The Cherished Wife



"Okay, okay, I'll take her away right now. Charles, just cool down, okay? You know she... she didn't mean any of this. Don't hold it against her," Clarisse said, rushing over to grab J's hand. "J, cut it out, come with me." She leaned in and whispered something that made J's fierce gaze flicker with doubt. "Aunt Clary, are you for real?"

"Have I ever lied to you? Come on. Let's head home."

It took some doing, but Clarisse managed to lead J away. Charles squinted, giving the area a quick once-over. The crowd that had been rubbernecking scattered, cowed by Charles's commanding vibe.

Charles's scowl lingered until Clarisse's car was out of sight. Then he tapped on the car door. "Open up, Noelle!"

Noelle had been in the middle of changing in the back seat when J came charging over like she had lost her mind. It freaked Noelle out so much that she froze, not even daring to breathe too loudly. Her heart was pounding in her throat, especially after hearing the crazy stuff J had been saying. She was half-expecting J to go berserk and smash the car window. Thankfully, that did not happen.

With a sigh of relief, Noelle quickly straightened her clothes and opened the car door.

Charles noticed the door opening from the back and quirked an eyebrow. "Why'd you move to the back?"

Noelle's cheeks were pink as she glanced at her outfit. "The front seat's too cramped. It's not great for changing!" she explained, then quickly added, "It's all good now."

Charles's lips twitched into a teasing

smile. Seeing Noelle's flustered

state, he could not help but let

1.n

light daugh. "Did you get a little scared earlier?"

Noelle shook her head, then hesitated and nodded. "Well, it wasn't too bad." As Charles settled into the driver's seat, Noelle climbed in too. "J seemed..." She paused, searching for the right words, Charles, buckling his seatbelt, looked at her with a mix of curiosity and amusement, urging her to go on.

Biting her lip, Noelle gestured to her head. "She looked really worked up, like something was off with her emotions. She..."

"You're wondering if she's got some mental issues?" Charles finished her thought, and seeing Noelle's earnest nod, he grinned and agreed. "Yeah."

Noelle gasped in surprise. She had not expected that her casual question would reveal that J actually had mental health issues.

"It's not that surprising," Charles

explained. "She didn't have the best upbringing. I've mentioned before that her mom was my uncle's first love. Her mom had her own struggles with mental health, probably something passed down in the family. That's why the Bakers

originally didn't want heret

my

uncle. Eventually, my uncle settled down and started his own family, and J's mom moved on too. I'm not sure what went down after that, but my uncle ended up bringing her back to the Bakers, and she's been with us ever since. She seemed pretty normal back in the day, but lately, she's gotten really paranoid about everything."

to

"Paranoid about you?" Noelle blurted out. "Has she had a crush on you since she was little? Is that why she won't leave you alone?"

Charles's brow creased, and he hesitated before nodding. "Yeah."

"And your mom..." Noelle hesitated. "Does she know what's going on with J?"This content is © NôvelDrama.Org.