Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 525: Trashing It (1)

Jamal listened attentively as Dawn continued with her explanation. He tried deliberately to listen to what she was saying without judgement so that he could understand from her perspective.

“But I saw you flirting with him…”

“Flirting?” Dawn asked with a slight frown. “I didn’t flirt with him.”

“But you let him flirt with you.”

“He didn’t flirt with me. I made it clear to him I was in a relationship. We just talked…”

“I saw you both, Dawn. I saw the way he held your hand and you let him. You even laughed.”

Dawn sighed softly. “I only laughed because he said he liked the feel of my hand, and that was the reason he held it longer than he should have. I shouldn’t have let that happen. I’m sorry if that was what gave you the impression that we were flirting. I never intended to disrespect our relationship. I told him about you and Josh. It just felt so nice having a new friend. My own friend…”

“Your own friend?” Jamal repeated, wondering why she needed another friend when she had him and everyone else in the family.

Dawn nodded, grateful that he was listening and asking questions even though a part of her wasn’t very happy with him for the level of distrust he had portrayed.

“Yes. Before I met you, I never really had one apart from Dr Diana. And even though I’m grateful that I can be friends with all your friends, I was really just excited about meeting a new friend, especially when he seemed so interested in my podcast and stuff. I got carried away.”

He had known she didn’t have her own friends, but he’d naturally assumed that she would be content with being friends with the rest of the clan.

Dawn continued. “Did I think for a moment that he was good-looking? Yes…”

“Yes?” Jamal asked incredulously.

Dawn laughed before she could stop herself. “C’mon Jamal. Anyone with eyes knows that he is good-looking. Nowhere as good-looking as you though. You’ll always be the most handsome guy in the world to me.”

Jamal’s lips twitched a little at that.

“I didn’t think for even a second that I wanted to be with him. The thought never crossed my mind. I can’t throw away what I have with you over anyone else, Jamal. I’ve loved you since the night we met at the club. I loved you even before you showed up at Ryan’s and told me about our childhood history together. I love you, Jamal.”

Jamal opened his mouth to speak, but Dawn continued without giving him the chance.

“When I found out I was pregnant, one of the reasons I kept Josh was because I loved you and wanted to preserve our memory together. Do not doubt my love for you, Jamal.”

Jamal said nothing for a moment as he thought about all she’d just said.

“If your conversations were so innocent and you really did not think of having anything to do with him, why did you lie to me?” He asked after a while.

Dawn shook her head. “I don’t know. I had a feeling you were upset with me already and that you might be even more upset if I told you that I had gotten carried away in my conversation with another guy and didn’t realise when Lucy left.”

Jamal sighed. “Then why did you let it happen? Why follow a stranger out of the spa? You know what almost happened to Genevieve. What if he was sent to harm you? Why go into his office? What if he tried to force himself on you? How could you just trust him that way?”

“I don’t have any excuses for any of that. It was stupid of me to…”

“You’re not stupid. You might have been careless but you’re not stupid,” Jamal cut in.

“Stupid, careless, whichever it was, I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

Jamal stared at her, wondering if he wasn’t going to seem weak if he went back on his decision so soon.

Dawn looked at him for a moment. “You left that morning without talking to me because you were upset with me, not because you had anything to do, didn’t you? Was that the reason you easily changed your mind about taking me on a date when you saw me with Adam?”

“What would you have had me do, Dawn?” Jamal asked, looking at her. “You said you weren’t feeling any chemistry between us, and then I saw you talking to some other guy, and you seemed to be enjoying the attention. What did you expect me to think or do?”

“First of all, I was trying to have a conversation with you as couples do! I observed something wrong between us, and I wanted us to fix it. When I talked about us not having a spark, it wasn’t a question of your worth. It was about us, not you. I was saying we were both too comfortable, and I was going to suggest that maybe we take couple counselling like Callan and Emily, or go for sex therapy, or research other ways to spice things up. I didn’t expect you to make my honest observation about yourself when it was actually about us. If you felt attacked, you should have brought it up and let me explain instead of leaving the way you did,” Dawn said, unable to hide her displeasure.

Jamal opened his mouth, but Dawn wasn’t done yet.

“Secondly, about what I expected you to think, I expected you to trust me and believe that I wouldn’t flirt or cheat on you. I expected you to walk up to us, find out what was going on, and then take me out on a date as you intended. That is what I expected. I have never given you a reason to doubt me, so why would you see me standing in front of a spa shaking hands and smiling with another guy and assume I am going to cheat on you? What if he was an ex-schoolmate or someone I knew before now?”

Jamal looked away but didn’t say anything when he saw how upset she was.

It stung that she was making a valid point.