Chapter 5 Her Sudden Defiance

Thea's smile came tight and brittle as she focused on Jaylynn's forced warmth. "It really has been some time, Jaylynn."

A decade had slipped by since their last meeting-when Jaylynn had dragged her into their aunt's new salon, insisting she be the practice model for erasing the butterfly-shaped birthmark on her chest.

"So, are you two out shopping?" Jaylynn asked breezily, her arm still looped through Jerred's as if it belonged there. Her smile remained as she gave Thea a slow once-over. "That dress is too extravagant, too daring for someone like you."

After a pause, she added with a tilt of her head, "Something simpler, more modest would suit you better."

Then, angling her face up toward Jerred towering beside her, she inquired sweetly, "Jerred, don't you agree?"

The sweet inflection in her voice made it feel as if she, not Thea, were Jerred's wife.

Jerred's gaze traced Thea's bare shoulders and collarbone, his brow knitting as if the sight unsettled him. "The dress indeed doesn't suit her."

In his eyes, Thea-so often quiet and restrained-had no business standing out in something so bold.

"Why not?" Brielle countered sharply. She hooked an arm around Thea's shoulders. "She's got the body for it. Why shouldn't she show it off in such a dress?"

Her eyes then flicked to Jaylynn, cold and mocking. "Or maybe you'd rather she hide her great figure because you're jealous. After all, you have no curves."

Jaylynn's face drained of color at that. Her fingers clamped tighter around Jerred's arm, her voice unsteady. "It's true. I've dropped so much weight this year. No matter what I do, I can't..."

She faltered, her tone weakening into a whisper. "I can't compare with Thea's figure..."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned toward Thea, her words breaking into a sob. "But I wasn't jealous, I swear. I just thought the dress didn't match your style. I only meant to give honest advice."

Brielle snorted, folding her arms and saying, "What a performance, Jaylynn. Crying right on cue."

Her gaze cut into Jaylynn with open disdain. "You know exactly whether that was advice or a smug little jab at Thea."

Jaylynn's tears came down in torrents at Brielle's sharp words.

"Thea." Jerred's frown deepened, his tone edged with ice. "Tell your friend to watch her mouth."

Then, with a gentleness that made Thea's chest tighten, Jerred patted Jaylynn's trembling hand. He tried to comfort her, saying, "Don't cry. Don't let this upset you. Your health is already fragile."

From where she stood, Thea caught the tender flicker in his eyes-an expression she had never once been on the receiving end of.

A jagged stab of pain ripped straight through her chest.

In the year they'd been married, whether she had been sick, exhausted, or quietly hurting, Jerred's gaze toward her had always been cool, distant, untouched by concern.

She had once thought that it was just because of Jerred's reserved nature, that he wasn't good at expressing emotions.

But now, seeing how he looked at Jaylynn, she understood everything.

The contrast was brutal-love and indifference were separated by nothing more than a moment's gaze.

Thea, after wasting a year bleeding love into their marriage, realized she'd been nothing but stupid before.

A heat rose in her chest, burning away the silence she had usually clung to.

She leveled Jerred with a frosty gaze, her voice cutting through the air. "Mr. Willis, you pride yourself on being a seasoned and perceptive businessman. Surely you can hear the contempt dripping from Jaylynn's tone when she speaks to me."

Jerred's eyes narrowed, but he offered no reply.

Thea continued, "When someone humiliates me and my husband keeps his mouth shut, why can't my friend say something? She's standing up for me. Tell me, why would I stop her?"

Her words fell like stones into still water, stilling the murmurs of the onlookers.

Brielle's shock froze her in place, her eyes wide. She looked as if she couldn't process what she had just heard.

Thea, once as bold and spirited as Brielle, had lost her fire after her parents' deaths, becoming quiet and reserved.

Whenever others mocked or bullied Thea and Brielle stood up for her, Thea used to tug at Brielle's sleeve, whispering for her to drop it.

She had always claimed it was simpler to swallow her grievances than stir up trouble.

But now, Thea stood her ground, her spine straight, her tone cutting through the tension as she voiced her frustration.

And the person she confronted wasn't just anyone-it was Jerred, the man she had loved for years.

Jerred clearly hadn't foreseen such defiance from Thea, either.

He looked at her, irritation sharpening his tone. "Turns out my mother was right about you. You're nothing like yourself today."

Before, Thea had always been compliant, taking every slight with quiet patience.

Now, she wasn't like that anymore.