I Refuse to Be His Second-Best Choice

At dinner, I sat across the table from them.

I watched them sitting close together.

Jenson skillfully carved the steak, placing all the tender pieces on Ashley's plate.

Ashley smiled, her eyes crinkling with joy. "Jenson, you really do know about me. You know exactly what I love to eat."

Jenson replied gently, "Of course. We grew up together, and I was your mentor when you first joined the firm. How could I not know your tastes?"

I put down my knife and fork and looked up at him. "Jenson, I'm your girlfriend. And yet you're cutting steak for another woman right in front of me?"

The room fell silent instantly.

Jenson put down his knife and fork as well, his brow furrowed deeply.

"It's just a steak. Do you really have to make a fuss now?" He said, casually tossing some tough pieces of steak onto my plate, his tone impatient. "We were supposed to celebrate with dinner tonight. I took time off to work overtime with you, and you're still not happy about it?"

He said so, but he'd spent the entire evening reviewing Ashley's case files.

I'd booked one of the most famous restaurants for tonight, picked out the champagne, and even worn the gown he'd given me.

But I felt everything I did for tonight was just a joke.

Ashley's eyes welled up with tears; she set down her knife and fork and lowered her head. "Denisse, are you mad at me? I'm sorry. I didn't know you didn't like seeing me with Jenson. I'll leave right now."

As she rose, Jenson immediately pressed his hand on her shoulder, his voice softening considerably. "It's not about you. Just sit down and eat. We've known each other for so many years. What could there possibly be between us? She's just too narrow-minded."

Suddenly, the light from the crystal chandelier above felt blinding, stinging my eyes.

I hadn't eaten anything all day, and my stomach was cramping.

For the first time in all these years, I clearly realized that there had always been a barrier between him and me because of the bond they'd shared growing up together.

Ashley was his childhood friend whom he had been protecting as she grew up, the new hire he'd mentored personally, and the classmate in college a year junior to him whom he'd always looked out for.

They understood each other so well that a single glance was enough for them to know what the other was thinking.

No matter how long I fought side by side with him, I could never be as intimate with Jenson as Ashley was.

Watching Jenson soothe Ashley in a soft voice, I felt utterly exhausted.

The feeling of loneliness I'd felt that afternoon, struggling to breathe in that overly tight gown in the conference room, then going alone to buy medicine, suddenly surged up inside me.

I stood up; I'd lost my appetite.

I walked toward the bedroom, leaning slightly forward, and the pain from the injury in my side began to flare up again.

It was only then that Jenson seemed to notice something was wrong with me, and he said to me, "Denisse, what's wrong with your back?"

I didn't turn around; instead, I closed the bedroom door behind me.

I faintly heard Ashley say in a timid voice outside the door. "Jenson, is Denisse angry? It's all my fault. I can't even wash my own bra properly, and I had to bother you to handle the coffee stain on it..."

I paused in my tracks, my gaze falling on the laundry basket in the bathroom.

On top lay a white lace bra and a blouse.

Both of them belonged to Ashley.

Jenson, who was a neat freak to the point of never even touching my clothes, had personally washed Ashley's bra, trying to get the stains out of it.

My stomach suddenly churned violently; I leaned against the sink and retched a few times.

I splashed cold water on my face and barely managed to calm myself.

By the time I'd pulled myself together and stepped out, the living room was empty.

Jenson was standing in the entryway, tying his tie. "I'm taking Ashley home."

He glanced at me, his tone softening slightly. "We'll talk when I get back."

When he returned, he carried a faint scent of gardenia.

That was from Ashley's usual perfume.

He was holding a first-aid kit and sat down beside me, trying to lift my shirt to examine the injury.

I instinctively pulled away.

He paused, his expression darkening. "Denisse, won't you stop making a scene? It's the first time for Ashley to handle files for a criminal case. It's completely normal that she made a few mistakes. Do you really have to be so harsh on her?"