?Chapter 1054:


    By now, Linsey figured there shouldn’t be much difference between how she looked now and four years ago.


    Maybe M was only trying to fill the silence, not really expressing any deep concern.


    A suddenugh from Jeffery broke the tension between them. “I have to say, you carry yourself with a lot more grace these days. You’re nothing like the woman I remember from four years back.”


    The words made Linsey smile, and she retorted with a grin, “Whatever changes you see in me, they’re nothingpared to how much you’ve changed.”


    With a sly smile, she turned to Alicia. “If you only knew what a handful he was back then,” said Linsey, her mock seriousness barely hiding her amusement.


    Though her words were lighthearted, the teasing stirred something deep in Jeffery, pulling old regrets to the surface. Images from the past flickered in his mind—he remembered falling for Carol’s lies, acting without all the facts, and hurting Linsey more than he cared to admit.


    A shadow passed over his features as the memories took hold. For a moment, nobody spoke.


    Jeffery finally broke the silence, his voice quiet but earnest as he said, “Linsey, I owe you an apology.”


    Instantly, the mood in the room shifted, tension creeping into the air. Gone was Linsey’s easy smile. She offered Jeffery a measured look, her faceposed yet distant. She chose to look away, leaving her silence hanging between them.


    Alicia blinked in surprise, uncertain how to react to the sudden change. In all her time around Jeffery, Alicia couldn’t recall ever hearing him admit fault, let alone so openly.


    He usually presented himself as the picture of grace and politeness, but Alicia had always detected a faint trace of pride that seemed to follow him everywhere.


    Hearing him apologize so sincerely to Linsey seemed almost impossible to believe.


    Questions began swirling in Alicia’s mind, curiosity sparked by the obvious history between them.


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    Alicia didn’t have the full picture, but there was enough for her to figure that the Lawsons had once hurt Linsey in a way that left a mark. Now it looked like they were trying to make things right.


    The air was starting to shift. Alicia caught on to it.


    After a short pause, she rose from her seat. Without saying a word, she reached over and picked up a bottle of wine from the table, like it was the most natural thing in the world.


    Everyone snapped back to reality at Alicia’s sudden action. Jeffery’s eyes widened as he watched her deftly twist off the bottle cap. Certain she was about to take a drink, he lunged forward to grab the bottle from her hands. “Alicia, what are you doing?”


    Alicia dodged with surprising quickness. “Sit down and don’t move.”


    M and Cruz exchanged rmed nces. “Alicia, we have juice right here! You can’t possibly forget you’re carrying a baby—alcohol is absolutely off limits,” M said.


    “She’s right. If you’re having wine cravings, we can ask the server to bring some alcohol-free wine specially made for expectant mothers,” Cruz added.


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