Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 509: Exhausted

The gallery buzzed with music and laughter as everyone ate and chatted.

Maybe not everyone.

While everyone else was having fun, Jamal wasn’t. He was very happy for Mari and Jax, but his heart felt like something sharp had lodged in it, and he couldn’t breathe.

Across the hall, he watched as Dawn laughed with Mari and Emily, who were already talking about Mari’s idea of a wedding.

Beside him, Callan watched him. “Are you alright?”

Jamal turned. “Me? Yeah. Why not?”

“You haven’t looked okay since I walked into this place and saw your face. What’s wrong? Is it about our discussion earlier?” Callan asked, leaning close so that no one would hear them.

Jamal shrugged but said nothing.

“C’mon, Jamal. It’s unlike you to be this way. Especially at Mari’s engagement. What’s going on? Weren’t you able to resolve things with her?” Callan asked again.

Jamal sighed. “There’s nothing to resolve. I just feel exhausted.”

Callan observed Jamal for a moment, then decided to let him be.

Jamal wasn’t the type to hide his feelings. Rather, he always confided in everyone about everything going on with him, so Callan figured that if it was something serious, Jamal would talk about it.

He had, after all, called earlier to confide in him about his discussion with Dawn.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Callan asked, and Jamal forced a smile.

“Sure.” Unable to stand being in such a romantic atmosphere in his emotional state, he added. “I think I need to call it a night. I’m having a headache.”

Callan frowned. “Are you feeling sick?”

Yes. Heart sick, Jamal thought.

“I’m not sure. I’ll probably feel better after I sleep it off,” he said, then rose to leave.

Jamal walked over to Lucy’s table, where she was seated with the other ladies.

“Your first son is coming,” Sonia told Lucy.

Lucy turned, and the moment she saw Jamal approaching, her brows pulled together, and she rose to meet him.

“Jam, are you alright?” She asked softly.

Jamal nodded. “I’m feeling very exhausted. I need to get some rest. Could you take Dawn home with you while I go home to get some rest?”

Lucy nodded. “Of course. We are going to the same house after all. Make sure you get a good night’s rest.”

Jamal smiled. “Thank you. I will let her know now, then take my leave.”

As Jamal walked away, Lucy watched him. She couldn’t remember seeing him look that way, and she hoped whatever was wrong with his mood could be fixed by a good night’s rest.

Jamal walked up to the ladies and forced a smile when Mari raised her ring to flaunt it in his face.

“Congratulations once again, Mari,” he said, embracing her, while Dawn watched him.

“Jam, are you alright?” Emily asked with a concerned frown.

“Of course he is. Unless he just realised that he’s in love with me and now he’s heartbroken that he’s losing me to Jax,” Mari joked, and the ladies laughed.

“Eww,” Jamal said.

“Right back at you,” Mari hissed playfully.

“I wish I could stay longer, but I’m feeling very exhausted and I need to get some rest. Tomorrow is a workday, and without Stefan, I’ll be working twice as hard. So, I have to go,” Jamal said, trying to sound as cheerful as he could.

Dawn quickly went to pick up her handbag from her table so she could leave with him.

“Can you wait a bit? Let’s conclude with Dawn? You know Em is going back to Husla, so we have to decide on some things together and get it moving,” Mari explained.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Jamal said to Mari as Dawn joined them again.

He looked at Dawn. “You don’t have to leave with me. I’m going home. Lucy said you can go home with her.”

Something flickered in Dawn’s eyes. Since they arrived at the gallery, Jamal had barely said more than a handful of words to her, and now he wanted to leave without her.

“You talked to Lucy already?” Dawn asked quietly.

“Yeah. I wanted to make sure she would be able to take you home before leaving. I don’t think I have the energy to drop you off before driving to mine again. Sorry.”

Dawn nodded. “Alright. I will see you off to the car,” she said, then without waiting for him to refuse, she headed for the door.

Emily and Mari exchanged a look as they watched them walk away. They had both noticed how cold the conversation was between Jamal and Dawn.

As Dawn and Jamal walked to the car, neither of them said a word to each other until they got to the car and Jamal unlocked it.

“Jamal, what is going on?” Dawn asked before he could get in.

“I told you already. I’m stressed out. I need to get some rest.”

“Jam, I’ve seen you stressed out before. If I did…”

“Can you just stop and let me be?” Jamal snapped, making her flinch. Immediately, he felt guilty.

“I’m sorry I snapped. I said I’m fine. Stop asking me any of that. It’s only adding to my stress,” he said more gently.

Dawn didn’t believe him. Still, she nodded and stepped away from the car. “I hope you feel better by tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. Give my love to Josh.”

Dawn hesitated, then asked, “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure. I have a lot on my plate tomorrow. But I’ll call you in the morning so I speak to Josh before he leaves for school.”

Dawn didn’t miss what he just implied.

His calling in the morning wasn’t to talk to her. It was to talk to Josh.

She gave him a nod, then without another word, she turned and walked away.

Jamal waited until he had seen her go inside before he got into his car and drove home.

As he drove, he wondered if it wouldn’t be better to just end things with Dawn so she could go be with whoever she had chemistry with, than keep her tied to him when he wasn’t obviously what she wanted.