Chapter 1

Jocelyn's POV

Someone from the crowd teased, "Shawn, it's like heaven's smiling on you two, letting you and Alyssa be a couple for the day to make up for the lost time."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. Shawn has everything going for him, yet we haven't heard a word about his love life in years. It really makes you wonder if he's been hung up on someone this whole time."

The crowd's eyes darted back and forth between my secret boyfriend, Shawn Lowell, and his childhood sweetheart, Alyssa Sutton, their expressions heavy with implication.

Alyssa's ears flushed pink under everyone's gaze. She gave Shawn a playful shove, but he just stood there with a faint smile on his lips, neither confirming nor denying anything.

He played it off. "That's enough, guys. It's all in the past."

Then, as if to justify himself, he added, "I couldn't really catch anyone else's scent. I chose Alyssa because of her jasmine scent. It's the same one she wore back in school. Besides, if I'd grabbed the wrong woman by mistake, it would've been mortifying for her. I've still got a shred of decency left."

The room erupted in whistles and laughter, the suggestion hanging in the air.

I laughed along, easy and practiced, though my jaw ached from holding the smile.

I couldn't put a name to what I was feeling. It was a suffocating mix of bitterness and a sharp, aching tightness.

Before we left this morning, we had used the same bottle of body wash.

It was the oud scent Shawn had been loyal to for five years.

I'd once told him it was too heavy and that I wanted to switch, but he'd looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes.

He said he was a creature of habit and that only things that never changed made him feel secure.

"Like you," he'd said.

I'd let that one line get to my head. I'd bought two whole cases at once—enough to last eight years.

And yet here I was, standing right in front of him, carrying that exact same scent.

How could he possibly not recognize it?

"Wait… Jocelyn, why do I feel like you and Shawn smell the same?" the bride-to-be, Kristine Tanner, asked me as she brushed past me.

Her words sent a sudden hush over the room.

Everyone there knew Shawn and me were like oil and water. For five years, we'd been at each other's throats, poaching each other's deals, clawing to bring the other one down.

But Shawn had pulled through those five years. He'd dragged Lowell Group back from the brink of bankruptcy and fought his way up until he stood level with me.

So… had the whole thing been an act?

Probing gazes began to shift toward me.

Shawn cleared his throat right on cue, his voice dismissive as he tried to cover up. "It's just some generic body wash. It's hardly surprising we'd smell the same."

He hated artificial fragrances. That was why he'd never once bought me perfume. Our home only ever smelled like soap and laundry detergent.

He claimed that if there were too many scents around him, he'd have nightmares.

In the stillness of the night, he'd pull me beneath him and lose himself in me, desperate to coat every inch of me in his scent. He wanted me to belong to him and only him forever.

His eyes would go bloodshot, and he'd hold me so tight that I could barely breathe. Last night had been no different.

And yet now, he was dismissing me as "generic".

I shot back, "You're right. I'll switch brands the second I get home."

The scar on my chest throbbed with a dull ache. I reached up, brushed my fingers over it, and smiled. "I'd hate to keep sharing a scent with a stray. It'll only bring me bad luck."

"Jocelyn, what did you just say?" Shawn snapped, and the atmosphere in the room plunged to ice.

His brow furrowed as he pinned me with a glare. He'd always hated it when I tried to draw a line between us.

But today, Shawn had no grounds to lash out at me. All he could do was stare daggers at me.

I was speechless at his audacity. Was I the one who'd asked him to hold another woman in his arms?

I let out a cold laugh. Just as I was about to snap back, Kristine rushed in to smooth things over, terrified we were about to blow up her pre-wedding party.

"Oh, come on, Josie. It's my big day. Do me a favor and don't let him get under your skin."

She tried to change the subject. "So, has anyone caught your eye yet? I know you have high standards, but if you're still single, I'd love to set you up with someone."

"I do, actually," I said casually.

I glanced around the room, my eyes flickering toward a figure in the corner before landing back on Shawn. Then I dropped the bombshell, smiling as I spoke. "I'm getting engaged this weekend."