What Heather said still hasn’t sunk in.
Is it true?
How did I miss it? How could I not feel it?
I don’t know what to think anymore. All the signs… they were there. Always there.
How could I be this blind?
I’m so stupid. Audrey, you’re so stupid!
It was in the contract, right? Written plain as day. So why didn’t I search? Why didn’t I ask?
God, why didn’t I want to know?
This is it, isn’t it? The real him. The real Jazper Ray.
When I stepped inside his house, I tried to breathe, tried to stay calm, but my chest felt like it was caving in.
What did I just walk into?
Is this really worth it?
And Jazper Ray… God. Why did everything only click now?
My mind was spinning. Numb. I couldn’t sit still. I paced back and forth in my room like a madwoman, fists clenched, stomach turning.
Then the phone rang.
Ericka? It had to
I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t even know what road I’m on anymore. The only thing I can feel right now is the pain in my chest. It’s like my whole world just collapsed, like someone ripped my heart straight out of me.And all I can think about is him. What he said. What he did. He didn’t love me. He used me. I know I should’ve expected it. I should’ve known. This was just an arranged marriage, after all.But still… isn’t it okay to feel? Isn’t it okay to get angry? Isn’t it okay to be hurt? I want to hurt him back, I really do. But I can’t. Even if my heart’s screaming in pain, I can’t bring myself to hurt Jazper Ray.That’s the difference between the two of us. He could hurt me, but I can’t hurt him. I kept running, my vision all blurry from the tears. Everything just felt so cruel. Like the world was playing a sick joke on me.And then, the rain
FLASHBACKThat night... That one night when everything felt real. We kissed as if the world were holding its breath for us. Like everything on this earth had paused just to let us fall in love, that was the sweet side of Jazper Ray Gibson. The part of him I’ll never forget.His lips. His hands. The way he touched me, it felt like home. I remember gasping for air, my heart pounding... And then, suddenly, he knelt in front of me."There’s something I want to give you, Mrs. Gibson." His voice was soft, warm. My heart was pounding."Give me your foot.""My foot?" I blinked, confused. But I did what he asked.He gently lifted the edge of my gown, then reached for something around my ankle. I looked down. There it was. An anklet, thin, delicate, and sparkling with tiny diamonds. All around it were tiny silver letters."J," I whispered, staring at it."A symbol of me," he said. "It means I’m yours.""Even without that, Jazper Ray... I’m already yours."He smiled, but it wasn’t playful. It wa
"J-Jazper..."I couldn’t stop crying. My tears kept falling, and my chest felt like it was about to break. Jazper stood still for a moment, then slowly walked toward me. The anger on his face from earlier… it was gone. I reached out to touch him, but he pulled away and turned his back. He leaned his head against the cabinet, then slid down to the floor.The room was quiet, too quiet. Only my soft sobs filled the air."Jazper..." I whispered again.He ran both hands over his face, then rested his elbows on his knees, his fingers gripping his hair. Watching him like that… it hurt even more. Seeing him cry like this broke something inside me. I knew he was blaming himself. I knew he was drowning in guilt.I didn’t want him to carry all of that pain alone."Jazper..." I said again, crawling closer."Leave me, Audrey," he muttered. There was still some sharpness in his voice, but I knew it wasn’t really for me anymore."I won’t," I said softly. My tears were quieter now. "Didn’t I promise
“Who did you think you knew?” he asked slowly, staring straight into my eyes.I couldn’t look away.It was like staring at a stranger wearing his face.“Is that… important?” I whispered.“Yes!” he roared, dragging me toward the wall.Before I could blink, he pinned me against it, his breath hot and furious with my skin. “You push me to my fucking limit, Audrey!” he shouted. “You really want to see what I am? Fine! I’ll show you! You want the monster? You fucking got it!”Jazper Ray ripped off his shirt, and I flinched at the way his muscles tensed and his veins bulged with rage. His whole body shook. I’d never seen him like this before. Not like this.“You want this? Huh?! Is this what you came here for?!”I couldn’t speak. I just stood there, frozen. Biting my lip so I wouldn’t scream. My heart was beating
What Heather said still hasn’t sunk in.Is it true?How did I miss it? How could I not feel it?I don’t know what to think anymore. All the signs… they were there. Always there.How could I be this blind?I’m so stupid. Audrey, you’re so stupid!It was in the contract, right? Written plain as day. So why didn’t I search? Why didn’t I ask?God, why didn’t I want to know?This is it, isn’t it? The real him. The real Jazper Ray.When I stepped inside his house, I tried to breathe, tried to stay calm, but my chest felt like it was caving in.What did I just walk into?Is this really worth it?And Jazper Ray… God. Why did everything only click now?My mind was spinning. Numb. I couldn’t sit still. I paced back and forth in my room like a madwoman, fists clenched, stomach turning.Then the phone rang.Ericka? It had to
I nearly choked on my drink. Hunter?I looked at Romeo, waiting.His cheeks slowly turned pink, and then his whole face lit up.He tried to act nonchalant, but the excitement in his eyes gave him away.“O-okay! Just for tonight! I’ll pretend to be a man, but only tonight, Ashley!”Ashley squealed, hugging him.Even I couldn’t stop laughing.So he really liked Hunter? I couldn't blame him.Hunter was silent, serious, effortlessly attractive.And maybe, just maybe, tonight was about to get even more chaotic.I burst out laughing, a little too loud. Maybe I was drunk already.Hunter’s eyes were locked on Ashley, but then he glanced at me with a smirk.“Hello, Jazper Ray’s wife,” he said, teasing.I raised an eyebrow. “Hello, Ashley’s bodyguard.”He snorted. “Are you even having fun? Because ho