NovelEnglishPART 6-CHAPTER 197 LUKE
The second | was out of the locker room, | grabbed my phone and scrolled to Josh's number. My fingers were
shaking, a leftover from everything that had just unfolded, and it took a second longer than | wanted to hit call. |
could still hear Michael's pathetic pleading echoing no, needed-was to find Jess.
The line rang. Once. Twice. | almost hung up and called back, but then Josh picked up, his voice groggy and
disinterested. "Yeah?"
"Where is Jess?" | demanded, cutting straight through the tired haze in his voice. My tone left no room for
hesitation. "I need to know where she is right now."
There was a pause, then a deep sigh. "What the hell, Luke? What's going on? You need to let Jess go, man. | love
you like a brother, but you can't keep giving her hope. She needs a chance to move on,"
| clenched my jaw, my hand squeezing the phone so tightly I could feel the plastic straining. "Josh. Listen. | just
ended things with Francesca. She's been cheating onwith srookie-Michael-and there's no baby. It's not
mine. | ended it. It's over."
Silence. | could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he processed that. "Wait. You're serious? You could
have led with that, you know, asshole!"
"Completely," | said, my voice a low growl. | didn't have the patience to explain the humiliating details, not right
now. "Now, tellwhere Jess
DOCK
1. is. | have to see her, Josh. | need to fix this."
There was a pause, and then he breathed out a relieved, "Fucking finally."
| closed my eyes, exhaling heavily. "So you'll tell me?"
"Oh, I'll tell you. In fact, I'm coming with you." Josh's voice had a spark of excitement | hadn't heard in a while.
"Meet you at the airport in twenty."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtTwenty minutes to throw a bag together, barely tto process that I'd just upended my entire life. It didn't
matter. Nothing else mattered but finding Jess.
The flight was a blur, my mind racing over every single thing I'd done wrong in the last few months. Jess's face,
her smile, her laugh-
they haunted me, mingling with the memory of how I'd walked away, buried in denial and distracts that led me
nowhere but here. Josh didn't talk much, and | was grateful. We didn't need words to know we were both.
thinking about Jess and Laura and how badly we'd mes
We landed in Paris the next day, and Josh immediately whipped out his phone, dialing Laura's number. He paced
back and forth, muttering impatiently as each call went straight to voicemail. "Damn it, Laura, pick up," he
grumbled, pressing redial.
After five attempts, he glanced over at me, his brow furrowed. "She's not answering."
"Lettry." | didn't really expect anything, but the second I hit call, the phone barely rang once before Laura
picked up.
Then Laura finally picked up, she didn't sound as surprised as I'd hoped. "Luke."
"Laura, where's Jess?" | asked, keeping my voice steady, though it took everything to keep my impatience in
check. "We're here in Paris. | need to 08.19
PART & CHAPTER 197
see her. Can you just tell us where she is?"
There was a hesitation on the line, then she sighed. "She's... busy, Luke. It's been a lot for her, and | don't think
it's a good idea for you to-"
"Laura," | interrupted, my tone sharper than I intended. "Please. I'm not leaving without talking to her."
"I'm sorry," she replied, her voice cool and firm. "I can't help you, Luke."
The line clicked off, leavingstaring at the phone, more frustrated
than ever. Josh grumbled beside me, already taking a few steps down the street, scanning the shop windows as
we walked. We both knew Jess was here somewhere; Laura had just confirmed it by the very fact she'd tried to
stonewall me. We kept moving up and down the narrow street, my gaze combing the windows and shop signs,
barely noticing the bustling crowd and bright Parisian storefronts. Then Josh stopped, his hand gripping my arm.
"There," he muttered, nodding towards a gallery down the street.
Through the large front window, a
group was mingling around an ih
installation. Ang-stariding rear t e
bRCKWAY Laura, flipping through
spamphlet with an almost
deliberate nonchalance. The content
is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
: p
Josh didn't waste a second. He
stormed toward the gallery doors,
brushing past the igy GYurCE (
standinlgatd The guy barely got a
word out before Josh nudged him
aside with ease. | followed right
behind, my pulse pounding. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOnce inside, Josh walked up to Laura, towering over her. She looked up, surprise and irritation mingling on her
face.
"Josh," she hissed, looking around as if to see who was watching. "What are you doing?"
PART & CHAPTER 197
a f o
He didn't answer, just stepped back
slightly, and | took my cue, stepping
Fa | n :
in. "Laura. It's over." My voice carpe
out more intense tHCY iftended,
b ouldn't help it. "Francesca isn't
having my baby. | left her. | made a
mistake. | need to see Jess. Please...
0 fl
givethe add Laura's face
softened, her guard faltering for just
a second, and | held my breath... The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
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