Can’t Win Me Back

Chapter 11

Alyssa, meanwhile, was singing a heart–rending aria to Jonah dressed in a sky–blue dress, her voice resounding in the wind. Her hair was pulled up into a casual bun and secured by a jeweled pin. She was the very image of an alluring beauty.

Jonah broke into applause once the song was over, his eyes brimming with indulgence. “Not bad. You were taught well. You would’ve been someone’s duchess or something back in the day.”

“Do I look like I want to be someone’s duchess? I want to be a queen who shines with confidence. Men aren’t loyal anyway.” She shattered the illusion of being a perfect lady in a split second as she cracked her knuckles.

“So what? We wouldn’t have ourselves three stepmothers otherwise.” Jonah smiled bitterly.

Alyssa adjusted her skirts and sat beside him. The mere mention of her father’s three other wives brought a complicated expression to her face.

“Lyse, it’s been three years. They miss you. They care about you enough to ask me about you in private.”

“What are you trying to say, Jonah?”

“I know you left home to go abroad to work with Doctors Without Borders because you were angry with Dad, Lyse.” Jonah gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder as his brows furrowed in melancholy. “That’s just the kind of man our father is. We don’t get to choose. No one is without their flaws. You loved Jasper Beckett for years. Haven’t you also come to notice his flaws after being married for three years?”

Alyssa blinked as she gripped the bracelet around her thin wrist.

“The difference here is that you can choose to leave Jasper, but the kinship with our father can never be severed. Try to accept him as he is. He loves you. His other wives are also kind people who have kept our home in order all these years. None of them harbor any untoward desires. I can personally vouch for them.”

What Jonah didn’t know was that she had already accepted them as early as two years ago because of a certain event.

Xavier dressed Jasper’s wound and left the room.

Jasper felt a headache coming on at the thought of Liana’s tantrum. He remembered her being a gentle and kind soul–an angel in human form. She never seemed like someone who would lose all sense of propriety. “People change, I guess,” he thought with a sigh. Liana was still his childhood sweetheart no matter what. It was she who accompanied him through his darkest moments. She was his anchor, and he was going to marry her.

He went through some documents while still enduring the pain when his gaze fell on the suit placed on the couch. Curious, he went to pick it up and take a closer look.

Jasper was roughly the same height as Jonah, but he had much broader shoulders and a thicker frame compared to the latter. It was clearly sized to fit him. “Hideous.” He sneered. It didn’t stop

putting it on a few minutes later,

and it was clear that it fit him

warm milk for him. “Oh? You’re wearing the clothes Madam Alice prepared for you. She’ll be so happy to know this!” Her joy was on full display. No one

Jasper.

did you say?” Jasper was taken

the madam? That should be it… She asked me to pick it up from the atelier a month ago and got me to keep it a secret from you. She said it was

was a birthday present? He stood frozen in place. His birthday

get along well with Alice, Mrs. Rosie, but she’s not here anymore. You don’t have to keep flattering

you than me.” She approached and watched the handsome man in the mirror. “Madam Alice mentioned how the process of making clothing is a long one. Every thread and stitch is her handiwork. The fabric was custom–made too. Even the buttons were from an original mold. She was usually busy with chores and spent what little spare time she had every day at the atelier. That’s

in the closet. She didn’t want you

in disbelief as his heart

can check the label. Your name is embroidered

suit and toss it onto the couch as though it were on fire. “We’re not married anymore. I’m not interested in knowing what she’s done for me. You

get a divorce, Mr. Jasper? She’s a wonderful woman who

dearly…”

have thrown

Alice wouldn’t…” Mrs. Rosie

say. You never truly

blown his top. “Why pretend I’m all she needs when she feels nothing for me at all? Did she think

Did she take me for a

you.” Mrs. Rosie shook her head in regret as

“Enough, Mrs. Rosie.”

letting Madam Alice

to sleep in, but her biological clock woke her up at five on the dot. This was usually when she prepared breakfast for the Beckett family. Now, she no longer had to put herself in the

way. The life of a divorced woman was

the lake behind the estate. It was a beautiful morning, with birds singing and flowers in full bloom by the shore. Her graceful and powerful figure swept across the

water.

had breakfast and showered before coming down the stairs in