All his life, Jonathan had never had to comfort a woman, much less a crying woman. So, he could only weakly stammer, "Don't … don't cry."He hated it when women cried in front of him, much less Scarlett. Watching her cry so painfully overwhelmed him, and he was willing to do anything to make her feel better."It's all … all your fault! You ruined my wedding! Give me back my wedding! You fucking dickhead! I hate you!" Scarlett cried out in desperation and pounded her fists on his chest with all her might."I know … It's all my fault. If hitting me will make you feel better, then go ahead. Hit me as hard as you need to," Jonathan comforted.Yet, no matter how much Scarlett despised him and wanted to strike him down, she simply wasn't strong enough to hurt him. Jonathan barely even flinched, even though she used all her might.Scarlett kept hitting his chest for a while before finally succumbing to her fatigue and slowly placing her hands back on the armrest."Are you feeling better
Eventually, he gave up on trying to do work and went back to the room where he'd left Scarlett, only to find her fast asleep on the couch. He moved soundlessly toward her sleeping form to get a closer look. Even in her sleep, she was perfect. Although she was so close to him, she'd always be just out of his reach, and he'd never be able to have her. He sighed desolately at that thought before planting an affectionate kiss on her forehead and pulling the blanket over her body.Scarlett cracked her eyes open groggily bright and early the next morning. She'd only meant to rest her tired eyes for a while last night and hadn't expected to fall asleep. Looking down at her body, she saw that she was still in her wedding dress. The memories from yesterday came rushing back to her, making her shoot up from the couch. However, she immediately felt lightheaded and almost fell backward as soon as she sat up.On the other hand, Jonathan hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night. There had just bee
She was left all alone in the house. During the past few days she'd spent with Jonathan, she'd made quite a few observations about him. For one, she noticed that he valued his peace and quiet. This was reflected in his choice of residence, which was in a quiet and isolated location. Another observation was that Jonathan would only make a move if he was confident that he would be able to maintain the upper hand. That's why he'd been bold enough to crash the wedding. He'd known that he'd be able to sway everyone's opinion of Scarlett and take her away without getting into too much trouble once he showed them the video. Finally, Jonathan wasn't the type of man to regret his actions—he'd told her that repeatedly, time and time again.He clearly didn't want her to get back with Dylan, so Scarlett decided to ignore his advice to stay indoors. She wanted to find Dylan to explain herself to him and return her wedding dress.She went into the bathroom to make herself look somewhat presentable
Lucas watched Scarlett's lonely silhouette disappear into the bathroom and felt tears prick his eyes. How had things ended up like this? All he'd wanted was for his mother to be happy with Jonathan.Lucas pulled out his phone and immediately sent out a few text messages to Jonathan."Uncle Jonathan, how could you go back on your word? I only told you about Mommy's wedding because I wanted you to court my mother properly. But my mommy looks so sad right now, and you're not even by her side!" Lucas was still fuming after he sent that message, so he quickly typed another one. "Asshole!" Cursing Jonathan seemed to appease Lucas slightly. He turned off his phone after sending it.In the bathroom, Scarlett felt close to bursting into tears. She turned on the faucet before slumping onto the floor with her head between her hands and bawling. She'd never felt heartbreak like this before, and she couldn't stop her tears from streaming down her face. Thankfully, the sound of rushing water fr
"If that's the case, then I wish you both happiness." Scarlett had nothing more to say to Christina. She picked up her handbag and left the cafe. Christina's words echoed in her mind. Though Scarlett hated to admit it, Christina had a point. She'd indeed wronged Dylan first, so she had no right to blame him for sleeping with another woman.As she drove under the twilight sky, she thought that maybe it really was time for her to leave Atville for a while to clear her head.Jonathan finished up his work and returned home, only to find that Scarlett had left. He wasn't surprised; he knew that he wouldn't be able to force her to stay with him and that she needed some space to think. He checked his phone, which he'd ignored because he'd been busy with work before. He noticed that Lucas had sent him a couple of messages. He got worried as he read them—he remembered that Scarlett had still been alright when he'd left her in the morning, so he deduced that she must've gone out to look fo
"I already told you that she isn't with me. I'm not so despicable as to hold someone here against their will. If you keep causing a ruckus, I won't hesitate to call security on your ass. Scar probably went off somewhere to clear her head, so you can go ahead and look for her or even call her."Jonathan didn't want to get into another fight with Dylan. The scene at the wedding was causing a media storm; if he got caught in another argument with Dylan right now … he didn't even want to think about what the consequences would be."You really don't know where Scar is?" Dylan asked uncertainly after he saw how resolutely Jonathan answered him. He knew that if Jonathan had really hidden Scarlett, he wouldn't be afraid to admit it because he didn't care about what others thought about him. After all, he was the same man who'd forcefully dragged Scarlett away from her own wedding in front of so many wedding guests. "I don't," Jonathan replied as his phone buzzed noisily on his desk. When Jon
In fact, he was going to make Jonathan's life a living hell. He was going to send vague messages to Jonathan about his mommy and then ghost him again. Unsurprisingly, Jonathan frantically blew up Lucas' phone after receiving his messages, trying to get more information on Scarlett. However, Lucas was resolute and never picked up any of his calls. Eventually, Jonathan gave up trying to call Lucas and sent a message instead, asking where they were. However, Lucas simply texted back "I'm not telling you!", infuriating Jonathan so much that he wanted to throw his phone at the wall."Lucas, are you sad that we're leaving?" Scarlett knew that her decision to move was extremely sudden and that Lucas might be quite uncomfortable with the sudden change since he was still young."Not really. But Mommy, didn't Uncle Jonathan take you away from the wedding? So, doesn't that mean that he still likes you? I also know that you like Uncle Jonathan as well, so why don't you want to be with him? Bes
"No, she's lying. I just saw my dad today, and I bet my mommy was only staring at the menu for so long because she misses him," Lucas told Alicia, calling out Scarlett's bluff. He knew that his mom was definitely thinking about Jonathan. Why else would she look so glum? There was just one thing he couldn't figure out—if his mom liked Uncle Jonathan, why couldn't she just be with him? They were adults, but they all seemed to make life more complicated for themselves, and it frustrated Lucas to no end. Although Lucas knew that the simple solution to Jonathan and Scarlett's problems was to just tell Jonathan where they were, he decided against it. If he did that, his mother would never forgive him. "Is that true, Scarlett? Is your husband here?" Alicia asked, intrigued. She had a feeling that even though Scarlett was alone with her son in a foreign place right now, her husband mustn't be too far behind looking for them."Of course not. Don't listen to this child spout such nonsense,"
Scarlett knew there was no real solution to the problem between her and Jonathan. The both of them were just choosing to ignore what had happened between them.There was nothing left for them to do to fix what had been broken.Until now, she still felt as if she was in a dream. Was she really married to Jonathan? Was she really living with him in such a lavish house? She found it hard to wrap her mind around it because it was all so surreal.The warm water in the tub sloshed gently over her body, and she felt her eyelids droop. These few days have been tough, and she hadn't been able to sleep well. All she wanted to do was fall asleep in this tub. If she were any less rational than she was right now, she probably would've just fallen asleep in the tub.Scarlett changed into a simple set of pajamas after her bath, completely ignoring the sexy lingerie set that Jonathan had picked out for her. She could probably wear that lingerie set if she were alone but she couldn't possibly w
Jonathan's tone was loving and teasing, and she was immediately transported back to the carefree times she had spent with Jonathan at university. Back then, they didn't have much to worry about and could just enjoy dating each other without reality holding them back."Have you had breakfast? I'm making breakfast right now. Do you want some?" Scarlett asked."No, thank you. I don't like eating in the morning. You can go ahead and enjoy your breakfast," Jonathan replied. Jonathan never got into the habit of eating breakfast; after he went overseas, he had less reason to have breakfast. As such, he never ate breakfast anymore. After Scarlett had finished her food, Jonathan drove them to city hall to sign the necessary documents for their marriage.The entire time, Scarlett felt as if she were in a dream. Everything that was happening seemed so surrea. The absurdity of the events and the fact that she had not slept well in two days only made her more dazed. Scarlett hadn't realize
Scarlett immediately understood what he was trying to say and bashfully lowered her gaze. Since when had he become so sleazy? Going overseas had done nothing to teach him to be a better man. Scarlett didn't know how to answer him, so she stared silently at the ground. Suddenly, she thought of something and raised her head to say, "Jonathan, I have to tell you something. I can marry you, but you must promise me one thing. We won't have a wedding ceremony."Jonathan was upset by that suggestion, and he huffed, "What? No ceremony? Are you planning on just getting married in secret? Is it that embarrassing to be married to me? Is that why you don't want a ceremony? If you don't want to marry me, just tell me! You don't have to do all this to show how reluctant you are to marry me!" Jonathan had no idea what was going on in her head. What woman would outright refuse to have a wedding ceremony? Any woman would love to have a grand ceremony to celebrate her marriage, but now that Sca
Just then, Scarlett heard someone call her name from behind her, "Scarlett?"Scarlett turned in confusion and realized that it was the school counselor. She never expected to see him here, and her heart was filled with warmth at the sight of him. She hadn't seen him since graduating, so she didn't think he would still remember her. She hastily wiped the tears from her face before greeting him with a brilliant smile, "Mr. Brown! Why are you here?""I had nothing to do today, so I thought I would drop by to play basketball. How's work? Why aren't you here with Jonathan? I can't believe it's been a year already. Time really flies … I still remember when Jonathan would play basketball, and you would cheer for him from the sidelines. I miss all of you, so come by with Jonathan next time! By the way, don't forget to send me a wedding invitation when both of you get married. After all, I've got my eye on both of you, and I'm sure you will end up together. I remember how nice Jonathan trea
"Hey! What are you doing? Are you going home now?" Scarlett asked."Of course! Where else would I go? Didn't we just break up? Why are you calling me again? Don't tell me that you miss me already!" Teresa's voice which was filled with glee, came from the other end of the receiver. Hearing her voice made Scarlett feel much better than before, but Scarlett was worried that she would no longer be so happy after Scarlett tells her the truth. She didn't want her problems to affect the lives of those around her. Since she made a mistake, she would be the one to bear responsibility, and no one else should have to suffer because of her … especially not her best friend.Scarlett hesitated before asking, " Teresa, do you like your job?""What's not to like? I love it! Being a teacher is my dream! My students are obedient and understanding. My job also gives me a sense of accomplishment! Why are you asking me this now? I've told you before that my dream is to be one of the best teachers in
As she spoke, Scarlett attempted to push Jonathan away, but he was too strong. She couldn't fight back at all. She felt like a fragile child in front of Jonathan, and he could crush her into pieces with just a little force. Jonathan leaned in and whispered coldly, "Do you think I’m still as compliant as before, allowing you to push me away repeatedly? Let me tell you, I’m not the same. How well do you think you know me? Let me make it clear, I will get what I want, including you!" Scarlett sensed the threat in Jonathan's words and looked at this unfamiliar man with some caution. She asked cautiously, "Jonathan, are you threatening me? What exactly do you mean? Why don't you just tell me instead of playing games? My time is not free, so let me go if you won't talk. I still have to work tomorrow." Scarlett was truly exhausted at this moment. Listening to her colleagues discuss Jonathan in the office had already put her on edge. After work, she spent so much time walking aroun
Jonathan did not take her comments to heart and continued coldly, "You came home quite late, Scarlett. It seems like you've learned to enjoy life more now, huh? Weren't you just a bookworm before? Why are you so late today? You've changed a lot after starting work and made more friends, huh? Tell me, who were you out having dinner with just now? A colleague? Your boss? Or is it your boyfriend? Whoever it is, it seems like he takes good care of you, and since you were having so much fun with him, why bother coming back home in the evening?" Scarlett could hardly believe the cruel words that came from his mouth. When did Jonathan become so heartless? Although he could be a bit carefree before, he would never say such things to her. In Scarlett's eyes, Jonathan had always been gentle and caring, completely different from the person uttering these words now. Scarlett felt infuriated and couldn't help defending herself, "It's not what you think! I was just having a cup of coffee with
The two best friends chatted, and before they knew it, time had passed as they enjoyed their coffee. Soon, night fell, and the sky that was once adorned with the setting sun was now full of twinkling stars. It was beautiful, but it also reminded Scarlett of the day she parted ways with Jonathan. That day was just like today, a beautiful night with bright stars. However, things had changed, and she could never sit here and talk with Jonathan as she did that day. Teressa noticed the shift in mood from across the table. After hesitating, Teresa couldn't help but speak up, "Scarlett, Jonathan ... He's coming back soon." Teresa didn’t know the details of Scarlett and Jonathan’s relationship, but she knew they went on a trip together during their final year while everyone was looking for internships. It was quite sudden since Scarlett barely hung out with Jonathan. Then, there were rumors that they were dating, but Jonathan went abroad to study soon after, and Scarlett never menti
Scarlett sighed heavily at these words. “Yeah, there’s no way our small magazine can get an interview with the great Jonathan Leonard. Only those major news outlets have the qualifications for that. It’s his first time returning to the country after going abroad, so this is big news. The media would be busy with this, but it’s certainly not for us to handle.” Just then, the editor-in-chief of the office suddenly appeared. He must have overheard their discussions outside and sternly said, “Am I paying you to gossip around? You’re all good for nothing. You’re all itching to gossip now that I’ve eased up on you?” Once he roared, everyone fell silent. They either looked down at their computers or pretended to be busy with their work. No one responded to him. Who dared to oppose the editor? His words were final. However, Scarlett, who had always disliked this editor, felt grateful to him at this moment. She thanked him silently for saving her from her colleague’s gossiping. This wa