Jackson's POV
It was Valentine’s Day, and I had prepared a gift for my girlfriend. Planning to surprise her, I drove over to her office, but instead, I saw her walking out of the building with another man. They were laughing together as they got into the same car. She then slid into the passenger seat like she was used to doing that.
I followed them quietly and dialed her number.
“Are you off work yet?” I asked, trying to sound calm.
“Still working late. I’ll be home later,” she replied.
Then the line went dead. The busy tone echoed in my ear made my heart sink.
Half an hour later, I watched the two of them walk into a restaurant known for its romantic atmosphere. They took a table by the window. Waiting outside, I snapped a few pictures.
I needed to hear her explanation with my own ears.
——
By ten o’clock, she and the man, Dwayne Cohen, stepped out of the restaurant and got back into the same car. I trailed behind, torn inside. If she went to a hotel with him, what would I do? Burst in and catch them red-handed? But we were only dating, not married. Would that even count for anything?
I followed them until the car pulled up in front of our apartment complex, where we shared. They got out. Dwayne leaned in to fix a strand of her hair, and when he tried to do more, she stepped back.
But from where I stood under the streetlight, it didn’t look like rejection. It looked like she was playing coy. She was smiling, flirting even, just like she did when we first started dating. And that same charm that once hooked me now made me sick to my stomach.
Dwayne then blew her a kiss, and she waved at him with a bright smile before finally walking inside.
Watching them, rage surged through me. I slammed my foot on the gas and drove straight into the complex in the car I had bought just to surprise her. Heads turned as I drove in, as the car was impossible to ignore. Both Dwayne and my girlfriend, Penelope Fuller, noticed me immediately.
After I parked, I went upstairs and got home before she did. There, I sat in silence, waiting.
When the door opened, I looked straight at her. “Go take a shower. The water’s ready.”
She gave me a quick glance and replied, “I’m tired. I’ll just sleep. You should, too.”
There was none of the playful charm she had shown Dwayne. With me, she was all impatient.
“Already ate outside?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just grabbed something quick while working overtime.”
“I meant in another way.” My voice turned cold.
Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean? I work my ass off every day, and you’re accusing me now?”
Wordlessly, I unlocked my phone, pulled up the pictures, and set it on the table.
But her face only hardened as she saw the photos. “You followed me? Do you even call yourself a man?”
She scoffed. “You’re suspicious of me before we’re even married. Maybe we should just break up.”
After that, she turned away and stormed into the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind her with no explanation, not even an attempt.
Anger and frustration burned in my chest. I shoved the door open. “You’re not even going to explain?”
“Explain what? It was just dinner. You’re overreacting. And since you were following me, you know I didn’t do anything.”
True, she hadn’t gone further. But what she had done was enough to make my chest ache.
“That man you had dinner with. That was Dwayne Choen, wasn’t it?” I pressed.
“Yes. Him.”
“On Valentine’s Day, he gave you flowers and you accepted them. Back then, you told me it was just a boss showing care to his employee. I told you clearly that I wasn’t okay with you accepting flowers from another man, and you promised it wouldn’t happen again,” I narrated, reminding her of the past.
Then I continued, “Three months ago, you didn’t come home all night. You said his kid was sick and, since he’s divorced, the child needed a woman’s presence. You told me it was just sympathy, that you were helping out, and you swore you’d always let me know in advance from then on.”
