Chapter 4

I woke up to the sound of Marvin's voice.

"Your twenty-first message. Jocelyn, it’s fine if you don't reply. I’ll just wait downstairs.

"Your twenty-seventh message. If you come back to me, I'll do anything."

He dragged out the words dramatically, reading aloud the messages I had sent Jocelyn when I begged her to take me back.

The hospital room door was open. Nurses and passing patients could all hear how I had been blocked, how I had stood in the rain waiting for her, and how I had begged her again and again not to call off our wedding.

When Marvin saw me open my eyes, he blew a dog whistle gleefully.

Jocelyn was sitting on the couch, exhaustion written across her face.

"Why did you let him see those messages?" I asked.

My throat was painfully hoarse. She stood up and poured me some water, her voice even.

"You've been unconscious for half a day. You woke up once earlier, then fell asleep again.

"Marvin said that if he read you some things from the past, you might react when you heard them. So, I gave him our chat history."

Marvin waved his phone.

"See? It worked pretty well. All it took was his owner's name, and the little dog woke right up."

He grinned.

"Don't be mad. At least everyone knows how much you love Jocelyn now."

I pulled the needle out of the back of my hand.

"Get out!"

Blood trickled down my hand. Jocelyn's expression darkened, and she was about to call for a nurse when a woman's sobbing suddenly came from outside the room.

The man who had stood up for my mother at the cemetery walked in. A pregnant woman followed close behind him. His face was bruised, and his clothes were badly rumpled. The moment he entered, he bowed his head to Marvin.

"Mr. Smith, I'm sorry."

I stared at him in shock.

Jocelyn explained calmly, "Marvin says the man rushed at him first, and that’s what caused the whole scene.

"One of the watches was damaged in the fall. Marvin wants him to pay for it, so naturally, he has to pay."

The pair of watches was worth $480,000.

Marvin insisted that since one watch was damaged, the pair was no longer a matching set. He demanded that the man pay the full price of both watches.

The man was just a delivery driver. His wife was eight months pregnant, and the family depended entirely on his income. The logistics company he worked for had investments from the Porter family.

That morning, all his delivery assignments were suspended. His supervisor had simply told him to come to the hospital and make Marvin happy.

He had brought every penny of his savings. He had even contacted a used-car dealer to arrange to sell his car.

I stared at Jocelyn.

"He did nothing wrong! Marvin shoved me from behind. The man even tried to catch me!

"I want Marvin to apologize at my mother's grave."

Marvin's eyes immediately reddened, while Jocelyn leaned back against the couch and looked down at us as if she were passing judgment.

"Fine.

"The moment you forgive Marvin, I will have the company restore the man's delivery assignments.

"Until then, he can figure out how to pay for the watches himself."

The man's wife grabbed the hem of my shirt, tears streaming down her face.

"Mr. Shaw, our baby is due next month. We really don’t have that kind of money."

I trembled with anger.

"Jocelyn, if you have a problem with me, come after me."

"I am coming after you." She leaned forward and looked straight at me. "Bobby, if you refuse to bow your head, someone else will have to suffer in your place."

Marvin snickered beside her.

"Teach one a lesson, and the rest will learn to behave. That works on dogs, too."

Jocelyn did not stop him. She simply looked at the driver, who was on the verge of dropping to his knees, and spoke with casual contempt.

"A man with no money or power dares to stand up for someone else.

"You two are a lot alike.

"You both think that if you make enough noise, you can get justice for yourselves."

The man's wife was crying so hard she could barely stand.

I closed my eyes and finally spoke.

"I forgive Marvin."

Only then did Jocelyn call someone in front of me and order them to restore the man's delivery assignments. She also told them to make sure Marvin stopped pursuing the compensation claim.

She stroked my hair as if rewarding a dog that had finally learned to behave.

"If you had been this sensible from the beginning, he wouldn’t have had to suffer."

I clenched the dog tag in my palm until its sharp edge dug painfully into my skin.

Over the next few days, I took my medication on schedule and remained in the hospital for observation. The wound on my forehead required stitches, and my right leg had a hairline fracture. I wore a brace to keep it stable.

I hired a caregiver named Janet Woods and arranged for someone to look after Marshmallow at the hotel.

Before I was discharged, I checked with the doctor about travel precautions and arranged wheelchair assistance at the airport in advance.

Jocelyn assumed I was eager to leave the hospital because I did not want to miss our wedding again.

The night before the wedding, I returned to our marital home, tried on my tuxedo with its trouser legs altered to accommodate my brace, and quietly listened as she went over the next day's schedule.

At noon on the wedding day, Marvin insisted that Jocelyn ride with him to the hotel early so she could help supervise the decorations.

Jocelyn straightened my bow tie.

"Your leg is injured. Wait for the driver to come back for you. Don't go wandering around on your own."

I nodded.

After her car disappeared through the gates, I took off my tuxedo and placed the dog tag on top of the printed wedding cancellation notice. I also messaged the wedding planner, telling him to notify the guests immediately and cancel that evening's ceremony.

Then, I took my packed luggage and got into the car I had arranged to take me to the airport.

Marshmallow was handed over to a pet transport service I had booked in advance. They would take her straight to the house I had rented in my new city.

As the boarding announcement blared, Jocelyn called me.

For the first time, her voice was trembling.

"Bobby, where are you?"

I watched the planes taxi slowly through the glass and smiled slightly.

"I got lost.

"This time, no one is bringing me back to you."