The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 467

"Hah..." Petty let out a broken laugh, her tear-filled eyes brimming with sarcasm.

"How incredibly thoughtful of him to go to such lengths."

Jay looked up at her pale, exhausted face. She was slumped against the headboard, looking so fragile and thin that she seemed like a paper doll ready to collapse at any moment.

He couldn't bear the sight and quickly looked away, his fingers curling into tight fists.

"Was it fun?" she asked, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips. "Playing me for a fool?"

"I'm sorry."

Jay lowered his head, using the back of his hand to wipe away the dark, fake birthmark near the corner of his eye. Only then did Petty notice a very faint, real scar trailing from his eye to his temple. That must have been the inspiration for the disguise.

She turned her head to look at the sunlight spilling across the foot of the bed, but all she felt was an agonizing, freezing chill in her chest.

"The name Malcom... did you come up with that?"

Jay looked at her hollow profile, his expression complex. He lowered his gaze. "The Boss chose it. He guessed you might ask."

Petty's eyes grew redder.

Malcom.

Looking back, she realized that when she applied for the foreign correspondent position in Everell, it was Jay who had tipped off Franco. Franco had then used his power to strike her name from the list.

Even the times he had subtly asked about her plans to go abroad...

None of it came from the genuine concern of a friend.

She had been so blindingly naive to trust him.

The man standing right in front of her, the one who had stayed by her side under the guise of friendship, was nothing more than a spy planted by Franco.

Was she furious?

Petty closed her eyes.

Surprisingly, no. She just felt incredibly stupid. The times "Malcom" had thrown himself into danger to save her hadn't been an illusion.

That foolishly tall guy had ruined his plans multiple times, and Aaron had been forced to swallow his pride because he couldn't beat him in a fight. Every time he lost, he had prayed to his hero J for vengeance, only to find out they were the same man!

His mind was still reeling.

Jay didn't take the crutch. Instead, he gave Aaron a deadpan look. "Do you want your hero to beat you up?"

"No, no, no..." Aaron gripped the crutch nervously, silently cursing the man in his head for playing him like a fiddle.

J beating up Jay...

Aaron suddenly remembered that he had actually said those exact words right to Jay's face, and Jay had smirked at him. A fresh wave of irritation flared in his chest.

But after all the chaotic thoughts settled, only one thing mattered. "Look, I'm just a rough guy, so whatever. You didn't really steal anything from me. It's just a shock. But Ms. Petty is different. She genuinely considered you a friend. When you were 'hurt,' she spent every day researching recipes and cooking for you to help you heal. And you were faking it the whole time. Lying to her and hurting her like this... that was seriously messed up."

What he really wanted to say was: You're a monster!

But he valued his life too much to say it out loud.

Jay listened in silence as Aaron passionately vented his frustrations. He couldn't deny it; what the Boss had ordered him to do was incredibly messed up.