Ice and Fire novel Chapter 39

Andrew gazed at the three of them but said nothing. He knew his grandson's intention. After all, he had a vivid memory of things that had happened years ago.

Seeing this situation, Jean could not hold herself back and asked, "Jackson, why don't you introduce this girl to us? You must know her, right?"

Everyone looked at Jackson and wondered how he would introduce Sally He.

Sally He noticed Jackson's embarrassment, so she hastily introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Sally He. I've heard that John got married, so you must be his wife. Am I right? You're so beautiful!"

But Sally He's compliment did not distract Jean. She still looked at Jackson and Cherry and then she turned to Cherry.

"Cherry, are you sad for this woman? Or for your husband's wound?" Jean asked, aggressively.

Before Cherry could answer her question, Jackson coldly said, "Jean, heed your status. She is my wife!"

His words silenced Jean. Jean was angry and she wanted to retort back, but she dared not offend him when she looked at Jackson's cold face. Jackson was dangerous even when he was wounded.

Lucia felt that the atmosphere was a bit tense, so she hurriedly said, "Jackson, just take care of yourself in the hospital. If you need anything, let me know."

"Even though I need something, I don't need you to satisfy my needs." Jackson replied, coldly.

John was a bit angry, so he said, "Uncle Jackson, how dare you speak to my mom like this! After all, she is your sister."

"John Ye, who are you to lecture me?" Jackson was impolite with everyone.

John said nothing.

Cherry saw that Jackson had donned a long face and was cruel to everyone.

"If he doesn't have the right to lecture you, do I?" Cherry said, stood up and released Jackson's hand. Then she took a few steps back to distance herself from Jackson.

Jackson looked at Cherry, astonished. He hadn't expected her to react this way.

Cherry pointed at Sally He and then looked at Jackson, saying, "If it hadn't been for her, would you be wounded? Would we have become like this?"

Hearing Cherry's words, those around realized that the reason why Cherry was mad at Jackson was actually because Sally He had come back.

Jean intended to exacerbate their contradiction, so she asked, "That's it! No wonder Cherry has been crying so sadly. It is because she has been wronged and nobody knows."

"Jean, this is not time for you to thrust your nose in my business!" Cherry was angry, too. How dare Jean say that in such a situation?

"Cherry!" Jean said, angrily, "Who the hell are you to lecture me?" Don't blame others for your own poor fate! You are a bitch! Just like your shameless mom! Both of you deserve to be abandoned. Both of you are the fifth wheel, no matter where you are!"

Jean swore at Cherry the way she used to at their home in the old days. She did not notice that Andrew's and Jackson's faces had darkened with anger.

"Jean! Do you want to die?" Jackson almost yelled at Jean.

Except for Andrew, everyone else shivered. Even Sally He, standing in the corner, was scared. Everyone saw that Jackson was really angry.

Jackson looked at Jean and said, "Is this your idea of being the wife of a governor? Don't you dare swear at Cherry again!"

Jean was so afraid that she dared not look at Jackson. She immediately lowered her head, without saying anything.

John was also silent, as if he had nothing to do with Jean. He did not care about Jean, and did not want to get involved in this matter.

Andrew was angry. Jean's words made him uncomfortable.

Lucia noticed Andrew's dark face and she knew that it was certainly because of Jean's words. So she quickly said, "Andrew, Jean is very young, so she is not sensible. Please don't be angry at her."

"You should teach your daughter-in-law how to behave, " said Andrew. Then he did not look at Lucia anymore.

"Yes. I know, " Lucia hastily replied and she glared at Jean.

Andrew then looked at Sally He and asked her, "What do you want to do this time?"

"I..." Sally He dared not say that she had come back for Jackson. However, she had no idea that Jackson was married. If she revealed that she had come back for Jackson, then she would be convicted of the crime of destroying a military marriage. And she knew best the consequences of this crime. She had grown up in the military's residential compound, so she knew the basic rules of the military.

Cherry also looked at Sally He and waited for her answer. If Sally He admitted that she had come back for Jackson, Cherry would tell Andrew of her decision to divorce Jackson, right in front of all these people. Since Jackson hadn't allowed her to divorce him, she wanted to let Andrew know of her decision so that he might support her.

But Sally He remained silent.

Andrew coldly looked at Sally He and bluntly said, "Jackson is married and you've seen his wife Cherry. So do you know what you should do?"

Andrew's words made Sally He feel highly disappointed. His words meant that Andrew had accepted Cherry as his granddaughter-in-law. This also meant that Sally He would have no chance of marrying Jackson.

After a while, Sally He nodded and replied, "Yes, I know."

Andrew took a deep breath, looked at Jackson lying in bed and said, "I've asked for sick leave for you, so you may stay in hospital to recuperate."

"Okay, " Jackson replied to his grandpa.

"Grandpa..." Cherry wanted to say something, but Andrew gestured to her, and she stopped.

Andrew cast a warm glance at Cherry and said, sincerely, "Cherry, you should believe Jackson. He will never betray you."

Andrew seemed to have made the final decision, so Cherry had no chance to refuse. Even though Andrew had said this lightly, she had to obey his words.

After he saw Cherry agreeing to his decision, Andrew was relived and left the hospital room.

After Andrew had gone, Lucia glared at Cherry, but she dared not say anything in front of Jackson. She knew that Jackson did not respect her at all.

However, Jean vented her emotions and said, "Andrew has left. So could you stop pretending to be nice?"

It was uncertain whether she was talking to Cherry or Sally He. Cherry just ignored her words.

John quickly walked in front of Cherry and asked, with concern, "Cherr, are you hurt? Is everything okay?"

This time, Cherry did not shun him. She smiled lightly and shook her head, saying, "No, I'm fine."

Seeing this scene, both Jackson and Jean were a bit angry.

"John, I'm still here. How could you two flirt with each other like this?" Jean couldn't hold herself back.

"Jean, don't you know my feeling for you? And don't you know my love for Cherr?" John did not want to talk with Jean at all.

"John, you should make the current situation clear. Cherry is your aunt and I'm your wife, " Jean tried hard to stay calm because she did not want to argue with John.

"Jean, if you don't mind, I want to divorce you, " John quickly said.

"You!" Jean was too angry to say anything.

Lucia hastily walked to them and pulled John by his arm away from Cherry, saying, "John, what are you talking about? Jean is such a good girl. What has she done that makes you so angry?"

"Mom, you don't understand." John did not know how to explain it to her.

Jean suddenly shouted, "John! What do you find so attractive about Cherry? Why do you still like her? I've tried my best to earn your love. Why can't you see my heart?"

"Jean, it is because she is Cherry. The woman I love is and will always be her, " John said, firmly.

Cherry felt sad. She thought to herself, 'John, if there were no connection between you and Jean, if you hadn't make that mistake... Maybe we would still be together. Maybe I would not have married your uncle.'

Jackson noticed Cherry's sad expression from the corner of his eye, and he knew that Cherry must have cared for what John said.

Jackson suddenly shouted, "John! Jean! Go away!"

Jackson gave them no chance to refuse his command.

The whole room was quiet. Lucia pulled John by his arm and said, "Let's go."

Edwin saw Lucia and John leave, and so he followed them out, as well.

Before leaving the room, Jean cast a stern glance at Cherry and then strode out of the room in her high heels.

Only Jackson, Cherry and Sally were still in the room.

Jackson looked at Cherry, who was standing not far away. Her face had a blank expression.

Then he reached his hand out and said to Cherry, "Come here."

Seeing Jackson's gesture, Cherry had no desire to approach him.

"No, " Cherry said.

"What on earth do you want?" Jackson drew back his hand and looked at Cherry, who had always been a headache for him.

Cherry thought that since there were only the three of them in the room, and since things had come to this, she should say the things that needed to be said.

"Now that there are just the three of us here, I think I should make something clear." Cherry summoned up her courage and continued, "Jackson, I know that our marriage is a loveless marriage. If you love her, you can just tell me and I'm willing to help you out. But..."

Cherry paused, looked at Sally He and said, "Before we get the divorce, don't get involved in our lives!"

"Why? You two have no feelings for each other. Jackson loves me!" Sally He said, proudly.

"Sally, shut up!" Jackson's tone was not so strong this time.

Cherry and Sally He just did not care what Jackson said.

"Even though he loves you, we are still a legally married couple. So what right do you have to break up our marriage?" Cherry said. The previous Cherry, who stood everything, was gone. She had gradually become stronger. She knew that she should defend her dignity, happiness and the so-called love at the appropriate time.

"Cherry! As long as Jackson loves me, I will try my best to be with him, whatever the cost." Sally He's determination irritated Cherry.

"Sally He, I will accuse you of breaking up a military marriage and punish you for the crime of destroying it. Do you believe that?" Jackson and Sally He heard Cherry say these words.

Hearing this, Sally He almost froze. She had suffered a lot from the military court. Whenever the military court was mentioned, she felt really terrified.