Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2823
Jessica slowly approached Joan. Her heart pounded as she waited for the latter’s embrace, but it never came. Little did she know, this version of Joan no longer recognized her.
What… Why is she staring so blankly at me? Jessica’s brows tightened into a quizzical look at the woman in front of her. She could only manage a squeak, “Joan?”
This must have been too soft because Joan didn’t acknowledge her. Instead, the woman headed off in the direction of the cash register.
Jessica stood frozen as she watched the woman from a short distance. Am I mistaken? She shook her head, thinking that it had to be Joan. Then she immediately darted before Joan and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Joan!” A longing nostalgia was laced in Jessica’s tone.
At this sudden hug, Joan’s mind blanked unnervingly. Who is she? How does she know my name? Joan gently pushed Jessica away, studying her warily. Discomfort soon flashed in the former’s eyes as she cut to the chase, “I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I don’t know you, miss.”
Ever since Joan recovered from her psychological shock, her memories had been fully erased, much to Jake’s convenience and delight. He had hoped for such a thing to happen.
Panic settled on Jessica’s scrunched-up forehead. This made her heart pound erratically as she stuttered, “Joan… Take a better look at my face. It’s me, Jessica!” What happened to her? How can she not recognize me?
“I’m sorry, miss, but I really think you’ve got the wrong person.” The housemaid led Joan away as she said those words.
No! There’s no way I’m mistaken! I would recognize Joan anywhere. Even if all that’s left of her is her ashes, I’d still be able to tell her apart from anyone else! An idea suddenly flitted through Jessica’s mind. She ran towards the women and obstructed their path. Then she pleased as if her life depended on it, “Joan, I’m Jessica… Larry has been waiting for you this entire time since you went missing. Please, let’s get you back, okay?”
Jessica had finally found Joan, so there was no way she would let the woman off so easily. She mentally swore that she would bring Joan to Larry and prove to everyone that Joan was still alive.
Meanwhile, an inexplicable ache pulsed in Joan’s chest at the mention of Larry’s name.
Who’s Larry? Why does it hurt so much to hear his name? Joan clutched tightly at her chest in an attempt to stifle the excruciating pain.
“Are you alright, Ms. Watts? Come on. We should head home.” The housemaid hurriedly led Joan away before anything else happened.
“No… Joan, you can’t leave!”
Thud!
Without a sliver of hesitation, the housemaid shoved Jessica against the wall as a final warning.
A twinge of grief seeped onto Jessica’s face, and she stood helplessly in the corner, watching Joan walk further away.
Did she lose her memories? Jessica’s fists coiled taut whilst her gaze darkened coldly. Without a moment to waste, she whipped out her phone and dialed a number.
“Darling, cut it out. We haven’t found Joan despite how long we’ve been searching for her. So how is it possible for you to casually bump into her at the mall?” Caspian’s doubtful voice sounded from the other end of the call.
He would rather believe that Joan was dead. After all, much time has passed since her disappearance, so it just didn’t make sense to him that she would suddenly return after all this time.
“I’m telling the truth, Caspian! I’m not fibbing. I swear I saw Joan earlier. Please, you need to send someone to go after her!” Jessica shrilled as she clambered up onto her feet.
This silly girl… She probably missed Joan so much so that she hallucinated earlier.
“That’s enough now. I have other things to deal with, so I’m going to hang up, alright?” With that, Caspian ended their call straight away.
Ugh, that little… How can he not believe me? Anger bubbled vigorously in Jessica. Needing to let out some steam, she hurtled her phone onto the ground.
Caspian… How can that jerk turn a blind eye to my crucial discovery! Jessica seethed with fury as she stomped her feet. Eventually, she acquired a new phone from a shop nearby. Her hands moved quickly to set up the phone before she dialed another number from her contacts list.
“What? You saw Joan? Tell me when and where!” Larry’s voice jittered with excitement on the phone.
Jessica initially planned to surprise Larry with this. However, she had no choice but to ask for Larry’s assistance since Caspian refused to cooperate earlier. She urged into the phone, “I saw Joan with my own eyes, Larry! She’s alive and well.”