Chapter 4

Just as the atmosphere settled into something comfortable, a sudden commotion broke out outside.

The door to the private room was shoved open, hard.

Jonathan stumbled in, breathing heavily. His eyes were red, glossy with unshed tears, his expression twisted with love and resentment all at once.

"I can explain," he said hoarsely. "Last time, I really can."

"You just disappeared," he went on, voice cracking. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Please," he said, each word sounding like both an accusation and a plea. "Don't leave me."

The waiter outside looked completely stunned, clearly unprepared for this kind of scene.

My expression soured.

I'd always valued dignity.

This was the kind of spectacle I hated most. I'd already braced myself for the possibility that this engagement was about to fall apart.

In my head, Joshua, someone so accomplished and composed, would probably want nothing to do with this mess.

Maybe he'd excuse himself with a cold remark. Maybe he'd offer a polite smile and leave.

Instead, he stood up. He walked calmly toward Jonathan and extended his hand.

"Hello," he said evenly. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Lauren's fiancé."

For a moment, the room froze. Jonathan wasn't the only one stunned. So was I.

But when I came to my senses, I couldn't help but get curious about him.

Jonathan pressed his lips together, shooting Joshua a dark, hostile look, refusing to shake his hand.

Joshua didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He calmly withdrew his hand, then tilted his head toward me, his voice dropping into something soft and intimate.

"Baby," he said lightly, almost lazily, "is this the little boyfriend you're keeping on the side?"

The words sounded affectionate, but his eyes betrayed him. They swept over Jonathan slowly, deliberately, every syllable soaked in provocation.

I shot Joshua a sideways look, half-amused, half-warning. He met my gaze with a smile that told me everything.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

Encouraged by my silence, Joshua slid an arm around my waist from behind, pulling me closer like it was the most natural thing in the world.

That was the breaking point. Jonathan looked like he'd been stabbed straight through the chest. His eyes reddened, his jaw tightened, his fists curling as if he were barely holding himself together.

Before I could say a word, he snapped. "He's not a side piece."

His voice shook, but his insistence didn't. "We're together. We're dating."

Jonathan shot me a look, stubbornness blazing in his eyes.

Joshua simply nodded. "Oh." Then, without a hint of hesitation, he said, "That won't last."

He said it straight up, no beating around the bush. "She's going to marry me, and break up with you."

His tone was unshakable, like he was stating a fact.

I looked at Joshua and curved my lips in a sly smile.

It's rare for someone to catch my interest this fast.

Now, this was getting interesting.

Jonathan saw right through me and planted himself firmly between Joshua and me, cutting Joshua off.

He mumbled, his voice stubborn and shaky, "Not gonna happen. She likes me. She loves me."

"Jonathan," I cut him off, "that was seven years ago.

"I said I used to like you. I never said I still love you."

This had never been about love. It was about compensation.

About the version of me who had once been small and invisible, finally being acknowledged by the woman I had become.

Back then, loving you was just wishful thinking, trying to comfort myself with dreams I could never reach.

Now, everything I ever wanted is finally right within my grasp. My dreams were actually coming true.

I didn't care where his pain went. I only cared whether I felt satisfied.

Jonathan stared at me for a long moment, and then, without warning, he broke down completely.

The date, surprisingly, didn't fall apart after that. Later that night, Joshua and I went to see a movie, then had dinner together.

He was impeccably polite. When we arrived at my place, he stepped out first, opened the car door for me, and even lifted a hand to shield my head from the doorframe as I got out.

"You're pretty smooth, huh?" I teased him. "So, Joshua, just how many girls have you dated before?"

"Would you believe me if I said none?" he replied.

I shook my head, giving him a look that said I wasn't buying it.

He gave a wry smile. "Seriously, not a single one."

Seeing I still didn't buy it, he went on, "I've always been pretty emotionally distant. My friends always said my smile looked fake as hell."

Joshua touched the corner of his mouth, where a smile had unconsciously formed.

This time, he didn't smile at all, his face going completely expressionless. "But then they'd say I looked intimidating when I wasn't smiling."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.