of her lips. She looked exhausted.
And yet, the mont she saw him, she leaned closer, worry flashing in her gaze.
"Do you need anything? Is it hurting?" she asked urgently.
His chest ached—not from pain, but from the overwhelming wave of emotion surging through him.
"Co here," he murmured, scooting to the side and patting the empty space beside him. "Lie down. Just for a minute."
She hesitated, but only for a mont before climbing onto the bed.
The second she settled beside him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He took in the sweet scent of her hair. "I’m so grateful I stumbled my way into your life," he whispered against her hair.
He hugged her tighter, burying his face against her shoulder. He didn’t want to cry. Didn’t want to seem weak. But he couldn’t stop the tears from welling in his eyes.
How could soone like her care for soone as worthless as him?
She didn’t even know the truth. Didn’t know who he really was. And still, she stayed.
And foolishly, he had hated her for years thinking of her as a gold digger. How could he tell her the truth?
Joanne sighed softly, nestling against his chest. "I’m glad you ca my way too..." she whispered.
She didn’t fully understand what she felt for him.
Was it love?
She wasn’t sure.
But she knew one thing. Having him near her mattered. That was all she wanted. She felt like she could take on the world if he was by her side.
Was that love?
She didn’t care. All she knew was that she wanted him.
Her breath evened out, her exhaustion finally pulling her under as she drifted into sleep against the warmth of his chest.
And Jeffrey held her tighter, silently vowing to never let her go.
-----
By the ti they returned ho in the evening, Joanne was already busy in the kitchen. The scent of freshly baked bread and simring broth filled the air, adding warmth to the house.
Jeffrey, however, had only one destination in mind.
Philip.
He found his grandfather in the sitting room, settled comfortably in an armchair by the window, a newspaper spread across his lap. A steaming cup of tea sat beside him, accompanied by a plate of cookies.
For a mont, Jeffrey hesitated.
His grandfather looked... at peace. Relaxed in a way Jeffrey rarely saw. The usual sharpness in his eyes had softened, as if the weight he had always carried had montarily lifted.
This place truly was sothing magical.
It brought happiness, a sense of calm he had never known anywhere else.
And that was why... He was never leaving.
Philip lowered the newspaper, his sharp gaze eting Jeffrey’s. "Are you better now?"
Jeffrey nodded. "A lot better."
He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders. The mont he did, his expression hardened with conviction. His voice, steady and firm, left no room for doubt.
"I’m not going to leave her. I’ll tell her the truth—when I decide the ti is right. But no matter what, I want to be by her side. Grandpa, I love you. But even if it ans living the rest of my life as Jeffrey Daniels, the man with nothing to his na, if it ans I get to have her, then that’s the life I’ll choose."
He ant every word.
He would walk away from the Winchester legacy, from the power, from the wealth, if it ant Joanne would stay by his side.
Philip exhaled deeply. He had expected this.
The boy was truly his grandson—foolishly stubborn when it ca to love.
Still...
"You can try," Philip said, waving a hand dismissively. "But if you break her heart again, you won’t have a place in mine."
Jeffrey froze.
Was this... his grandfather’s blessing?
A rush of relief spread through him. He had ignored his grandfather’s wisdom once before and had lost everything because of it. But this ti... this ti, he wouldn’t make the sa mistake.
"Thank you, Grandpa," he murmured.
Philip humd in response before folding his newspaper neatly and setting it aside. "Now, tell ... Congressman Campbell. What do you know about him?"
Jeffrey’s entire body stiffened at the na.
Congressman Campbell. The man tied to Liam’s sister-in-law. The man whose na had surfaced in the preliminary investigations Jeffrey had conducted.
Jason just today inford him that it was Congressman Campbell was suing his influence in pressuring governnt agencies to conduct excessive audits on Joanne’s company, pushing for zoning laws that would cripple her business.
The pieces were already coming together in Jeffrey’s mind.
But then Philip added sothing that made his blood run cold.
"Heather Nelson’s mother recently married a Campbell," Philip said, rising from his chair. "Today, I found out that man is Congressman Campbell’s brother."
Jeffrey’s breath hitched.
Heather Nelson.
His ex-fiancée.
The woman he had once wanted to marry.
The woman he had eloped with after Philip had cast him out.
Of all the nas in the world... why her?
His fists clenched at his sides.
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