Chapter 301

Savannah frowned. "You two should talk in the lounge. I'll keep an eye on the door."

He clearly had no clue how to handle the situation, so he was just trying to help us out.

I nodded, pulling Joanna towards the lounge, and quickly turned back to inform Kathy.

Kathy was swamped with work and couldn't leave. She gave me a long look after hearing my decision. "You've been working hard too."

"Just so you know, when the private event starts, you'll have to manage it on your own. I probably won't be available."

I felt a bit guilty about this.

Our focus today was supposed to be on the private event.

But now, seeing Joanna, I was in a rush to resolve this issue.

Kathy smiled. "Don't worry about it. I even got two extra assistants to help me today. The event won't be a mess."

"Go talk to Joanna. I can't help you right now, but I believe you can convince her."

I gave a bitter smile and headed towards the lounge.

What could I possibly say to convince her?

My own marriage had been a disaster.

I didn't catch any diseases, and things are mostly resolved now, but that doesn't mean I didn't suffer and struggle!

No, my situation isn't even fully resolved...

That person, Manjusha, is still around.

I shook my head.

When I first realized Brandon wanted to kill me, I was in complete disbelief.

In my eyes, our relationship had always been great, and everyone saw me as the perfect woman. How could something like this happen to me?

Thinking about it, I realized Joanna and I were quite similar in some ways.

We had similar upbringings, and she was even more privileged than I was.

She excelled in school, had a great job, got married quickly, and started her own family.

People like us find it harder to accept major upheavals in our lives.

Lost in thought, I finally reached the lounge door. Savannah saw me and quickly blinked at me, indicating Joanna was still inside waiting. "Caroline, you go ahead and talk to her."

"If anything happens, just call me."

I said, "You stay here and keep watch. If anything changes, I'll call you."

A hotel isn't the safest place, and talking in the lounge was our best option.

Savannah nodded, looking at me with concern.

I opened the lounge door and saw Joanna sitting there, staring at a cup of water.

When she saw me, she stood up and placed the cup on the table.

She seemed ready for whatever I had to say and walked towards me.

She took my hand and said seriously, "I'm sorry, Caroline. I was a bit emotional earlier because I had a feeling... Now I'm calm. Tell me everything from the beginning."

In that moment, I felt a pang of sympathy for Joanna. Who knows what she had been thinking while I was gone.

I nodded and led her to the couch. "Let me explain what happened..."

I took a deep breath and recounted the day I saw Maeve and Ronnie together.

Joanna was stunned, staring at me with trembling lips. "Is what you're saying true?"

I nodded and quickly explained, "Yes, and I wanted to tell you that day!"

Joanna's eyes widened, her voice hollow. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Maeve stopped me. She said it was a one-time thing with Ronnie and didn't want you to divorce him because it would ruin her plans. I thought about it and discussed it with Royce. We didn't know how to tell you..."

Joanna listened intently.

"Given your unique marriage situation and your father's status, I felt telling you abruptly might cause a scene. So, I was waiting for the right time."

Joanna smiled at my frantic explanation, but it was a pained smile. She said, "You don't need to explain so much. You didn't tell me right away for my own good. Are there any other details?"

"You've been trying to reach me several times. I always felt you had something to say."

Seeing Joanna so calm, I quickly told her everything I had planned to say, including the secret tests we had done for her.

Joanna gasped and covered her face. Her shoulders started shaking as if she was crying.

Seeing her sudden emotion, I sighed and gently patted her back, trying to comfort her. I knew this was hard for anyone, especially for Joanna, who thought her marriage was improving.

After a while, Joanna spoke, her voice trembling. "Caroline, he came to pick me up today..."

Her voice was filled with suppressed pain, like she had endured all the suffering. "He said his company wasn't busy. I thought our relationship was finally improving, but it turns out he was just feeling guilty and trying to make up for it..."

Hearing this, I instantly understood Ronnie's motives. The saying goes, "No one does something for nothing." After his affair, Maeve might be busy again, and Ronnie was probably trying to fix his relationship with Joanna.

Thinking about it, I felt even more disgusted with these men. I said to Joanna, "We didn't tell you earlier because we didn't know how..."

"Seeing you two together today, I couldn't hold it in any longer."

"Don't blame us for not telling you sooner. It was my fault for delaying. They wanted to tell you earlier."

At this point, my voice started to tremble, and I was on the verge of tears. "Joanna, I'm telling you this because... it's for your own good!"