The moment Joanna saw the man's face, she felt a great sense of loss.
He was definitely attractive. He had soulful eyes, a pointy nose, sexy lips, and a defined jawline… Everything about him was perfect. Although he looked like Ace in almost every aspect, he wasn't Ace. She really had hallucinated him!
Joanna wanted to laugh.
She should be glad that Ace died because it saved her a lot of trouble. On top of that, she no longer had to worry about her children being taken from her. She probably only hoped he was alive because she was drunk!
'Thanks for making me feel better last night. It really helped." Joanna smiled politely at Isaac, then turned to Clara. "Let's go.'
'Huh? Are we leaving already?' Clara asked in surprise. Her friend was so unpredictable sometimes! A second ago, Joanna had insisted that the man felt familiar and gave her a sense of security. However, when she was in front of him, she tried to run away. He was almost as handsome as Ace, so what was the issue here?
Clara stared at Isaac's handsome face for a long time. Finally, her eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers. "I know what it is!"
'What… is it?" Joanna asked with a confused look on her face.
'I know why you've lost interest!" Clara eagerly started to explain. 'His facial features are perfect, but his eyes make him seem a little too feminine.
That's why you didn't find him masculine enough. Look, once he puts on his mask, his femininity instantly disappears. Do you feel anything for him right now?" Clara exclaimed, urging Isaac to put his mask on.
Isaac obediently did as he was told.
It was true – he did look like a different person after putting on the mask. There was a sense of coldness and arrogance about him, and the lower half of his face looked like Ace's.
'What do you think? Has the sense of familiarity returned?' Clara asked.
Joanna glanced at him, but still didn't feel anything. Honestly speaking, Isaac looked a lot like Ace with the mask on. She nearly mistook him for Ace, but she no longer felt the same way about him like she did last night
"I had too much to drink last night, which was why I lost control. Now that I'm sober, I won't act so crazily. Let's not waste Isaac's time, I'm sure he needs to get back to work!" Joanna's head was pounding as she pulled Clara away.
The two walked out of the bar and hailed a taxi back home.
Clara was miserable throughout the journey. She had finally found someone who could help Joanna move on, but now that Joanna was sober, she was suppressing her emotions again. Clara was truly worried about her.
She needed to find a way to make this male escort more attractive!
Back in the apartment, Adie was watching cartoons on the couch, but he was clearly distracted. He frequently looked at the door, and he seemed anxious.
Beep, beep!
As soon as Adie heard the door being unlocked, he hopped off the couch and dashed to the door.
"Adie, why are you up so early?
Joanna felt warmth bloom in her chest when she saw her son waiting for her. She bent over to hug Adie, but he took a step back and put his hands on his hips sternly.
"Mommy, you didn't come home last night. You misbehaved. Tell me the truth! Where did you go?"
'Umm, about that…" Joanna felt a little awkward and didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell Adie that she got drunk at a bar and spent money on a man, could she? Adie would definitely lose all respect for her!
"I finished work late, so I decided to spend the night in the office. Sorry for making you worry, Adie." Joanna picked up Adie and muttered an excuse, feeling a little guilty. After all, Adie wasn't exactly gullible.
As expected, Adie took a deep breath before taking a few sniffs. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Mommy, you're lying. You reek of alcohol! You went drinking last night, didn't you?"
When Clara heard this, she immediately came clean about what happened." That's right! I asked your mother out for a drink last night because she's been a bit down lately. Work has been exhausting, and she needed to relax a little."
"That's ridiculous!" Adie scowled angrily. "It's dangerous out there, and Mommy is so pretty. Not only were you drinking, you even stayed out the whole night. What if you bumped into bad guys?"
Adie knew he was only a child, and adults wouldn't listen to him, so he decided to get help. "Looks like I'll have to call Daddy Liam and ask him to keep an eye on his wife!"
Joanna was a little sad when she heard this. She squatted down and ruffled his hair. "Baby, I haven't told you yet, but Daddy Liam and I are no longer together. However, it doesn't affect you in any way –
Daddy Liam will still love and protect you as he always has."
"Did you two break up?" Adie blinked. "Will Daddy Liam still love and protect you too?"
"Well…' Joanna didn't know what to say. After all, relationships between men and women were complicated. Even if she tried to explain it, Adie might not understand.
However, Adie was very smart. "Mommy, I know Daddy Liam will fall in love with another woman and protect her instead. He will no longer love and protect you. Isn't that right?"
Joanna smiled at her son warmly. "That's right. You'll have to love me and protect me instead."
Liam had done so much for her over the years. Now that their relationship had officially ended, she genuinely hoped that he could meet someone who deserved his love and protection.
Clara was worried Adie might feel disappointed, and she quickly tried to comfort him. "That won't happen. They might not be together anymore, but they still have feelings for each other. Don't worry, Adie. My brother will always put you and Joanna first. He'll do his best to protect you both!"
"It's different now because they've already broken up. I'm not as gullible as other kids, so don't try to trick me." Adie frowned contemplatively. "If that's the case, I'll have to do something for the sake of Mommy's happiness."
Joanna and Clara exchanged concerned glances. "What are you talking about?"