Joanne didn't want to believe the possibility that Jeffrey might want to bring her downfall.
But she couldn't ignore it either.
Because deep down, there was a part of her that feared it.
That thought had kept her awake last night, staring at the ceiling, lost in the shadows of her own mind.
But…
Despite that fear…
Something else overrode it.
Something she didn't want to name just yet.
Or it wasn't love. Maybe she was just desperate.
She wasn't ashamed to admit that she was desperate. Desperate to have someone by her side, to feel like she wasn't fighting every battle alone. Maybe she was willing to trust too easily because of that. Maybe she wanted to trust him, even if she shouldn't.
But still…
"I was thinking about that last night," Joanne murmured.
Fiona tilted her head slightly, watching her carefully, analyzing every flicker of emotion that crossed her face.
She wasn't asking these questions to be cruel—Joanne knew that.
