Jenny's eyes ached with unshed tears, and for one moment, she thought she might shatter then and there. It was so much simpler to keep it all bottled up, to keep her emotions secret and act like she was okay. But with Saben, it was more difficult to do that. He made it seem right to drop her guard, to share the raw edges of herself she'd kept hidden for so many years."I don't know if I can trust anyone at all," Jenny breathed, her voice a mere whisper. "But. perhaps I can begin with you. Perhaps that's a step."Saben's face softened even more, his eyes never wavering from hers. "That's all I'm asking for. One step at a time."Jenny's heart pounded, the space between them electric with the unspoken. She wanted to tell him more, wanted to say how much his words meant to her, how much she ached to believe him. But she didn't say anything. She just stood there, the moment hanging between them.Saben reached out, his hand grazing hers in a soft, gentle movement. "You don't have to get eve
As the evening wore on, Jenny and Saben made the rounds of the crowd of business acquaintances, exchanging warm smiles and polite conversation about different projects. The hum of whispers and clinking glasses filled the room, the air filled with a sense of professional aspiration and underlying tension. Jenny could feel the way Saben hovered at her side, his presence a warm reassurance in the maelstrom of the evening.Saben's low voice cut through the din of voices as they walked toward a gathering of investors. "It's great to see you all tonight," he greeted them with a relaxed smile, his charm unquestionable. His voice was confident and easy, as if he'd been bred for this type of setting.Jenny smiled graciously when the focus of the group shifted to her. She felt their probing stares, some weighing, others merely watching. Even with professional training, she couldn't help but feel out of place, more so after the tumult of the previous hour. Her nerves were still restless, but she
JM was frozen for a moment, his chest pounding with his heart pumping as Jenny's words came back to him. The depth of the hurt he had caused her—the same hurt he had tried to keep down all along—felt like it hit him all at once. He had blown it, pushing Eva away and trying to pursue something that was never going to occur. The truth was, he had been running from his own mistakes, and now, before Jenny, the harshness of it was too obvious to be ignored.He could observe Jenny take a step back, her composure faltering, her gaze downward as she tried to regain her strength. The ice between them was stifling, and the guilt eating away at him accumulated with every passing second.Captioning on the tension, Eva, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward. She had been watching the drama between JM and Jenny, her narrowing ever so slightly. Although attempting to remain calm, there is a hint of nervousness in her eyes.Eva turned to JM, her voice soft but authoritative. "JM, what is the
JM shifted uncomfortably beneath the intensity of her stare, but he regained his composure shortly. "I don't love her anymore, Eva. You know that."Eva's lips twisted into a tense, almost obligatory smile. "Do you really think I'm going to believe that?" She crossed her arms, not disguising the annoyance creeping into her voice. "You don't speak to somebody like that if there's still something there. You don't care about her, but you obviously care about how she looks at you. How he looks at her."JM let out a deep sigh, looking over the room at Jenny, standing next to Saben, talking to one of Zina's co-workers. Jenny stood stiffly upright, her demeanor calm, her face impassive, but a slight flush danced along her cheeks. Her smile was polite, but remote. And that stirred something in JM, a combination of frustration and regret."I love her, but I don't want to be stuck in the past anymore. She's moved on. I've moved on," JM declared, though the uncertainty in his voice betrayed him.
JM's eyes never left Jenny and Saben standing there, his hand still holding hers, their silence a wordless thing that was too intimate for a business gathering. Seeing them standing there, a combination of tension, worry, and something more, hit him with a wash of discomfort. He didn't care for it.His throat constricted, the discomfort hardening to something more bitter. A gnawing, jealous sensation he'd not anticipated.Before he was able to make sense of his mind, Eva Ross stood beside him, her heels clicking softly on the marble floor as she drew near. The frigid air surrounding her seemed to have an almost feral undertone, as if she knew that she could feel the change in the air, the tension that clung to him."What happened?" Eva asked, her tone tinged with interest, yet a slight something else—possessiveness, maybe. She wasn't a person to be seen as weak, and her piercing eyes sliced through the air between her and JM.JM's eyes flashed back to Jenny for an instant before he fo
The air between them grew heavy, the tension visible. Jenny felt the wine glass shudder fractionally in her hand, but she forced her fingers to stabilize. Her thoughts were reeling JM Reese, her old boyfriend, the man who had been everything to her a little while ago, was before her now, acting like he could simply resume where they had stopped. She had worked for years rebuilding her life, attempting to erase the hurt he had inflicted, and now here he was once more, playing the victim.But this time things were different.She was not the same vulnerable girl she once was. She was not the one who would fall for his charm, his words, or his empty promises. No matter how her heart hurt, no matter how much she still loved him, she could not afford to let herself fall back into the past. Not now."Jenny, please," JM's voice was gentle now, pleading, but she refused to relent, not for him. She didn't want his apologies, his words. Not now."I don't know what game you're playing," she spoke