For the first time, I stepped in to clean up Jesse's mess, seizing control of the project Joanna had nearly destroyed.
Jesse seemed amused rather than surprised.
"It seems I spoiled you too much. This obedient version of you is much more pleasing."
He brushed his finger against my nose in mocking affection.
"I hope you stay this way. Even if you were harmed ten years ago because of me—you're damaged goods. Marrying you and tolerating you for a decade was already supreme charity."
Perhaps sensing he'd cut too deep, he produced a velvet box containing an aquamarine necklace.
"Here. Joanna's too young for such a heavy, old-fashioned color. It suits your age better—makes you look dignified."
I'd navigated business long enough to decode the subtext. He was calling me old. Saying I was only fit for cast-offs.
Yet I smiled and accepted the box. "As long as you're happy, Jesse."
The old Tessa would have wept for nights, agonizing over whether her youth had faded.
The new Tessa? Is this worth ten million? Or twenty?
The more distracted Jesse became with his games, the more muddleheaded he'd grow—and the more I could siphon away. Only a fool fights for a husband whose heart has strayed.