the future. He would forever remain her nominal brother. But if he denied it, he would essentially give up any right to interfere with her marriage.
The atmosphere became tense.
Mr. Westwood, sensing that the argument was about Jane’s relationship issues, shot an apologetic glance at Sean and tried to smooth things over. “Alright, Mr. Howard, even if you have a suitable candidate for her, there’s no need to rush. Let Jane finish expressing her thoughts first.”
“No!” Tom’s tone was firm. “This matter is non–negotiable.”
Jane, not wanting to make things harder for Mr. Westwood, grabbed her coat and apologized. “Sorry, I ruined the barbecue. You guys carry on. I’ll be leaving now.”
She left without waiting for anyone to stop her, specifically telling Sean not to see her off, and to stay and continue to keep Mr. Westwood company.
Tom, once again ignored by her, felt a surge of anger and rushed out without listening to Mr. Westwood’s attempts to stop him. “Jane! Stop!”
Jane pretended not to hear and quickened her pace down the street.
Seeing she was about to leave the area, Tom, without thinking, rushed to grab her arm, lowered his posture, and pleaded, “Jane, let me explain…”
“Tom, how many times do I have to tell you before you understand? I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t want to hear it!”
Their argument ended with Tom forcibly dragging her into the car he had parked at the side of the road. He pushed her into the passenger seat and locked the doors from the inside.
Jane, unwilling to listen to him, could only remain in the confined space with him.
“You’ve already ruined everything. What else do you want?” she said, her voice trembling with anger and her eyes slightly red. “We’re abroad, your usual tactics won’t work here. If you don’t let me out of this car, I’ll report you
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Chapter 16
for illegal detention!”
Tom’s voice, unlike his determined attitude, was hoarse as he took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry. The reason I did this is because I realized something after you left. The person I’ve liked all along… is you. So, no matter who you like, I won’t agree. The person who will spend the rest of their life with you can only be me.”
For the first time, he showed weakness, though even his confession sounded more like a demand.
Jane found it absurd. She laughed lightly. “Tom, have you mistaken? These words shouldn’t be for me, but for Hailey.”
Tom felt a headache coming on. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Can you stop mentioning her?” “No,” Jane deliberately said. “Tom, I’ve already accepted Hailey as my sister–in–law, and I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. What more could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
“Enough…”
“Or did you and your wife have a quarrel?”
Every time when Jane used the distant tone, it made his head throb, his chest tightening in frustration.
He wanted to stop her from using such a tone, but he couldn’t find the right reason, and all he could do was choke out, “You-”
Before he could finish, Jane seized the opportunity and slapped the car window hard, shouting, “Help!” Luckily, a patrol car was nearby. The officers heard the commotion and immediately stopped to investigate. Tom quickly realized that Jane wasn’t bluffing, but by then, it was too late.
The police officer, with a serious expression, knocked on the driver’s side window. “Sir, please step out of the vehicle!”
Reluctantly, Tom unlocked the car door, and together with Jane, faced the officers‘ interrogation. He tried to explain, “Officer, this is a misunderstanding. We know each other.”
He didn’t want to continue pretending to be her Tom, but his attitude only deepened the officer’s suspicion. The officer scrutinized him for a moment, then turned to Jane to confirm, “Is this true?” Jane replied coldly, “He’s just someone that I see as a brother but isn’t related to me.”
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