Chapter 27
Jeremy was still pondering and hesitating when his fingers moved on their own accord and hit the call–back button.
Joanna was still sound asleep. She was seven weeks pregnant and wrecked with fatigue.
In the past, she would have gotten up at 6:00 am without needing an alarm clock. But now, she could easily sleep past seven or eight in the inorning.
Just then, her phone buzzed on her nightstand, Groggy with sleep, she reached out blindly for her phone and put the call through.
“Hello?” she muttered.
On the other line, Jeremy had yet to snap out of his daze when he heard Joanna’s voice, soft and thick with sleep. A chill chased down his spine as his thoughts returned to him. A familiar electric current coursed through him, only to flow toward his groin.
“Hello? Who’s this?” Joanna prompted sleepily when she didn’t get a response.
“Why did you call me last night, Joanna?” Jeremy asked, his voice low and tight as he held back his urges.
Joanna’s mind cleared when she heard Jeremy’s voice. Her eyes flew open, and she glanced at her phone screen to see if it really was him on the other line.
“Yes, I did call you.” All the sleep left her, and she spoke more solemnly than seconds ago. “Nadine plans on getting a uterus transplant to have your child, but do you know where she’s getting the uterus from?”
Jeremy frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” Joanna drawled. “Just wondering, that’s all. If you’re interested to find out, you could always ask Nadine about it. Maybe her answer is exactly what you think it is. If so, pretend I never said anything.”
A bad feeling filled Jeremy as he narrowed his eyes and demanded, “Joanna, why are your bringing this up now?”
“If I told you, would you believe me?” Joanna snorted, casually leaving out all the context. You’re better off finding out yourself.”
“You’d better not be making up vicious lies about Didi, Joanna. If this is some trick to hurt her, I’ll kill you,” Jeremy growled, his tone edged with malice. Before Joanna could say anything, he hung up.
Joanna chuckled at the beeping on the other line. She was wide awake now. What would she do if Jeremy sided with Nadine and had no qualms about ripping out Joy’s uterus for
+25 BONUS
Chapter 2
the transplant?
Meanwhile, Jeremy’s face was thunderous after he hung up on Joanna. To him, a vicious and manipulative woman like her had no right to disparage Nadine or hurl baseless accusations at her.
Nadine might have grown up in the slums with a drunkard for a father and a disabled mother who picked up trash to make ends meet, but she was kind and brave. Not to mention, she worked hard and stayed down to earth.
Joanna had nothing on Nadine’s heart of gold.
Even as the comparisons came to mind, Jeremy called his assistant, Kenneth.
“Mr. Hansen,” Kenneth answered.
“Find out where Nadine is getting the uterus for her transplant,” Jeremy ordered.
There was a pause on Kenneth’s end before he nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”
After ending the call, the annoyance and frustration that Jeremy had kept at bay were suddenly stoked once more. He had never felt such emotions about Joanna when she was around, yet the moment she left, he found himself getting agitated over the smallest things she did or said.
He couldn’t understand why. He reckoned it was because he had become dependent on Joanna after spending three years together. Perhaps that was what made her the superior player between them.
She took such good care of him that he couldn’t help his codependency. She thought that would be enough to make him stay married to her, unable to live without her.
But she was wrong. Jeremy would soon get used to her absence.
