Chapter 258

Simon said to him, "Hey, it's cool. You're swamped every day. I'm just glad you could make it on such short notice."

For some reason, I felt a pang of guilt.

I kept my head down, staring at my hands, not daring to speak.

Simon didn't know about the falling out between Royce and me.

Or rather, the fact that I had unilaterally decided to distance myself from Royce. Only Kelly and Kathy knew about it so far.

I hadn't figured out how to explain it to others yet.

Now, Simon had specifically called Royce over. Could it be about us?

Thinking about it, I found it unlikely.

Given Royce's personality, he wouldn't casually talk about our issues with others...

There was only one possibility left.

Simon must have called Royce over to discuss something related to Maeve!

Sure enough, after a while, Simon looked at me and said, "Caroline, now that Royce is here, let's talk about what really happened back then."

"Go ahead," I said, feeling increasingly uneasy.

But I didn't want to show it in front of Royce, so I just sat there, staring at Simon.

Simon seemed a bit nervous too, speaking softly, "We didn't want to tell you the details before. Maybe we mentioned it once or twice, and you forgot..."

As he started to beat around the bush, I grew more anxious. "What is it that you couldn't say before? What's Maeve's background?"

Simon shook his head. "Maeve doesn't have much of a background. She went into hiding for a while because of some trending news."

"I heard she was traveling abroad for a while... I didn't hear she was back, so when you asked me about her yesterday, I was caught off guard."

I continued listening, feeling Royce's gaze occasionally fall on me.

Thinking about the calls and messages I didn't return yesterday, I felt a wave of anxiety.

I chose not to make eye contact with him.

After a while, Simon said, "Caroline, we're telling you this because we don't want you to have any misunderstandings..."

"Do you remember when you were divorcing Brandon, I took you to the hospital for several check-ups?"

I did remember. "Yes, you said it was to make sure I hadn't caught any diseases, right?"

Simon nodded. "Do you know why I was so worried about you catching something, even though you were about to divorce?"

"Let me remind you, Brandon had already been in contact with Maeve, and according to her, they had definitely slept together."

With Simon's reminder, I suddenly realized something and covered my mouth.

Seeing my expression, Simon said, "Caroline, you're smart. You must have guessed it. Maeve has that kind of disease..."

So when she and Brandon were in contact and slept together, he could have been infected.

After I divorced Brandon, Simon kept urging me to get checked. I was too busy to go, so he personally took me.

Thinking back, I felt a chill run down my spine...

"All my test results were normal... And even without this, Brandon and I hadn't slept together since he drugged me and I got sick."

This topic was quite ordinary, but with Royce present, it was hard to talk about.

Simon quickly said, "Let's not dwell on that. The important thing is your tests came back fine, and I was relieved."

"Whether Brandon caught something from Maeve, we don't care. We didn't tell you the details because you were already dealing with the divorce and taking care of the kids. We didn't want to worry you more."

I nodded. "You were considerate."

Thinking about it, if I had known I might have caught something, I would have gone crazy!

That could have been the last straw...

I felt a bit grateful. "You all really protected me back then."

"It was the right thing to do. And Maeve was found with Joanna's help."

"What?" I blurted out. "Joanna arranged it?"

Simon nodded.

He hadn't continued speaking, seeming thirsty, and drank half a glass of water.

Royce then said, "When you were busy with the divorce, everyone was worried you'd be tricked by Brandon again. Joanna suggested making Brandon irredeemable, so she found Maeve. But she only told you about Maeve's reputation in the circle."

As they spoke, I recalled all the overlooked details.

Joanna and the others often met behind my back, worrying about me.

Hearing this, I was stunned.

I had been so busy looking for my child that I hadn't contacted Joanna much.

But since I decided to divorce, Joanna had helped me a lot.

I thought our relationship had cooled, but hearing this, I felt overwhelmed!

Seeing Joanna's husband cheat, I hesitated to tell her...

I covered my face. "I feel like I'm not a good friend."

Simon blinked. "Caroline, why say that? And why did you suddenly bring up Maeve yesterday?"

I thought for a long time and decided to tell them everything I saw that day.

Including seeing Maeve with Joanna's husband at the hotel and Maeve coming to find me later...

I told them everything in detail.

After listening, Simon and Royce's expressions were colorful.

After a long time, Simon said, "This is troublesome... If Maeve and Joanna's husband Ronnie Ford are involved, then Ronnie... Could Joanna also be..."

I covered half my face. "I asked you yesterday just to see if there was any news about Maeve, but now I really don't know what to do."

If I didn't know about Maeve's disease, I'd be confident in Joanna.

Joanna is sharp. If Ronnie acted strange, she'd notice.

We could just remind her, and she'd divorce him quickly.

But now, with the disease involved...

If Joanna got infected, we'd be guilty!

Royce said, "There's more to this."