Jason set down his knife and fork, a crease forming between his brows as he pulled out his phone to scroll through the latest news from home.

The old photos were gone, but Grace and Connor's public apologies were still pinned at the top of the page. The deeper he read, the tighter his brow furrowed. From the wording alone, it was clear just how much Sophia had been hurt by what they'd done.

He looked up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sophia didn't seem bothered at all. She took a big bite of her cheese-laden pizza. “It got sorted out pretty quickly. Estelle helped me."

Jason noticed the comments mentioning the Capital University forum. He tapped open the site and scanned through the threads.

Diana's original post had been deleted, but Robin's clarification was still up, and the replies underneath painted a picture of what had happened.

His eyes turned frosty. "Where's Diana now?"

"She's been arrested," Sophia replied, her tone almost gleeful. "Estelle said she'll be locked up for a few years at least-no way she's getting out soon! I mean, it's bad enough she slandered me, but when she went after you? Honestly, I wanted to storm down to the station and kick her myself."

Jason's mood had been sour, but at Sophia's words, a tenderness flickered in his eyes. “Am I really that important to you?"

Sophia took a big gulp of vegetable soup, answering as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “Of course you are!"

She'd barely finished speaking before she paused, realizing what she'd just admitted. Her eyes darted away as she pretended to focus on her steak.

Jason's gaze was unwavering. "When I asked you earlier, you wouldn't say a word. Now you're finally being honest."

Sophia's cheeks flushed even redder. "Stop changing the subject!"

He chuckled softly, but his voice was still a little heavy. "It's hard to believe so much happened while I was away."

"It's really not a big deal,” Sophia said with her usual optimism. “What happened with Connor and Yolanda looked like a coincidence, but it was just Diana stirring the pot from behind the scenes. Now it's all handled, and I can finally have some peace."

She suddenly remembered something and shot him a look. "None of this bothered me much, but I was actually happy to clear things up with Robin. Then, out of nowhere, you started ignoring me."

Jason looked up. "You're not the only one who suffered. I was miserable too. I'd planned to fly back tomorrow and talk things through, but I never imagined you'd come all the way here."

Sophia's eyes grew misty. "I just couldn't wait any longer. I thought, even if you were mad at me, at least you'd say something. But you shutting me out-I couldn't take that.”

Jason's voice softened. "Do you have any idea how happy I was when you came all the way to the States for me?"

It made up for the ache he'd felt when she'd once run off to chase after Robin. The moment he'd seen her at the restaurant, his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest.

He'd even lost interest in the contract negotiations he'd spent days preparing for; all he'd wanted was to cross the room and pull her into his arms.

Sophia gave a little huff. “Fine, I'll let you be a little selfish this once.”

Jason smiled faintly, his gaze never leaving her. "Do you know why I love you so much?"

Sophia's voice dropped to a whisper. "Why?"

But Jason didn't answer. Instead, he simply reached over and served her another helping. “Eat. Weren't you saying you're tired? The sooner you finish, the sooner you can rest."

Sophia didn't press him. She just kept eating, a deep sense of contentment settling over her with him right there across the table.

After dinner, Sophia freshened up and slid into bed, instinctively leaving space for Jason beside her without needing to be told.

By the time Jason came in, she was already fast asleep.

She really was exhausted.

He reached out and gently brushed the loose hair from her face, a pang of regret twisting inside him. He admitted when he saw those photos he'd been angry, jealous, even panicked, wanting to teach her a lesson.

But the moment he saw her, eyes red and brimming with tears at the restaurant, he'd regretted everything.

And when she cried, he kept asking himself—what was he doing? How could he ever bear to hurt her?

Sophia was inexperienced when it came to relationships, but the truth was, so was he. Despite loving her for so many years, he still stumbled along ake a traveler setting out w nothing but hope and moreab preparation.

This time, he'd learned his lesson: never shut her out, never make her sad. He wanted her to feel, always, that with him, there would only be joy.

There was still a long road ahead for them, but the most important thing-no matter what happened, no matter what they faced—was that » they trusted each other and walked forward, side by side.