Chapter 3

Jocelyn's POV

"What? He's right here? Who's been keeping such a good secret? Come on, man, stand up and show yourself!" someone called out, head swiveling around the room.

The room erupted into a buzz of speculation as everyone started eyeing each other, the noise reaching a fever pitch.

At this, Shawn let out a subtle sigh of relief.

But the very next comment made his chest tighten all over again.

"You know… Jocelyn and Shawn are actually a lot alike. They both have a knack for dropping bombshells out of nowhere."

"If it hadn't been for Shawn's legendary bender after Alyssa left, none of us would have ever known he'd been carrying a torch for her for three whole years."

The atmosphere turned awkward for a split second.

Shawn broke the silence to explain, his voice clearer and louder than it had been all evening.

"That's ancient history. Stop hyping it up."

His eyes cut through the crowd and landed on me. He looked unusually tense.

But I suddenly didn't want to dwell on how much he'd loved Alyssa during those three years or on the decade they'd spent with their lives intertwined.

"You guys keep going. I'm hitting the restroom."

I pushed the door open, and a cool draft from the hallway hit me.

Only then did I pull my phone out and send two brief texts.

"You heard all of it."

"The marriage. I'm in."

The man on the other end seemed ecstatic. The typing indicator flickered incessantly.

But before the reply came through, Shawn caught up to me.

He grabbed my wrists, pinned them above my head, and trapped me against the wall. "Jocelyn, I told you that's all over. What's this little tantrum about?"

The overwhelming scent of oud washed over me.

Like a man possessed, he went for my lips with a desperate, aggressive hunger.

He always did this whenever we had a disagreement.

He was counting on the soft spot I had for him, on the part of me that couldn't quite walk away. All he had to do was wear me down. He knew that the moment I softened, I'd find a way to forgive him.

But this time, I turned my head away.

His kiss landed on my cheek, and he froze.

He raked a hand through his hair, his voice tight with frustration. "Fine. I shouldn't have done it. But Jocelyn, Alyssa just got back. My mom reminded me how close our families were growing up and asked me to look out for her."

He tried to talk me down. "How embarrassing would it have been for her if every other woman had a partner and she was the only one left standing alone?"

What about me?

I'd turned away every other man for his sake. Did that mean I had this coming?

"Josie, no matter how jealous you are, you can't go around joking about getting engaged to someone else," he said, his tone softening into something coaxing.

"Engagements take planning. I need to pick the right date, get everything set up, and give you the wedding you deserve. All of that takes time."

"And as for my mom…" he hesitated. "I'll handle her."

Shawn's mom had never liked me.

Fed by the rumors, she'd decided I was an arrogant, domineering woman who looked down on her son and was up to no good.

Lucky for her, her son had grit. He'd clawed his company back to life—even while I was, supposedly, crushing him.

So when Shawn first took me home to meet her, she slapped me across the face and told me to get the hell out.

She threw everything within reach at me—espresso cups, vases, slippers—and one of them shattered and sliced open my hand.

Shawn and I were forced to flee. I later found out that her husband had run off abroad with his mistress and the family's money, leaving her to suffer a mental breakdown in the aftermath.

That was why Shawn, terrified of his mom hurting me again, had insisted we keep our relationship a secret.

"Shawn? Where are you?"

In the middle of our standoff, Alyssa's bright, melodic voice rang out from the other end of the hallway.

Shawn let go of me at once, panic flashing across his face.

"Josie, go back inside. I'll come find you in a bit. I…"

Watching him scramble like that, a sudden wave of bitter resentment rose in my chest.

I couldn't bring myself to believe that five years of devotion could be brushed aside the moment Alyssa called his name.

I wanted to test him one last time. Just to see if he'd choose me. Just once.

"Shawn, have you forgotten what day it is today?"

Today was the day we were supposed to commit to each other forever.