Chapter 66: Hear me out

"Janice..."

"Stay away from me!"

Janice snapped, moving past him and down the hallway. She stepped into the room, and he followed suit.

Jules let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "At least, give me a chance to explain myself."

Janice sat on the bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Although she could see whatever Jules was doing in the room from the corner of her eye, she pretended not to notice.

"Will you ever hear me out or just assume I cheated on you?"

She glared at him, but she wished she hadn't. His eyes were sunken and bleary, as if he hadn't slept for days.

It had only happened yesterday, yet he looked slightly disheveled.

She wondered if this morning's headline contributed to his current state, as she'd overheard him cursing on the phone, threatening to confront whoever leaked the pictures of him.

Janice didn't care about the revelation of him having a child out of wedlock; there was nothing she could do about it. What truly troubled her was the image of her son that was attached to it, and the disgraceful headline he was associated with.

"Of course, you cheated. I doubt you considered your dignity when it happened. So, don't act surprised to see your face out there."

Janice paused, shaking her head as her eyes welled up with tears again. She gazed up at him, though his figure was blurred. She believed he still stood by the doorway.

"Have you no shame?" She continued. "I'm not even addressing your illegitimate son!"

Suddenly, she wiped the tears from her face, and sorrow swirled into anger.

She had been deceived!

And it wasn't even with a high-class woman, not someone of his standing.

He had cheated with a woman of low character.

"Was I that terrible a wife to you? I believed I was doing everything to keep you. I made sure to fulfill your fucking needs, made my body available, and let you fuck me, yet..."

"Watch your language," Jules chided, nodding toward Prince Michael.

"You're not my mother; don't dare tell me how to speak!"

Jules groaned. He'd never seen Janice this enraged before. She'd been angry with him in the past, but never for this long.

"What do you want from me?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Janice bristled and approached him. "What do I want from you?!"

She tossed her head back and let out a bitter laugh.

"What do I want?" She repeated. "How dare you ask me such a question?"

"Janice..."

"Don't 'Janice' me!"

"I'm in the wrong, and I'm owning up to it. But, please, can you hear me out?"

"How would you feel if I did this?"

"Oh, I know," she snapped her fingers. "You'd throw my things outside without giving me a chance to explain!"

"I would never do that," he mumbled. He sat on the bed and let out a deep sigh.

He massaged his temple, and his gaze met hers.

She had moved toward the door as he approached the bed. She'd been avoiding getting too close to him, and it made him feel like a stranger to her, rather than her husband.

"Why did you do it? Was I that unbearable?" Janice said.

She knew she kept repeating the same question, but she didn't care. It kept echoing in her mind, and she had tried to answer it, yet she didn't understand what had driven him to it.

"You're not unbearable," Jules mumbled.

He moved toward the door and knelt where she was sitting on the floor, her face toward the ground.

He took her hand, exhaling when she didn't push him away or tell him to stay away from her.

"I will never intentionally hurt you, believe me."

"Then what happened? You've already broken that promise, and it hurts to hear you say what you can't keep."

"I didn't cheat on you, Janice. I don't know what happened. I'm just as surprised."

"Are you talking about your son, Jake, or the woman that's making headlines with you now?"

"Jake happened years ago, and I didn't even know about him until yesterday. As for Jenny, I don't know how she got into my room in the first place. I swear I have nothing to do with her."

Janice locked eyes with him, trying to find the truth. He seemed genuinely remorseful, but she wasn't sure if she could believe him.

A part of her heart wanted to embrace him, seeing him suffer as she was. But another part wanted to shake him and inflict as much pain on him as he had on her.

"No..." She finally said. "I don't believe that."

She gave him a slight shove and rose to her feet. She went to Prince Michael's cot, picked him up, and left the room.

Jules observed as she returned a minute later with a duffel bag, then began to toss a few of her things and his inside.

"Where are you going?" He tilted his head. "Don't think for a moment you can leave here the same way you did before. Regardless of our current terms, I won't hesitate to take severe action. I'm still your husband."

"Not for much longer," Janice responded icily.

"What do you mean, 'not for long'?"

"Maybe you should ask yourself that. I'm certain that when I'm out of the picture, you'll have plenty of time for your affairs!"

"Janice..."

"I know what you're about to say. I don't care if I can't get past your guard. I won't stay in this room with you. And in the meantime, I'd like to talk to the lawyer because I can't endure this any longer," she stated, walking out of the room.