Page 102 of Strictly Against Policy

Kham took my hand eagerly. He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling happily. “You’re welcome,” he said. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you, Jonathan. Your mother has told me a lot about you.”

As I pulled out of my handshake with Kham, I turned to my mom. “You talk about me?”

“About how much of a hassle you were as a kid,” she laughed. “And how much of a hassle you are now.”

“What am I doing now?” I defended myself.

My mom laughed, reaching out to hold my hand as Julie and Kham talked. “Refusing to talk to the girls I suggested you to date. But it looks like you’ve been waiting for a familiar face this whole time.”

I raised my eyebrows at her, only to end up wincing due to my stitches. A light chime of laughter escaped her. “Your sister said you and Lina were high school classmates,” she explained. I nodded slowly. “She seems kind. She’s also very pretty.”

The apples of my cheeks warmed. “She is,” I said.

“I’m happy for you, Jonathan,” she smiled.

Emotions swelled in my chest and ignited my face. My vision blurred. Tears formed in the inner corners of my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away.

I squeezed her hand tenderly, grinning. “I’m happy for you too, Mom.”

CHAPTER 41

Lina

Emotions clogged my throat the moment the pharmacy came into sight. I could barely bid Jonathan’s mom and her friend, Kham, a polite goodbye and a thank you for bringing us back. Guilt dripped down the hollow of my spine and pooled at the base of my back—leaving a cold and unforgiving chill across my skin.

Jonathan turned to me as I continued to stand in the parking lot, looking at it head-on. Neng must have left the pharmacy in shambles if Grace, Carmen, and Sheryl’s cars were still here. They must still be cleaning up. Another icy wave of emotions washed over me, weighing me down further.

“You okay?” he asked.

He tugged my clammy hand just slightly to drag my attention to him. I refused to look him in the eyes, making sure to look at his chest instead. Seeing the bandage on his eyebrow only made me feel worse about everything, and now we were back where it all happened.

“I’m fine,” I breathed through the emotions building at the back of my throat.

“You don’t sound fine,” he countered at once. “You’re not looking me in the eyes either. What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” I choked.

Jonathan’s gentle fingertips touched my chin and lifted my gaze to meet his. He sighed, voice gentle, with lightly knitted brows and a deep frown tugging at his lips. “You’ve apologized enough, Lina. Don’t torture yourself with this guilt. It’ll all be okay.”

I shook my head. “I can change myself and how I move in the world. But I can’t change my family and the way they are.” My voice was hoarse and raw. “This isn’t the first time my mom’s done this. She won’t hesitate to do it again. She did it at my last job, and I was constantly caught off guard whenever she showed up and made a scene. I wouldn’t be surprised if she barged in and did the same thing all over again.”

Jonathan’s face twisted as he let out a heavy breath. Thoughts formed behind his eyes as both his hands gently clasped my shoulders, as if he were scared I’d slip through his fingers.

“I can leave.” I nodded, shakily. “If you give me time, I’ll leave. I left my previous position because I couldn’t handle my mom coming in and causing all sorts of problems on top of the stress of being overworked. You and the team should never have to deal with my family’s antics. Only I should. I⁠—”

“You’re not leaving, Lina,” Jonathan interrupted me. His hold on me tightened. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. You should never apologize for the things that are out of your control. It’s not your fault.”

“But it is!” My breath shuddered. Blazing tears seared and filled my eyes. “If I had picked up my mom’s calls, then none of this would’ve happened. It was all me. If I hadn’t been so selfish, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I’m sorry.”

He reached for my face and held me gently. “I would do anything to make sure the woman I love is safe. Even if that means risking an eyebrow.”

“So, you’d even risk your life? What if it hadn’t been a chair? What if it was something else? What if my brother had a knife or a gun?” I barely managed to mutter. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if we lost you because of me, Jonathan.”

“I also wouldn’t know what to do if you were the one hurt. You really think I’d sit back and let horrible things happen to you? Or that I’d stand there and just watch you suffer?” He countered, wiping the corners of my eyes. “I’m yours, Lina—your man and protector. As long as I’m at your side, I promise I will always be your shield. From your family, from your struggles, and from whatever weighs down your mind and heart. Let me be this for you, please.”

My bottom lip quaked as my fingers slid up. I gingerly touched the bandage on his eyebrow and at the suffering my family and I had caused him. “You and your family are too understanding,” I rasped.

“My family isn’t an exception, though. Your family may have issues, but so does mine. We have our own faults, misunderstandings, and problems as well.” He sighed. “We’re not perfect. We’re only human. Like your mom and brother. I only hope whatever happened today will teach them a lesson to never treat you like that again.”