No Return After Goodbye

I stood there, frozen. It took me a while before I noticed the driver Dwayne Elledge had arranged waiting in the distance. When I finally spoke, my voice came out cold.

"Brandon, stay away from me."

The driver stepped out to open the door for me, but before I could take more than two steps, Brandon grabbed my wrist hard.

His eyes were bloodshot, the anger in them refusing to fade.

"Jocelyn, even if I really had died, would you seriously get engaged to someone else after just three years? Doesn't that count as betrayal?"

Alanna walked up beside me, all calm and composed, and took my hand like we were friends. She glanced the driver up and down, then sighed like she felt sorry for me.

"Brandon, Jocelyn must've had a hard time these past three years. Otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up with a poor driver. And honestly, it's been three years. If she couldn't stand being alone, that's normal. You should just let it go."

The veins on Brandon's forehead bulged instantly. He shot me a look, his jaw trembling.

"So this is it? You're leaving me for this driver? For him, you're even willing to abandon our child?"

I let out a cold laugh. He actually thought the driver was my husband.

What he didn't know was that during the three years he was gone, I had already gotten engaged to Dwayne, the eldest son of the Elledges. Back then, at a business dinner, Dwayne was the one who introduced me to Brandon.

I took the driver's white-gloved hand and shut the car door with a sharp click.

"Brandon, you were dead, right? Then who I’m engaged to has nothing to do with you."

Brandon gritted his teeth and grabbed the car door, his face shadowed as he forced the words out.

"Did you forget? Today's our wedding anniversary! And now you're just brushing me off like it means nothing? Are you just like Alanna said? You couldn't help yourself and had to be with another man?"

When I didn't answer, he suddenly yanked me out of the car, his face cold and hard.

"Jocelyn! I was only gone three years, and now you'll sleep with just anyone?"

I didn't bother arguing. I turned and shut the car door again.

Under his stunned stare, I got in and left without looking back.

He collapsed to the ground, shouting after me, "You'd better not regret this! Once I secure tomorrow's investment, I'll make you beg me on your knees!"

I ignored him and sped all the way home.

As soon as I reached the front door, Dwayne wrapped his arms around me from behind.

His lips brushed lightly against my ear. "I've got an investment project tomorrow. I won't be able to make it. Can you go check it out for me?"

I didn't think much of it. "Sure."

He took my hand and led me out to a five-star hotel for a candlelit dinner.