Chapter 8 Three in the Morning, Four in the Evening

Years ago, Joanna had co-designed the AJ3—a robot capable of speeds rivaling a cheetah. After passing rigorous federal testing, the AJ3 was classified for military operations and disaster relief.

Due to national security protocols, she'd signed a five-year non-disclosure agreement, barring her from publicly claiming authorship.

Lawson Corporation owned a subsidiary called VisionTech Robotics Inc., specializing in advanced robotics development.

Her original plan had been simple: spend those five years building a real marriage with Justin, ideally have a child, and when the NDA expired, transition from homemaker back to her career at VisionTech Robotics Inc.—returning to the work she loved.

So when her mentor, Professor Brown, had recommended her for a technical consultant position at FutureRise Tech, she'd declined.

And now...

She had a brain tumor. Her marriage was in shambles. She could cut her losses and walk away clean, but she had no idea if FutureRise Tech would still have a place for her.

She couldn't bring herself to approach Professor Brown directly—not after letting him down. So instead, she reached out to Cathy, who happened to be a shareholder at FutureRise Tech, to test the waters.

"Joanna."

Cathy clinked her glass against Joanna's. "Welcome to FutureRise Tech. I've been waiting for this day."

"Last time I saw Professor Brown, he mentioned you. Said it was such a waste having you idle at home. He'll be thrilled when he hears you're joining us."

Hearing that, Joanna's eyes stung with tears. "He doesn't... hate me?"

She hadn't seen Professor Brown since marrying Justin. Too ashamed of disappointing him, she'd never reached out.

That included his son, her former classmate Kevin Brown, who'd also cut contact.

"You're Professor Brown's star pupil. Of course he doesn't hate you. First thing tomorrow, I'll tell Kevin the good news so he can pass it along to his father."

"Tonight, though, we're celebrating your impending freedom."

Joanna smiled.

They were in good spirits and ended up drinking more than planned.

The karaoke screen displayed romantic ballad lyrics as Cathy, ever the single woman, poured her heart into the microphone.

Joanna didn't interrupt. She slipped out quietly to use the restroom.

The long hallway swayed slightly beneath her feet. She realized, belatedly, that she was drunk.

On her way back, the dizziness intensified. Her steps faltered, and suddenly she was falling.

"Careful."

A familiar voice reached her ears. Joanna's body tensed.

Looking up at the man's face, she quickly steadied herself against the wall, taking half a step sideways to put distance between them.

"Joanna, you're drunk."

Ethan's tone carried disapproval.

Joanna looked up at him, memories flooding back unbidden.

"Joanna, you're not old enough to drink. No alcohol. What's bothering you? Talk to me."

"Okay, you're legal now, but you can only have a little."

"Remember—when I'm not around, you don't get drunk. Ever."

"Are you here alone?"

Ethan's question pulled her back to the present. Joanna's gaze drifted away. "With a friend."

"Which room? Want me to walk you back?"

"No need."

Joanna took what she thought was a steady step forward. Instead, her body pitched forward again.

Ethan caught her.

Her nose bumped against his chest. She could hear a heartbeat—thump-thump-thump—though whether it was his or hers, she couldn't tell.

Realizing how inappropriate this looked, she moved to push him away. But before she could, someone yanked her wrist violently.

Without warning, she crashed to the floor.

Above her, Claire's furious voice rang out. "Joanna, you have no shame!"

"You left Ethan when he was in a coma and ran off to marry Justin. Now Justin's done with you, Ethan's awake, and what do you do? Wish us well to our faces, then throw yourself at him behind my back. You're disgusting!"

When Joanna fell, she'd instinctively caught herself with her palms. Her left wrist twisted painfully. Both knees throbbed.

She struggled to her feet, then turned to see—standing outside a nearby private room—Justin in a crisp white dress shirt, black suit jacket draped over one arm, watching her with cold, indifferent eyes.

Beside him stood Lillian, along with several of his friends, all regarding her with expressions ranging from amused to contemptuous.

They'd all witnessed the scene. Like Claire, they assumed she'd been trying to seduce Ethan.

Joanna looked at Ethan, hoping he'd explain. But he only gazed back at her in silence, saying nothing.

Noticing where Joanna's eyes had gone, Claire grew even more furious. She clutched Ethan's arm. "Ethan, she's faking! You know she can hold her liquor. She's not drunk. And even if she were, what are the odds she'd run into you and collapse into your arms?"

Claire pressed on. "Ethan, we're getting engaged. You're not going to take her back just because you heard Justin dumped her, are you?"

"No." Ethan ruffled Claire's hair gently. "She and I are over. You don't need to worry."

"I trust you, Ethan. I know I'm the only one in your heart now. Joanna abandoned you. You hate her. You don't love her anymore."

"Right."

Joanna leaned against the wall, her slender frame swaying.

She didn't love Ethan anymore. But watching him refuse to clarify—letting everyone think she'd deliberately thrown herself at him, even claiming he hated her—still hurt.

Whatever else had happened, back then she'd had no choice. She'd done it for his parents...

"Joanna, did you hear that? Ethan hates you. No matter how hard you try, he'll never want you again. If you have any self-respect left, stay away from him."

With that, Claire led Ethan away, arm-in-arm, not giving Joanna a chance to defend herself.

Joanna bit her lip hard. Then she let it go.

No matter how much she explained that she hadn't been trying to seduce Ethan, Claire wouldn't believe her.

And what Ethan or Claire thought of her didn't matter anymore.

The only shame was getting shoved to the ground without fighting back. Next time Claire tried something, Joanna would return it tenfold.

Footsteps approached. Joanna glanced up to see Justin walking toward her.

She assumed he'd scold her for entertaining inappropriate thoughts before their divorce was finalized.

She was mentally preparing an explanation when Justin walked right past her without so much as a glance.

Joanna froze for several seconds before realizing she'd been flattering herself.

Justin didn't care about her. Why would he care if she had feelings for another man?

Instead, it was Justin's friend Jerry Nelson who paused, voice dripping with scorn. "Gold-digger. Two-timer. How the hell did Justin end up marrying you?"

Gold-digger?

Two-timer?

That's what Justin thought of her too, wasn't it?

Joanna's lips curved into a bitter smile. "I'm divorcing him. You won't have to wonder much longer."

She turned and headed back toward the private room.

Jerry stood frozen in place.

Justin hadn't mentioned anything about divorce. Was she serious?

Seeing Joanna walk in the direction Claire and Ethan had gone, Jerry suddenly understood.

"So that's it. She can't win Justin's heart or compete with Lillian, so she's giving up and going back to hook Ethan again? Unbelievable. I've never seen a woman this shameless!"

He had to tell Justin. Get them divorced ASAP so Justin could finally be with Lillian properly.