Jane was confused; weren't they staying at Jade Garden? Why were they back here?
As she dazed off, Ethan's expression darkened. He leaned in, unfastened her seatbelt, and carried her out of the car.
"Not comfortable at Jade Garden? Want to stay here?"
Huh?
How did he know she didn't want to stay at Jade Garden? She never said that in front of him.
As she wondered, Ethan carried her inside.
To her surprise, he went into the kitchen. Soon, she heard the sound of water boiling. Jane was utterly baffled
When Ethan came out of the kitchen with a cup of brown sugar water and handed it to her with a stern face, Jane had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
Ouch...
It wasn't a dream.
*
Watching Ethan disappear into the study and not come out again, Jane sipped the brown sugar water and slowly walked upstairs. She pushed open the door of her former bedroom and saw the familiar layout. Tears welled up in her eyes at the memories - both painful and happy.
In the study, Ethan stared at the computer screen, where Jane Sullivan's tearful face was visible. His brow furrowed even more. Was this woman made of water? Why did she always cry?
Ethan admitted that he had been harsh on her in the past six months, but since the incident with the "Bianca Flower," he had realized his mistakes and was trying to change.
But he found that the more he accommodated her, the more Jane Sullivan acted like a wild cat, completely letting loose. She was constantly challenging him, even repeatedly crossing his lines.
And yet, he didn't mind and even enjoyed their quarrels.
He preferred the current Jane Sullivan, who had returned to her true self, over the compliant one from before.
Like?...
That word popped into his mind, and Ethan quickly shut down the computer.
No, he needed to distance himself from this girl for a few days to see if he felt this way about other women. If it was only Jane Sullivan, then he needed to reconsider their relationship.
*
YS Bar.
In a VIP booth, Benjamin was hugging two voluptuous women, looking triumphant. Beside him, Ethan had a young, innocent-looking girl on his lap, unadorned and nervous, obviously new to this scene.
"Big brother, I picked this girl especially for you. She's really fresh!" Benjamin said, pushing the women aside and whispering to Ethan, "She's untouched, very fresh!"
He didn't believe Ethan wouldn't be tempted.
Ethan kept drinking, his mind filled with images of Jane Sullivan's pained face from menstrual cramps. Although Jane now dressed more seductively, far from her previous innocent look, he couldn't help but think of her.
No, he had to stop this. Otherwise, he would be devoured by that wild cat.
With that thought, Ethan stood up, taking the girl's hand, and told Benjamin, "I'm going back to Ethan's place."
"I get it, a moment of spring is worth a thousand gold," Benjamin said, thinking he had successfully picked a woman for Ethan.
***
Ethan left the bar with the girl, unaware that a hidden camera captured everything.
Back at the apartment, Joanne saw the photos and smiled triumphantly, then handed them to Justin, "Didn't you say Ethan fell for that Jane Sullivan?"
Seeing Ethan holding hands with a girl with a short bob cut, very similar to the former Jane Sullivan, Justin couldn't figure out Ethan anymore.
"He admitted to me that he likes Jane."
Joanne chuckled and said, "Wait a moment."
She left and returned with a slightly yellowed photo album, sitting beside Justin, "You'll understand after seeing these."
Justin started flipping through the album, the first photo showing Joanne as a baby, playing with a girl who looked five or six years old, very happy and content.
"You might not recognize her, but you've definitely heard of her," Joanne said, helping Justin flip through the pages until they reached a photo of a girl with a short bob, wearing a floral dress, standing beside a younger Joanne.
"Look closely, doesn't she look familiar?"
Then they saw another solo photo.
Justin's deep blue eyes widened, and he involuntarily said, "Jane?"
"She's not the Jane you know," Joanne explained, closing the album. She took a sip of wine, her smile gentle but nostalgic, "She looks a lot like that Jane Sullivan. When I first saw her at Grayson, I felt something was off."
"Then, when I heard Sophia say that Jane Sullivan was Ethan's secret wife, I was surprised. Ethan has no secrets from me, and he would have told me about such a big thing like marriage."
"But today, after looking at this album, I finally understood why he kept it from everyone. Even if I told you, you might not believe it. This Jane Sullivan looks almost exactly like my sister Beata at 18, even the way she speaks."
Justin was in disbelief. The girl in the photo was Joanne's sister Beata...
Beata was known for her sensuality, often playing sexy roles in big movies, and was voted the sexiest actress for three consecutive years.
"My sister had plastic surgery," Joanne said. "When she started in the industry, she was limited by her looks and only got roles in school dramas. Wanting to break into movies, she followed her agent's advice and had surgery. Her roles widened and her acting skills, combined with her dedication, soon made people forget about the plastic surgery scandals."
She leaned back on the sofa, her eyes brimming with tears of reminiscence, "If it wasn't for that accident during a shoot, my sister would have probably made it to Hollywood by now."
"It's all in the past, Beata wouldn't want you to be sad," Justin consoled, patting Joanne's shoulder, his thoughts drifting back five years to a pain many preferred not to recall.
A pain that was thought to be buried resurfaced because of Jane Sullivan...