Chapter 3

I spent the whole day thinking about this question. By the time Jace came to get me in the afternoon, I still didn't have an answer, but I followed him anyway.

Habit is a tough thing. After ten years, I had gotten used to him and going home to the Johnston residence after work.

"Why aren't you talking?" Jace probably sensed my mood and started the conversation.

I was quiet for a few seconds. "Jace, maybe we should--"

Before I could finish, his phone rang. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number, but I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten.

He was nervous, which was rare.

I looked at his face, but he quickly disconnected the call from the car's Bluetooth and switched to his earpiece. "Hello... Yes, I'm on my way."

The call was brief. He hung up and looked at me. "I've got something urgent to handle, so I can't give you a ride home."

It wasn't the first time. Even if he hadn't said anything, I knew he was going to leave me behind. But I still hoped he might take me home first.

A sharp pain hit my heart, and I held back my sadness. "Is something wrong?"

Jace's jaw tightened. He didn't answer. Instead, he stared out the window and said, "I'll drop you off up here. You can catch a cab home."

He didn't even bother to explain and had already made arrangements.

What could I say? Questioning him or making a fuss would only humiliate myself.

"Let me know when you get home... Shoot me a text." He said while parking on the side of the road.

I tightened my grip on my bag and got out of the car.

It wasn't my imagination. From his reaction to the call to his refusal to let me hear it over the car speaker, I had a bad feeling.

But I said nothing.

Obviously, he was doing something behind my back, but I kept pretending otherwise.

"Be careful!" He gave me a reminder before leaving in a hurry, but in the end, he drove off without a second thought.

I stood there, staring in the direction he left for a long while, then I looked down at my toes.

My phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket. It was my best friend, Lena Lane, calling.

"Hey Rea, where are you? Want to have dinner?"

Lena was an obstetrician and gynecologist. Despite being young and single, she had extensive experience in delivering babies.

"Sure," I agreed without hesitation.

Lena immediately teased, "Did hell freeze over today? You always say you need to check with Jace first. Why'd you agree so quickly?"

A lump formed in my chest. For ten years, I'd lived like Jace's sidekick, always checking in with him before hanging out with Lena, afraid he'd freak out if he couldn't find me.

But Jace's words today made me realize I had become a burden to him.

"Are you at the hospital or at home?" I didn't answer Lena and asked instead.

Lena gave me an address and told me to go there.

***

"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Jace?" Lena immediately sensed something was off when she saw me.

She was one of my few friends, and I didn't hide anything from her.

After listening, Lena cursed, "What a jerk! Saying you're 'lacking flavor'? As if he's slept with you a thousand times!"

Her words didn't comfort me. Instead, they made me feel humiliated. In all the years I'd been with Jace, we had never been intimate.

There were moments of closeness, like that one time I got drunk and made a move on him, but he just wrapped me up and sent me back to my room.

I used to think Jace respected me, not wanting to take advantage of me when I was drunk. Today I realized he just wasn't interested in me.

Didn't they say if a man really loved a woman, he'd want to sleep with her?

But Jace never showed any desire for me.

"Lena, I think I'm ready to let go."

The difficult question I had been wrestling with all day suddenly had an answer.

"Good, I support you," Lena clinked her glass with mine. "There are plenty of hunks out there, and with your looks, you can have your pick. Why settle for a two-timing jerk?"

Lena was right. At eighteen, I won a beauty pageant. If Jace hadn't stopped me, I'd probably be a celebrity by now.

With my beauty, I had received countless admirers and suitors over the years, but none of them moved me.

'Because the only one I want is Jace!' The thought made my nose sting. I didn't want Lena to see me cry, so I hurried to the restroom.

In my rush, I collided with someone coming out, knocking them down and landing on top of them.

Just as I was about to apologize, the person screamed, "Help! She's molesting me!"