Chapter 006

Jescyka's POV 

The first thing I did when I woke up was to call Marvy. I knew our conversation the previous day ended badly.

He picked up on the second ring, voice rough, still half-asleep. “Jess?”

“Hey.” My throat felt like sandpaper. “I’m not coming in today.”

He paused. I could almost hear him sit up. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “Just … packing. I am following Marvy on that family cruise this weekend.”

He paused again—longer this time. I could picture him rubbing a hand over his jaw, that muscle twitching the way it always did when he wanted to say something but didn’t.

“Jess …”

“I’ll be fine.” I cut him off before the guilt could crawl in. “Don’t worry.”

He exhaled, that quiet, resigned sound that says I don’t like this but I won’t fight you. “Alright. Just … be careful, okay?”

When the call ended, I just sat there staring at my phone, the silence pressing around me.

Part of me knew I was being stupid—going back, letting Marvy pull me in again. But another part whispered that maybe people mess up. Maybe no one’s perfect.

I’d kissed his brother, for God’s sake.

That thought hit hard. I wasn’t innocent either. I’d crossed lines I couldn’t uncross.

So maybe this was me trying to balance the scale, to fix something instead of breaking it more. Maybe going with him was a way to prove to myself that I still had some control over this disaster.

Or maybe I was just scared to admit the truth—that I still wanted to believe in him, even after everything.

Either way, I grabbed my bag and started packing, and I noticed I needed to get a few things from the mall.

*****

The mall felt too bright and cheerful for someone plotting emotional homicide.

I grabbed a cart and forced my brain to think about normal things—swimsuit, sandals, maybe a dress that said I’m totally fine instead of I might burn a man’s life down at sea.

That was when I saw them.

At first, I thought my brain was being cruel. But no…there they were.

Marvy. Melissa.

Walking hand in hand. Smiling. Like the world had never heard of guilt.

My stomach dropped so fast I thought I’d puke. I ducked behind a rack of sundresses, my heart hammering against the hangers.

My hands were shaking as I grabbed my phone. I took a few quick pictures—click, click—then switched to video. The phone nearly slipped right out of my grip.

Melissa leaned in, whispered something that made him laugh—really laugh, the way he hadn’t with me in months and then she kissed him. Openly. Shameless.

I caught every second.

Tears stung, but anger shoved them back down. God, I was such an idiot. Believing him. Believing that voice, that sorry, that “one more chance.”

Fine. If he wanted to play perfect boyfriend in public, I’d return the favor in front of his precious family. Let’s see how Mom and Dad Coldridge handle a little scandal with their champagne in their hands.

Back home, I called him.

“Where are you?” I asked, keeping my voice light, hiding the disappointment.

“Packing,” he said, smooth as ever. “Just praying you’ll come with me. My parents already can’t wait to meet you.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “That’s sweet. I’m packing too. You can pick me up later.”

“Really?” His relief sounded almost boyish. “Jess, you don’t know how much this means…”

“I think I do.” I hung up before he could start the speech.

My overnight bag took less than five minutes. Shorts, T-shirt, phone charger. I wasn’t staying longer than it took to ruin him.

Then it got quiet. The kind of quiet that lets old memories sneak back in. My parents. Or what little I remember of them.

They left when I was too little to understand why. Grandma never told me. Every time I asked, her lips went tight. “Some things belong to the past,” she would say, and that was the end of it.

But the past never really went away. It just kept finding me — in everyone who left, in everyone I loved who didn’t love me back the same way.

Now Marvy. The man who promised me forever. Just another name on the list.

A few hours later, he arrived.

He hugged me like he meant it, his arms too tight, breath hot against my neck. “God, Jess, I missed you.”

I hugged him back just enough to play along. Inside, I was breaking.

The drive to the airport was weird. Tense. As soon as we pulled in, I saw her—standing by the gate, suitcase, heels, smug as ever.

Melissa.

My jaw locked. “What is she doing here?”

Marvy smiled like it was nothing. “She’s my secretary. There’s some business I might need to handle.”

I let out a loud, humorless scoff. “Of course.”

But I didn’t argue. Not yet.

The flight was hell.

Window seat: me.

Middle seat: Melissa.

Aisle: Marvy.

Because of course.

Melissa treated the whole trip like a stage play. She brushed against him every chance she got—“accidentally” of course. Bent across him to grab something. Whispered in his ear with a laugh that sounded rehearsed.

He laughed back. Loud. Like he’d forgotten I existed.

Twice, she disappeared down the aisle and he followed. Came back with his shirt half unbuttoned and a grin he tried to hide.

I jammed my earphones in and turned the volume up until the music hurt. It was better than hearing them giggle.

Let them perform. I’d already decided how this story ended, and it wouldn’t be cute.

When we landed, the world looked too perfect. Blue water, shining deck, the smell of wine and money. The Coldridge family didn’t do anything halfway.

They stood at the port like they owned the sea—Marvy’s parents immaculate suits that probably cost more than my car. But it wasn’t them that froze me.

It was him.

Darren.

Standing a little apart from the crowd. Hands in his pockets. Black shirt clinging to his shoulders. The sun hit his hair just right, and those eyes—amber, piercing—found me before I even realized I was looking for him.

Everything stopped for a beat. Sound. Breath. Sense.

The pull between us was still there, alive, burning under my skin like it had just been waiting.

Then Marvy’s arm slid around my waist and yanked me back to reality. His smile was blinding as he led me forward, performing the happy couple act again.

“Mom, Dad,” Marvy said, his voice full of that showy charm he always used when other people were watching. “This is Jessica.”

The air shifted right away.

His mother looked me over—slowly, from head to toe—like she was trying to decide what exactly her son had brought home. 

“Oh,” she said finally, with a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “So you’re the architect we’ve heard about.”

His father gave a short nod. “Nice to meet you, Jescyka. I hope my son’s been treating you well.”

That word hope stuck longer than it should have.

I smiled, stiff but polite. “He’s been… himself.”

Mrs. Coldridge’s smile didn’t change. “He does take after his father,” she said quietly, and it sounded more like a warning than a compliment. Her gaze drifted over my dress—plain compared to her perfect red nails—and then she looked away, already bored.

Marvy either didn’t notice or pretended not to. He stood a little taller, looking proud, maybe waiting for applause. Then his eyes moved to the side, and I followed his gaze.

Next to Darren stood a woman—beautiful in that effortless way that makes your stomach drop.

Dark hair that caught the light, skin smooth and perfect, a red dress that fit her like it was sewn onto her body. She looked expensive. Confident. The kind of woman who knew exactly how much attention she was getting.

Marvy’s tone changed, smug now, like he couldn’t wait to say it. “And this…this is Riley. Darren’s fiancée.”

The words hit hard.

Darren didn’t blink. He didn’t say a word. Just kept his eyes on me, while Riley smiled beside him, looping her arm through his like she’d done it a hundred times.

A wave of emotions surged inside me—anger, jealousy, embarrassment—all tangled together.

He kept watching me, and there was something there, something I couldn’t name. Maybe regret. Maybe nothing. I didn’t care.

All I could think was how hot my face felt, how much I wanted to turn around and leave, and how much I suddenly hated every single one of them.