CHAPTER 39 Confessions

Jane woke up the next morning with Fred's kiss lingering in her lips. As much as she tried to push the thought away, she found it continuously difficult. She wanted to keep thinking about Max and finding a way to bring back their relationship. She didn't want to see Fred, not that day. But she knew she couldn't be absent a second day. Jane trudged into the kitchen, her eyes fixed on the floor, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Aunt Beatrice, sipping her morning tea, noticed the gloom that had settled over her niece's face. "Jane, dear, what's wrong?" Aunt Beatrice asked, setting her cup down. "You look like you've lost your last friend." Jane sighed, collapsing into a chair. "It's just... Father," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's being so unfair." Aunt Beatrice's expression turned sympathetic. "What's he done now?" Jane's eyes welled up with tears. "He's ended things with Max. He says it's not suitable, that I'm avowed to another. I couldn't care less about that