Chapter 4
I shot Jared a look of disbelief, but he just met my gaze, totally calm, like my reaction didn't even faze him.
He said, "If you hadn't gotten all jealous and shoved Erica, none of this would've happened.
"I was about to call the cops, but Erica stopped me. Kristen, you really owe her.
"I already had the maid clean out the master bedroom. If you still want to stay, you'll have to take the guest room."
Hearing all that from him, I suddenly felt so lucky I'd managed to pull myself out before things got even messier.
I started to say, "This is none of my business now," but Jared cut me off, clearly impatient.
"I need to get to the hospital to look after Erica. If you've got any problems, talk to my secretary," he said.
Jared strode toward the door when my phone suddenly rang, the sound slicing right through the tension in the room.
I was shaking with fury all over from how shameless Jared was acting, and accidentally hit the speaker button.
Raul's voice came through, cool but impossibly gentle. "Honey, are you coming home for dinner tonight?"
Jared froze, his face went dark as he glared at me.
"Kristen, quit playing these tricks. You really think having some guy call you is gonna make me leave Erica?" he snapped, pure contempt in his voice. "How are you still so stubborn and ruthless?"
Since that night, Jared was like a completely different person. I was just left speechless.
Or maybe he was just always pissed at me for something.
It was not like I ever begged him to stay with me.
After all, when I told him how I felt about him, he could've just turned me down.
Seriously, this whole 'wanting it both ways' act of his just made me sick.
Seeing the look of disgust on Jared's face, I said coldly, "Honestly, I really don't care at all what goes on between you and Erica.
"I came here today to set the record straight. I'm already married to someone else.
"Jared, I hope you and Erica live happily ever after."
Jared froze, then grabbed my wrist without thinking. "Don't leave. What do you mean by that?"
I jerked my hand free. "I've said everything I need to. I'm married to someone else. Now you and Erica can go live your perfect life together."
Jared stared at me for a moment, then gave a short, mocking laugh. "You're way too into me to just walk away. That guy on the phone? Don't tell me you hired some random dude just to mess with my head."
But as he said it, there was a hint of panic in his eyes. When I just looked at him in silence, he started to frown.
Just as he was about to say something, his phone lit up with a call from Erica.
"Jared, where are you? I really want to see you." Erica's voice came through, sounding all sweet and helpless.
Her voice instantly snapped Jared back to reality, his attention shifting straight to her.
He glanced at me, like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. Finally, he said, "Kristen, don't be mad. Once I've handled things with Erica, you and I will get married and settle down together."
With that, Jared walked out without even looking back.
I watched his back as he left.
This would be the last time I ever watch him walk away from me.
*****
When I got back to the new place with Raul, I found him in the kitchen. He was tall, muscular, and wearing an apron. Somehow, it made him look unexpectedly cute.
But what totally surprised me was how amazing his cooking was.
Raul actually laughed out loud when he saw how my eyes lit up after tasting his food.
"How are you this cute?" Raul teased.
I paused, a little stunned. No one had ever called me cute before. Most people just saw me as cold and untouchable.
I couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, having someone to eat with felt surprisingly good.
Back when I was head over heels for Jared, he almost never sat down for a meal with me.
He was always scrolling through his phone, looking all restless and on edge.
Looking back, I bet he was thinking about Erica the whole time.
I never went to the hospital to see Erica again, and I didn't bother to reach out to Jared.
There was still a month left before the wedding, and aside from the groom being different, everything else was moving forward just like before.
But even when I kept my head down, people still found ways to stir up drama around me.
With only a month left until the wedding, Erica's bitterness was finally out in the open.
She somehow got my number and sent me a pic.
It was Jared in the kitchen, cooking for her.
She even added a caption: [Bet you never had that, huh?]
I knew she was just trying to show off. After all, Jared had never cooked for me. Whenever we went out to eat, he always made me choose the restaurant.
Looking back now, all of it was just charity, scraps he tossed my way.
But I wasn't going to bother with her at all. I didn't reply, and I didn't delete the message either.
I wanted to see what else she'd try to pull.
Meanwhile, I'd packed up and went overseas with Raul for our honeymoon.