His Son, Her Photo, My Turn Chapter 09

His Son, Her Photo, My Turn Chapter 09

Clata stormed away, leaving Jonathan standing frozen in place

Iily watched his face grow increasingly dark, panic clawing at her chest. She hadn’t expected him to uncover the truth so quickly. What would he do to her if he found out she was behind it?

“Get my team on it. Investigate this immediately,” Jonathan ordered coldly.

Sensing the suffocating tension, the remaining guests tried to salvage the night. “Jonathan, come on, don’t let them ruin the mood. Isn’t it sister-in-law’s birthday? The cake is still waiting, and we’ve barely started drinking!”

“Summer losing an arm? Sounds like a total lie. If something that massive happened, how hasn’t there been any news about it?”

“Exactly. Even if a dog did bite her, surgeons can reattach limbs these days. Those girls just wanted to ruin your night, so they made up a horrific story to sour the mood.”

While his friends chimed in, Lily remained completely silent. She knew that saying anything right now would only increase her chances of slipping up.

Jonathan sat back down on the sofa, but he didn’t touch the cake. Instead, he began downing glass after glass of straight whiskey.

He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Valerie. Their last exchange was over two weeks ago. He had texted to ask where she was, and she hadn’t even bothered to reply.

He tried to convince himself that Clara’s story was a fabrication. If Summer had truly been mutilated, Valerie’s explosive temper would have driven her to storm into his house to settle the

score.

Yet, staring at the empty chat log, a suffocating unease gripped his heart.

His fingers hovered over the screen, typing out a few words. [Where are you?] He deleted it.

He edited it again: [I heard Summer was severely injured. Is it true?] Still feeling it was wrong, he

erased that too.

As he struggled to compose a message, Lily approached, offering him a plate. “Jonathan, stop overthinking. Have some cake, okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m really not in the mood.” Jonathan drained the rest of his whiskey, stood up, and tossed a black card onto the table. “I have things to take care of. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll have a driver

pick you up when you’re finished, Lily.”

seeing him walk away, Lily desperately grabbed his hand “Please don’t leave It’s my birthday vou promised you would spend the whole day with me”

I’m sorry “Jonathan pulled his hand back, focused entirely on getting back to the mansion The chaotic events were tearing his mind apart, he needed to speak with Valerie face to face

He sent a quick text Wait for me at home. We need to talk.

The message failed to deliver, accompanied by a sharp red exclamation point. Valerie had deleted

him

He tried to re-add her, only for a prompt to indicate that she had blocked his account entirely.

“You blocked me?” Jonathan let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. “Valerie Vance, you really are, something else. You think you can threaten me by deleting and blocking my number? Don’t you dare add me back for the rest of your life!”

Despite his angry outburst, he immediately dialed her number. Within a second, a cold, automated recording filled his ear. “We’re sorry, but the number you are trying to reach has restricted incoming calls.”

She had blocked his phone number too.

As he stood there dazed, someone in the booth gasped loudly. “Oh my god, look at Instagram! Valerie just posted a marriage certificate with Gavin Garrison!”

“No way! Isn’t she Jonathan’s wife?”

“Jonathan, when on earth did you get divorced? How did none of us know about this?”

“Wait, I get it! You were planning on announcing it tonight, right? This is your ultimate birthday surprise for Lily!”

Jonathan slowly turned his head toward them, his voice deadly quiet. “Who got married to whom?”

‘Valerie!” His friend rushed over and thrust the phone into Jonathan’s face, reading the caption aloud to ensure he didn’t miss a word. “Here’s to the rest of our lives. Please look after the ”

“And look at the photo attached! It’s a certified marriage license with both of their names on it!”

“Could it be a prank? She probably knew Jonathan was celebrating Lily’s birthday here tonight, so she fabricated this to get back at him.’

Jonathan stared at the post, his face twisting into pure fury. He snatched the phone and slammed it violently against the floor.

The sudden explosion of rage caused the entire booth to fall dead silent.

His friend stared at the shattered pieces of his phone, holding back tears. “That was my phone…”

“Jonathan,” Lily whispered tentatively, her brows furrowed in anxiety. “When did you sign the divorce papers with Valerie? How did I not know anything about this? Is it true what they’re saying… did you do this to surprise me?”

Jonathan snapped his head toward her, his expression so dark it was terrifying. “I would love to

know that myself!”

When did they get divorced? He had never once entertained the thought of divorcing Valerie. How

could she have obtained a certified divorce decree?

Without another word, he stormed out of the lounge.

Lily tried to pursue him, but by the time she reached the street, his car was already gone. She stomped her heel in frustration. “Valerie Vance, you better actually be divorced from him, because if you’re playing games, I will make you suffer!”

The driver accelerated, bringing Jonathan back to the mansion in record time.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he began frantically searching the rooms.

At some point, every single trace of Valerie’s existence had vanished. Her slippers, her favorite

throw pillows, her coffee mug, and even the expensive espresso machine she loved using were

gone.

Jonathan scanned the barren space, his fury boiling over. “Get in here! Where are my wife’s belongings? Why is everything gone!”

The housekeeper rushed into the room, bowing her head fearfully. “Sir, the mistress threw some of them away and packed up the rest. I don’t know where she took them.”