Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret - Chapter 156: Chapter 156

Sally's mind was racing on the way back.
The image of Kendall perched on Jaxon's lap, her lips brushing against his cheek, was seared into her mind.
If he hadn't turned his head at the last second, they would have kissed.
A wave of raw frustration washed over Sally, refusing to subside.
She'd suspected something was going on between them, and now she had her proof. It was a done deal.
Lillian seemed to notice her mood. "Sally, are you okay?" she asked, her voice tentative. "You seem kind of down."
Pulled from her thoughts, Sally turned to the little girl beside her.
Seeing the worry in Lillian's eyes, a bitter smile touched her lips.
She shook her head and replied softly, "I'm fine, honey. Don't you worry about me."
"No matter what happens, I'll never leave you, Sally," Lillian declared. "I'll always be with you. Always."
Sally's spirits had been low, but the child's words made her heart melt.
A comforting warmth spread through her, chasing away some of the chill.
Back at the clinic, a crowd of patients was waiting for her. Carlos was swamped.
Sally quickly pushed the intrusive thoughts aside, forced herself to focus, and started seeing patients.
But as she was filling a prescription, her mind drifted again. The patient waiting for the herbs started to get impatient.
"Let me get that."
A gentle voice suddenly spoke beside her. She looked up and saw her mentor, Finn.
He had appeared at her side at some point and was now taking the prescription slip from her hand and filling it himself.
"What's wrong?" Finn asked softly. "Did something happen?"
"Finn, I... " Sally turned to meet his concerned gaze but couldn't find the words.
Carlos led the impatient patient into an exam room, giving them a moment.
Even Carlos had noticed something was off with her, so of course Finn would, too.
Finn continued, "I was watching you for a few minutes. You've been completely out of it. Why are you so distracted? Is this about the Zales?"
'The Zales.'
While it wasn't about the family as a whole, Jaxon was a Zale. He was half right.
"If you're having a hard time, you know you can tell me," Finn said, handing her the filled bag of herbs before starting on the next one. "I've always got your back."
Sally started to tie the bag closed. "It's not a big deal, it's just... "
Before she could finish, a familiar voice cut through the air. "Sally."
Her back went rigid.
The bag of herbs slipped from her grasp, scattering across the floor.
Sally was facing away from Jaxon and couldn't see his expression, but she could hear the raw anxiety in his voice—a tone she'd never heard from him before.
Sally remained frozen, making no move to turn around.
Beside her, Finn's hands stilled. He glanced at Sally, then back at the anxious man behind them, and understanding dawned on his face.
Finn had sensed something was unusual about their relationship back in Freymoor, but he'd never let his mind go there.
After all, she was his nephew's ex-wife, and he was her ex-husband's uncle.
But the look on Jaxon's face said it all. He looked exactly like a man who had pissed off his lover and was desperate to explain himself.
Jaxon called out urgently, "Sally, can you come outside for a minute? I need to talk to you."
Sally crouched down and began picking up the scattered herbs.
She didn't even look up. "I'm sorry, Mr. Zale, I'm working right now. If you're not here for a consultation, please don't interfere."
Her voice was colder than he'd ever heard it.
From his angle, Jaxon could only see her back, but her stubborn posture was unmistakable.
If she would just turn around, she would see the desperation on his face. But she refused to even look at him.
Jaxon wasn't about to give up. He opened his mouth to speak again, but another voice beat him to it.
"Mr. Zale, there are a lot of patients waiting for Sally," Finn said, turning to face him, his expression cool. "Please be considerate and don't interrupt her work. The patients come first."
Jaxon's head snapped up, and his eyes met Finn's.
The air between them crackled with tension.
The driver, waiting by the door, felt a knot of anxiety form in his stomach.
It was the first time he'd ever seen his boss so humbled, practically begging for someone's attention.
And Sally wasn't even getting up.
Just as the standoff reached its peak, the ringing of Jaxon's phone shattered the tense silence.
He had no choice but to pull it out and turn away to answer the call.
A moment later, Sally heard his footsteps retreating, followed by the sound of a car engine starting outside.
Only then did she slowly stand up.
"Did he do something to you?"
Sally had barely straightened up when Finn's questioning voice came from her side.
Sally did her best to look unbothered, offering a faint smile. "No, you're overthinking things... "
"Herbs that have fallen on the floor can't be used again," Finn cut her off bluntly. "Our mentor taught us that. You know they're useless, so why were you picking them up?"
The bag in Sally's hand trembled slightly. She remembered their mentor's words perfectly. Of course Finn did, too.
Seeing her look down, he pressed, "You were just trying to avoid him, weren't you?"
Sally wanted to change the subject. "He's Brad's uncle, which makes him my uncle-in-law, I guess," she said, her tone half-joking, half-serious. "What could possibly be going on between us that I'd need to avoid him?"
"Sally, you might be able to fool other people, but you can't fool me," Finn said, his voice softening.
When Sally tried to walk away, Finn reached out and gently grabbed her arm. "If something really happened, don't keep it bottled up. Talk to me, okay?"