When Love Breaks (Josephine)

Josephine had never noticed the difference in how Joe treated Zayn and Yvan because Yvan had disappeared for three years after she'd married into the Forbes family. But now, it was clear. Joe treated them very differently.

For one, Joe had never spoken to Zayn in such a casual, fatherly manner. Even when she and Zayn visited the Forbes residence together, Joe always ended up chatting with her, while Zayn sat quietly beside them, rarely joining the conversation.

Back then, she had chalked it up to personality differences. But it was obvious. Joe truly did favor one son over the other.

Josephine walked over and placed a box of pastries on the table. She was about to greet Joe when a hand shot out, snatching the box away. Without hesitation, she grabbed the culprit's wrist and said, "These are for Uncle Joe! I waited over an hour in line for these."

With his right hand caught, Yvan used his left hand to pop a pastry into his mouth. "My dad doesn't even like sweets."

"Even if he doesn't, he can still try one!"

Yvan picked up a piece and held it near Joe's mouth. Joe chuckled, waving him off. "Nah, you kids enjoy it. I'm not a fan of sweets."

"See? I told you."

"Come on, Uncle Joe. Have one. It's not that sweet."

Josephine picked up another piece, broke it in half, and held it up to Joe. The latter then opened his mouth and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully before washing it down with a sip of water. "Mmm. Not bad. Actually, it's pretty good."

Yvan clicked his tongue dramatically. "Oh, come on! You won't eat it when I feed you. Yet, you'd eat it when she does? Is your biological son not as good as your daughter-in-law, Dad?"

Joe burst out laughing, his voice hearty and full of life. "You little rascal, you've been gone for three years without so much as a phone call, and now you're complaining? Josephine checks in on me att the time-unlike you, you ungrateful brat."

The laughter was still ringing through the room when Zayn walked in. His expression darkened instantly. Even though they were both his sons, Joe had never laughed so heartily in front of him.

And just as he expected, the moment Joe's eyes landed on him, his smile faded. "Why didn't you come in with Josephine, Zayn?"

Zayn responded, "I was parking the car downstairs."

Joe gave him a pointed look and said, "You should take good care of Josephine. It's hard to come by a woman like her. If you ever hurt her, I'll personally make sure you regret it!"

Zayn almost laughed out loud. What a joke. He knew all about his affair with Nadine, yet he still had the nerve to say that in front of Josephine. The hypocrisy was staggering.

"Of course," Zayn said smoothly, sliding an arm around Josephine's waist. "She's the only woman I've ever loved. The only one I will ever love."

Josephine didn't pull away. Maybe it was the fleeting sadness in his voice. Or maybe it was just because Joe was watching. For the sake of appearances—she let it be.

Right then, the packaging was

casually tossed onto the table with a

loud thud. Yvan stood up and

stretched before saying, "Well, now

that you two are here, I can clock

out. You guys can talk to the old man. I'm off now." FindNovel

"Don't you dare, you little rascal!" Joe barked, though there was a

fondness beneath the scolding. "You've barely been here five

minutes! I let it slide when you were overseas. But now that you're home, you owe me more than a drive-by visit. Otherwise, if anything happens to me, don't expect to see a single penny from me!"

Yvan made a face at him. "Who cares about your dirty money? I can take care of myself."