In a desperate attempt to stop her from walking away, Ace stretched his leg out to block her path, and grabbed her tiny shoulders with both of his hands.
"Don’t you have anything to tell ?" He asked aningfully.
"Is this a joke? What would I have to tell you?" She glared at the big hands on her shoulders and warned him in an icy tone, "Let go!"
Ace gazed into Joanna’s eyes as he asked her, "I hid the truth from you because the situation forced to, but what about you? Don’t tell you’re not hiding anything from !"
"What..." Joanna was starting to feel unsettled. ’What are you talking about?"
"You know what I’m talking about... In your eyes, I’m the stupid one, aren’t I? You hid in a corner where I couldn’t see you, and you laughed at for years, didn’t you?"
Ace’s grip on Joanna’s shoulders unconsciously tightened, and his calm expression now gave way to a mixture of anger, pain, and helplessness... as if he was powerless against the woman in front of him!
Joanna was completely perplexed. She was not sure what the guy had found out, but she knew for certain that she must never let him find out about their children, or else there would be a million troubles ahead.
Joanna’s eyes narrowed, and she growled, "Don’t try to turn the tables on , Ace Moran! You know damn well that when we were married, I was always loyal to you and never hid anything from you. It was you who snuck out and had an affair with soone else, but now you’re accusing of hiding sothing? Don’t you have a conscience?"
Ace chuckled. "Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from ?" His penetrating gaze seed to almost swallow Joanna up whole. He slowly added, ’Are you going to wait till I expose you? And what if I expose what you hid from ? What will you do then?"
"Stop... Stop ssing with ! I’ve always done the right thing and been honest my whole life. My conscience is clear, so go ahead and expose whatever you want!" Joanna was outwardly calm, but in reality, her heart was racing. She was terrified that Ace might have found out that she had secretly given birth to his children.
"You..." Ace hesitated, and before he could continue, a voice echoed in the restroom.
"I don’t an to interrupt you two, but..." The door of the stall next to them opened, Jovan Moran walked out with an inscrutable expression on his face. He did not look defeated or downcast at all – he just looked like his usual handso but idiotic self.
"Since I had the luck to overhear what you were both saying, I feel responsible to give my two cents just to be fair... The truth is," Jovan said dramatically, "Joanna really is hiding sothing from you. As an outsider, I just can’t stand aside and do nothing anymore. Don’t you know, Ace, that she-"
"Shut your mouth, Jovan! If you say one more word, I swear to God I’ll tear your mouth apart!’ Joanna was petrified that this lunatic might expose all her secrets, and she straightened her spine, prepared to send him flying with a kick as she warned him, "Haven’t you learned enough lessons today? Do you need to teach you another one?!’
Ace let go of Joanna and turned to Jovan. With a frosty gaze, he barked," Speak up!"
"If you insist," said Jovan with a lazy grin. "But rember that you wanted to say it yourself, so don’t bla if your heart breaks once you learn the truth! I just want to make ands for what I’ve done and show you my sincerity..."
Jovan cleared his throat, acting as if he was about to reveal an earth- shattering secret.
Trepidation was written all over Joanna’s face. She was full of guilt, but she raised her fist and said threateningly, ’Go on and speak if you dare, Jovan!"
"Ignore her," Ace coldly stated. "Tell everything you know."
Jovan smiled wickedly, then began in a aningful tone, "If I’m not mistaken, your marriage to Joanna lasted for about four years. In our current society, that’s not a short marriage at all. Do you think you know her well? Do you know what her real personality is like?"
Ace’s expression turned ugly, and he said in a dangerously icy tone," What exactly are you trying to say? Stop beating around the bush -1 don’t have ti to chat with you."
"Answer my questions then. Do you understand her? What kind of a person is she in your eyes? Once I’ve got your answers, I’ll tell you the shocking secret that she’s been hiding from you..."
Jovan’s words aggravated both Ace and Joanna, but in order to satisfy his curiosity, Ace forced himself to keep calm and answered the questions. "Objectively speaking, as a wife, she was capable, dignified, gentle, and virtuous. She had never caused any scandals that would humiliate , she always behaved excellently at events, and she was never a burden to the Moran family."
Ace’s comnts were objective and sensible. One might even say that they were admirable praises for Joanna, but to her, these praises were even more humiliating than insults. Ace spoke of his ’wife" as if she was just another tool for him-like a fridge, an air conditioner, or a sofa-with more practical functions than feelings.
For a woman, nothing was more tragic than being treated like a tool by the person you loved... She really had made a wise choice by getting a divorce from Ace!
"Looks like you were quite satisfied with Joanna, huh? Too bad... Although both of you have shared the sa bed for four years as husband and wife, although both of you made a holy vow to never leave each other’s side whether poor or rich... you still don’t understand her at all, Ace. Although you were her husband, you don’t even understand her personality!" Jovan’s eyes were full of disappointnt and contempt for Ace.
Ace’s gaze was steely as he asked Jovan coldly, ’Who do you think you are? What right do you have to question ? Do you actually think you understand her more than I do?"
He didn’t mind that accusation coming from anyone else, but this imbecile dared to question him? What right did he have to say all those things to him?
How could there possibly be any secret between Joanna and that scumbag that he did not know about?
"Of course I understand her more than you do," Jovan chuckled, "because even before you knew a woman nad Joanna Pierce existed, I had already fallen deeply in love with her..."
Jovan’s expression was initially cynical and impish, but now there was a sincerity on his face that was sowhat charming.
"Jovan!" Joanna whispered, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Isn’t there enough trouble already? Stop creating more problems!"
"What are you so shy about?" Jovan raised his eyebrows mischievously at Joanna and smiled. "This isn’t the first ti I’ve confessed my feelings for you, and technically, you’re single now. Don’t tell you’re still loyal to this cold-blooded cousin of mine?"
Joanna’s eyes blazed with anger. "Jovan, you idiot! You’re really asking for a good beating now!"
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