The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 481

"Jamie, did you know? Chloe Lockwood whispered right in my ear that you two were already together back in Mistholm Country. Guess what? Do you think I believed her?"

Jamie looked at her, his eyes swirling with complex emotions, almost as if he was waiting for her to say she trusted him.

Instead, Suzie added, her voice barely a whisper, "I believed her. Because of you, I've learned to look for evidence in everything. Can you produce hard proof that you didn't sleep with her?"

He frowned, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly timbre. "If it's proof you want, I can give it to you. You are the only woman I have ever been with. Besides, given her true character that came to light later, how could you believe a single word she says?"

Suzie let out a bitter laugh. "In other words, how could you believe a single word from someone with my character? Jamie, have you ever believed anything I've said? So, what's the point of standing here bringing up the past and talking about all this nonsense? There is nothing left between us, and there certainly won't be anything in the future."

Jamie listened quietly until she finished. He swallowed back all the explanations he had been desperate to give. Pushing the issue now wouldn't do an ounce of good.

He gave her a long, complicated look. "You haven't recovered yet. Just get some rest."

With that, he walked over to the sitting area of the hospital suite.

Unlike a luxury hotel, this VIP suite didn't have separate rooms. The sitting area was only divided from the main room by a decorative privacy screen. The space was massive, the hospital bed twice as wide as standard, and there was plenty of distance between it and the sofa.

Jamie frowned. Based on Aaron's report, it seemed Suzie hadn't been kidnapped or coerced. But if she had been wandering the village with another woman, how did she end up in such a terrible state, stumbling into a convenience store all by herself?

Puzzled, he texted back: *"She's refusing to talk to me right now. Keep a close eye on the hotel footage tomorrow morning. It's highly likely she left the hotel with this Yasmine woman. Aside from her inner circle, her phone records show no other contacts."*

Aaron replied: *"Understood, Mr. Baylor. That's what I figured. We won't know if there was foul play until we track her down."*

Glancing at the message, Jamie locked his screen and leaned his head back against the sofa, his eyes occasionally darting toward the privacy screen.