Chapter 94: Chapter 94

Andrea rummaged through her stuff and brought out a pack of Marlboros from the bottom of her suitcase. She walked over to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer, bringing out a lighter.

She lit up a cigarette, sat down on the couch, and sighed deeply as she took a puff and let out the smoke.

Mom Tessa's words kept lingering in her mind, like a song stuck in her head. She still couldn't believe that Jacob, who has been a good friend to her, shares a blood relationship with her, and Mrs. Jones, the lady she adores and once wished was her mother-in-law, was actually her birth mother.

Andrea let out a bitter laugh at her pathetic situation as she took another puff of her cigarette, her eyes filled with hurt and loneliness as she gazed out at the balcony.

The sounds of someone trying to get through the door startled Andrea immediately. After a moment, an impatient knock was heard at the door, and Andrea quickly put out her cigarette and sprayed several bottles of deodorant from the dressing table, hoping he wouldn't get suspicious.

She threw a mint into her mouth, and with a smile on her face, she unlocked the door before making way for him to come in. "You are back so early? Did you forget something?" She asked, her gaze traveling down to her wristwatch.

Sean walked slowly towards Andrea, his frown deepening as she felt her heart begin to pound faster in her chest with each step he took.

"Everything is fine at the company. I'm done with work early, so I thought I would come home and spend some time with you. Are you okay, Andrea?" He asked skeptically, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Andrea felt her knees weaken at his touch, and she couldn't comprehend why she was feeling this way until she thought about the thing she did behind his back. She swallowed hard before looking up at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

She nodded slowly. "I'm fine." Andrea let out a chuckle, hoping it would ease the atmosphere in the room.

"No hugs or kisses today? Are you sure you are fine?" Sean gave her a smile and cupped her cheeks, placing a kiss on her lips.

Andrea quickly broke the kiss and said, "I... I should go check up on the twins first; I will be back." Before she could take a step towards the door, Sean held her wrist, saying, "I've just come from the nursery. Pearl and Ruby are both asleep. The nanny told me you put them to bed a few minutes ago.'"

Andrea bit her lip and turned around to face him. "Oh, I thought they would be awake by now," she lied.

"'I will go take a shower first," he said, letting go of her hand and placing a peck on her cheek before going into the walk-in closet to get some comfy clothes.

Andrea sat down on the bed, taking deep breaths and reassuring herself that Sean didn't suspect a thing. With this in mind, she finally felt at ease.

Not until Sean emerged from the closet holding a pack of cigarettes that Andrea recognized as hers. Her eyes widened in shock, and she could see disappointment crowded into his features as he approached her.

"Andrea, do you smoke now?" His voice was barely above a whisper as he demanded an answer from her.

Andrea nodded in embarrassment, avoiding his gaze as she lowered it to the marble flooring, feeling ashamed.

His voice was soft as he asked, 'Since when have you been doing this? How often do you do this?'" Sean squatted down and took her hands, stopping her from pressing her fingers into her palm.

A teardrop fell from her eyes. "Three years now. You don't have to worry; I don't smoke often, only when I feel down. I'm sorry for hiding this from you, she whimpered softly.

Sean placed his hand on her cheeks, forcing her to look up at him. "Sorry for what? You didn't do anything wrong, and I'm not mad at you, sweety," he said, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

Andrea braced herself to look into his eyes, which were exuding warmth and love towards her. She couldn't help but throw herself into his embrace, letting all her tears come out freely.

To Andrea, everything felt right with Sean. She knew with him that she didn't have to pretend that everything was okay; instead, he would offer all the support she needed to restore her happiness without judgment.

Sean kissed Andrea's hair gingerly, and while stroking it, he coaxed and reassured her that everything would be fine. "I love you," she whispered into his chest.

"I love you more," he replied before pulling away from the hug and kissing her deeply on the lips. Everything happened so fast that Andrea found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing him to the bed as she responded to his kiss.

"Mom Tessa told me everything. How did you feel when you found out my true identity? Are you cool with it?" She said it breathlessly as Sean broke the kiss.

"At first, I was shocked, angry, and jealous. What about you? How are you feeling?" Sean demanded, kissing the tip of her nose and putting a weak smile on her face.

"I don't know how to define what I'm feeling right now. I feel overwhelmed with everything, especially the fact that Jacob, a good friend of mine, is actually my elder brother, and the actuality

that I had met my biological mother twice and acted formal with her, plus you and Jacob don't get along."

Sean pressed a finger on her lips before she could continue. "The main reason I came home early was because I knew you'd need me after speaking to your aunt, and I ended up finding out you already have a substitute comforter," he smiled as he waggled the pack of cigarettes in the air.

Andrea laughed, listening to him. 'I may have likely saved the world in my past life and got rewarded with you in this one.' She beamed a bright smile as she pecked him on the lips."

"Right! Even I wonder how I ended up getting seduced by you. I guess my mother was right all this time, you little vixen." He pulled her nose. "Andrea, promise me you won't smoke again. It's not healthy for you. We can try out other means when you're down, but absolutely not this routine."

She pressed her lips in a thin line. "I will try, but I can't promise you just yet. You need to understand things from my own perspective."

"I understand, and I'm not asking you to stop instantly. I'm aware it will take you time before you get the hang of things, and I believe you can." Andrea hugged him tightly and relaxed her head on his chest.

"Sean, do you think the Jones should know about me? I have the feeling they are doing just fine without me. I think we should just keep this to ourselves. I'm sure they have moved on after not hearing anything about my whereabouts for 24 years now."

"You think so? After I found out your identity, I did some research about what Jacob Jones has been up to and discovered he has been doing some research in Australia and searching for a nurse, which I later learned was the same nurse who stole you from the hospital and gave you to Christina."

Her eyes widened in shock. "It means Jacob has been searching for me all this while." She asked, looking up at Sean from his chest.

She smiled as she watched him nod in response.

He teased the rim of her earlobe, "Jacob now? What happened to Mr. Jones?"

A mischievous smirk settled on her lips. "Jealous already? Don't you think it's too early? By the way, I don't want to tell him yet; I want Jacob to find out on his own.

Her phone began to ring. Glancing at the caller's ID, she chuckled. "Your new partner in crime is calling."

"Partner in crime?" He repeated this and let out a loud snort as he caught sight of her caller ID.

Andrea nodded in response. "Mhm. These days, anytime Jace calls, he says unimaginable things about you, which keeps baffling me."

Sean's voice was laced with curiosity as he said, "Really? Like what?"

"First of all, he now refers to you as my brother-in-law, and he keeps telling me you are the right candidate, and there's no one else who will take good care of me like you."

Sean raised an eyebrow, clearly absorbed by what Andrea had said. "Wait, who are the other candidates? Are you seeing someone else behind my back?" He tickled her naughtily, making her head fall back as she laughed uncontrollably with tears slipping out of her eyes.

"Sean, please let me go. I need to speak to Jace, his calling again. I think it's something important," she managed to utter in between her laughter.

Sean stopped and wrapped her legs around his waist before leaning down to her, teasing her nipples through the light fabric of her dress with his lips.

"Damn you! Not now," she whispered softly, and she slipped out of the space underneath him.

"Hey Jace, what's going on?" She blithely said it with a smile on her face.

"Where is your phone? I've been trying to call you for a long time." Jace questioned, and she could sense the weight in his voice as he spoke into the phone.

"Jace, is everything alright?" She asked, and she immediately felt Sean's warm hands on her bare skin moving upward towards her breast.

"Dad called and told me he wants to see us before he passes away."