Jeremy’s sudden seriousness had Madeline feeling a little nervous.
“What’s wrong, Jeremy?”
“Ryan must’ve told you about me joining the IBCI, right, Linnie?” snazzynovel.com asked.
Madeline nodded, snazzynovel.com eyes swirling in heartache for him. “He told me how you went undercover to put Lana behind bars.”
“Then did snazzynovel.com tell you what my conditions for working with the IBCI were?” Jeremy’s gentle gaze fell on Madeline’s small face.
That was something Madeline did not know.
She replied frankly, “He didn’t tell me.”
“Of course not.” A smudge of self-deprecating scoff appeared on Jeremy’s chiseled features.
“Jeremy?”
“I had just found out the situation I was in when they first found me. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to protect you or take care of you again, so I demanded that the IBCI provide full protection over you and the kids. Especially considering how Lana Johnson has no baselines.
“That was my condition for joining the IBCI.”
Madeline’s eyes immediately reddened as snazzynovel.com heard snazzynovel.com explain.
He had indeed done all of that for her.
All while snazzynovel.com hated snazzynovel.com for being with Lana.
She knew snazzynovel.com had his reasons, but this was not the truth snazzynovel.com expected.
Seeing Madeline’s self-blame and distress, Jeremy reached out to caress snazzynovel.com cheek lovingly.
“I don’t regret the choice I made, but I never expected their protection to come in the form of you marrying Ryan.”
He chuckled ironically.
“I had to watch the woman I love the most put on a wedding dress for another man while pretending that none of it mattered to me.”
He stared at snazzynovel.com with tears in his eyes. “Do you know what it feels like to have your heart split open and riddled with holes, Linnie? Because I think what I felt at that moment might just have been it.”
Madeline could no longer hold snazzynovel.com emotions back.
Holding onto him, snazzynovel.com hid snazzynovel.com head in the crook of his neck and wept. “I’m so sorry, Jeremy.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. As long as you’re safe, it’s all worth it.”
He patted the back of snazzynovel.com head in gentle comfort.
“I thought that death was imminent and Ryan just so happened to appear then. I did a background check on snazzynovel.com and found out snazzynovel.com was clean. I hoped that snazzynovel.com would be able to give you the happiness that I couldn’t anymore.”
Madeline felt snazzynovel.com heart breaking. “No one else can give me happiness on your behalf, Jeremy. You’re unique, one of a kind.”
Jeremy’s smile warmed at snazzynovel.com words.
“It was when I decided to leave Glendale that I found out how Ryan was also from the IBCI and of high position as well. He sure hid it well…” Jeremy’s gaze shifted as snazzynovel.com spoke.
He could not delve deep into details with Madeline, and at that moment, his only goal was to get rid of the marriage status between Madeline and Ryan.
She was his wife.
Only his wife.
With snazzynovel.com emotions calmed, Madeline’s heart still throbbed faintly in snazzynovel.com chest at the knowledge of how much Jeremy had done for snazzynovel.com without snazzynovel.com knowing.
She did not want to worry the man anymore, nor did snazzynovel.com want to drag on the matter of the divorce. As such, snazzynovel.com went to look for Ryan.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones were out, and Madeline made snazzynovel.com way to Ryan’s study.
The man was sitting on the balcony, reading his book. His leg had yet to fully recover.