Gloria and Joe chatted for a while longer before ending the call.
Skylar sat quietly beside him, listening to the exchange without a word. She glanced at her watch—it was just after 2:00 p.m. With the entire day off, she still had time to relax.
“Wanna go to the hot springs and unwind for a bit?” Joe asked, glancing down at her.
Skylar’s eyes lit up instantly. “Yes! That sounds amazing.”
She had spent the past few days working on restoration projects, sitting for hours at a time. Her back and shoulders were stiff, her muscles aching. A soak in the hot springs sounded like the perfect escape.
Just as they were about to get into the car, another vehicle pulled up nearby. A woman and her daughter stepped out.
Natalie’s sharp eyes immediately locked onto Joe, and she froze mid-step.
Was that really Joe Martin?
She squinted, trying to get a better look. In the passenger seat, she saw the back of a woman’s head. The woman’s long hair flowed down her back—it definitely wasn’t Annie Silver.
Natalie’s curiosity spiked.
“Nath, what are you staring at?” asked her mother, Kate Turner.
Startled, Natalie turned away quickly. “Oh, nothing. Let’s go, Mom. We have an appointment, remember?”
Half an hour later, Natalie sat in the hospital corridor, waiting while her mother completed her check-up. Bored, she pulled out her phone and opened WhatsApp, sending a message to Skylar.
“Guess what? I brought my mom for a check-up today, and I saw someone interesting—Joe Martin. I swear, I’ve been running into him way too often lately. But that’s not the point.”
“The real tea? He was sitting in his car with a woman in the passenger seat. They looked close. Intimate. I swear it felt like… an affair. And it definitely wasn’t Annie Silver!”
Skylar, sitting in Joe’s passenger seat, was quietly gazing out the window when her phone buzzed. She opened Natalie’s message—and nearly dropped the device in shock.
Natalie could honestly make a career out of being a paparazzo.
“Why does everything you see scream ‘affair’ to you?” Skylar replied with a smirk.
But inside, she felt a jolt of unease. Natalie didn’t recognize her—yet. And Skylar wasn’t sure how to explain her complicated arrangement with Joe. It wasn’t something you could just casually mention over coffee.
Still, she was relieved. If Natalie had recognized her, she would’ve rushed over—Natalie wasn’t one to keep things subtle. The fact that she described Joe’s mystery woman as an “unknown affair” meant she hadn’t seen her face clearly.
Natalie replied almost instantly.
“Because Joe’s never been seen with any woman in public. Honestly, I thought he might be gay. But now I’ve seen him with women—twice! That man’s definitely fallen for someone. And let me tell you—whoever she is, she has a figure to die for!”
Skylar let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.
“Oh? Her figure’s that good?”
“Absolutely. I have high standards, you know. You’re one of the few people I’ve ever complimented on that. But now that I think about it… her figure kind of looked like yours.”
Skylar’s smile slowly faded as she stared at the screen.
Natalie continued:
“If I didn’t know for a fact that you and Joe barely know each other, I would’ve sworn it was you in his car!”
Skylar sighed. Close call.
She quickly typed back:
“Gotta go—need to help my mom finish her check-up. Let’s catch up soon? Come to my place. Jeremy’s heading out on a business trip tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” Skylar replied, letting out a breath of relief.
—
At the hot spring resort, Joe pulled into the familiar villa they had stayed at before. The quiet, serene location felt like a secret world removed from their everyday chaos.
But not far behind them, a long Lincoln limousine pulled into the lot. Inside, a group of stylish young men and women were chatting and laughing.
One of them pointed toward the sleek black car ahead. “Hey, isn’t that Joe Martin’s car?”
Another leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Looks like there’s a woman with him.”
“Joe Martin?” Samuel perked up at the name. He quickly moved to the window, trying to get a better look at the couple stepping out of the car.
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