I Do, I Don't

"Mom, I've thought it through. I'll go on that blind date tomorrow."

On the other end of the phone, my mother let out a derisive laugh.

"What, finally got dumped by Jason?"

"I told you long ago. If a man's been with you for years without mentioning marriage, it's because he doesn't want to marry you.

"And now look at you. You've dragged it out until you're twenty-eight with no one willing to marry you, making even your grandmother worry herself sick. Aren't you ashamed?"

With just a few words, my mother smashed my self-esteem to smithereens before hanging up impatiently.

I stared at the phone screen for a long while, so lost in thought that I did not even notice when Jason Brown came back.

"Why are you dressed up so nicely? Going out later?"

His voice was low and smooth as he leaned down, his chin brushing my shoulder.

That familiar scent enveloped me, yet all I felt was a suffocating heaviness in my chest. I gently pushed him away.

"I just got back. I'll take my makeup off in a bit. What are you doing here?"

"What kind of question is that? I just went out with Bruno and the guys for a drink. Where else would I go if not home?"

Jason smiled as he countered, his eyes brimming with an affection that seemed to be reserved for me alone.

I pressed my lips together.

He was lying. He was obviously out meeting his fiancée instead.

Jason could not see the cracks in my heart, nor did he know that I already knew everything. He pulled me into his arms as though nothing had changed.

"Alright, don't be mad. Next time I'll take you with me," he teased against my ear, dismissing my silence as nothing more than a woman's temper.

His gaze grew hungry, predatory, as if he might devour me whole the very next second.

But before anything else could happen, his phone buzzed on the table.

With a frown, he stood and answered it.

I exhaled in relief until I heard the syrupy, delicate voice on the other end.

"Honey, someone's knocking on my door. I'm scared!"

That one word sent my heart plummeting into the abyss.

Jason's expression stiffened. He did not even glance at me, too absorbed in comforting the caller.

"Alright, I understand. I'll be right there."

Only as he reached the door did he seem to remember me. He came back to explain.

"Jennifer, there's something urgent at work. I'll handle it and come back later."

Without batting an eye, Jason dropped a kiss on my forehead, his lie smooth and practiced.

The moment the door shut, I stumbled into the bathroom, scrubbing at my forehead like a madwoman.

All I felt was bone-deep disgust.

I rubbed until my skin turned red, and when I finally looked up at the wretched figure in the mirror, the dam broke.

Tears spilled uncontrollably. I crumpled, sobbing in despair.