Chapter 266

Hearing Joanna's sigh, Kathy and I exchanged a look.

Who could disagree?

We had the same thoughts when we visited Isadora.

Joanna gave a bitter smile. "Look at me, going on about this. I promised myself I wouldn't bring it up again."

"She even told me that if my husband isn't interested in me, it might be my fault. I've been doing a lot of research lately, thinking about having a serious talk with him, or maybe trying to spark some... you know, fire..."

I blurted out, "Don't do it!"

Joanna looked at me, puzzled. "You think it's too forward? But we've been married for so long..."

"That's not the issue," Kathy quickly interjected, trying to cover for me. "If a guy isn't interested in you, that's on him. He's so wrapped up in work! We shouldn't lower our worth by revolving around men."

Joanna managed a smile through her tears. "You have a point."

"If people only need novelty, then they constantly need new stimulation. I should just be myself."

After barely managing to calm Joanna down, Kathy and I finally felt at ease.

Later, Joanna talked more about her and Ronnie, seemingly unaware that Ronnie was seeing someone else.

But in the end, she brought up Maeve again.

I almost dropped my tea. "Why are we talking about Maeve again?"

Joanna frowned. "I just find her return a bit strange."

"Do you think she has some connections or someone backing her? Considering the trouble she caused before, and how she was kicked out of the country, everyone in our circle despised her."

"And now she's back, living well, wearing all designer brands..."

Joanna wasn't envious, just found it odd.

Kathy and I said, "Who knows? Maybe she has a powerful benefactor."

At least we managed to end that topic, and both Kathy and I breathed a sigh of relief.

After dropping Joanna off, Kathy collapsed on the couch.

"I have to say, this kind of comforting work really isn't for me."

I flopped down beside her, letting out a long sigh. "Tell me about it!"

"Watching Joanna earlier, I almost blurted out that Ronnie is having an affair, and it's with Maeve!"

Kathy excitedly patted my hand. "Me too, me too! Do you know how hard it was for me to keep quiet?"

We both laughed, but our smiles were bitter.

Seeing your friend's husband cheat is a tough situation for anyone.

If you tell your friend and they get divorced, it's a relief, and everyone can move on.

But if they don't, that thorn is something you planted.

Especially with Ronnie's complicated situation, what if he has some disease...

I couldn't bear to think about it.

"Do you have any plans this afternoon?" I remembered something I had planned and turned to ask Kathy.

Kathy shook her head. "Nothing planned. What's on your mind?"

"I want to visit Brandon at the police station."

The moment I said it, Kathy's expression changed. "Caroline, are you nuts? Why would you want to see Brandon now?"

"I know, but..."

I filled her in on running into Maeve and everything she said.

Kathy's eyes widened, and it took her a moment to process it.

"How is there another layer to this... I guess I was so focused on Joanna that I forgot Maeve was originally involved with Brandon."

"Exactly. But if we want more information, we need to explore every angle."

Even though I didn't want to see Brandon.

The last time I saw him was when he broke into my house.

Maeve had a lot of issues, but she was right about one thing.

Brandon was shameless to the core.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Maeve for help.

Kathy stood up. "We have nothing else to do now. If we stay here, we'll just keep thinking about Joanna. Let's go."

Doing something else would be a good distraction.

I nodded. "Sure, let's go."

It took us half an hour to get ready and leave.

The police station wasn't far from Sunny Meadows. On the way, I wondered if I should tell Royce.

But Royce messaged me first.

[Did you finish meeting with Joanna? How did it go?]

I was stunned for a moment.

How did he know we just finished lunch?

Did he put a tracker on me?

I sent him my suspicion.

Royce replied with an ellipsis, seemingly exasperated.

Then he sent another message.

[I wish I could put a tracker on you, but I'd rather put it on your heart.]

[That way, I wouldn't have to guess what you're thinking.]

His words made me blush.

I stared at my phone, speechless for a moment.

Kathy noticed and peeked at my screen. "Wow... Royce sure knows how to talk."

I cleared my throat. "Don't forget about Yvonne."

Kathy's expression changed. "He's just got bad taste! Caroline, if any other woman shows up around him, you tell me right away."

"You're too soft to argue with anyone. I'll do it for you."

We arrived at the police station, and after explaining our purpose, an officer led us to a holding room.

When Brandon was brought out and saw us through the glass, he froze.

Then his eyes lit up, and he almost lunged at his seat.

"Caroline, I knew it. After all these years, you still care about me. Are you here to get me out?"

Before I could react, Kathy exploded. "Brandon, you shameless jerk! You broke into Caroline's house and got arrested, and now you think she'd come to save you?"

Kathy couldn't stand Brandon's nonsense and snapped at him.

I frowned at him. "I'm not here to save you. Stop dreaming."

Brandon squinted. "Then why are you here?"