ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE

JOCELIA'S POV

I slumped on the kitchen stool, wearing nothing but an old pair of sweats, a bowl of ice cream in one hand, my phone in the other. The cold sweetness numbed my mouth, but it did nothing to dull the ache in my chest. My thumb swiped listlessly across the screen as I scrolled through article after article about Grayson Lockwood. The headlines all screamed the same thing—his final breakup with me and the rekindling of his relationship with his ex-wife, Sylvia Hanson.

"Grayson and Sylvia Hanson Spotted Together: Back On?"

"Lockwood and Hanson Reunite After Split from Jocelia."

Each headline felt like a fresh stab to the heart, a reminder of what I had lost and the humiliation of it all. I tried to stop reading, but it was like picking at a scab that wouldn’t heal. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring the screen. I shoved another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth, the creamy texture soothing my throat, but it couldn’t stop the sobs that threatened to escape.

I was losing hi