Chapter 40
Jared admitted to himself that he was jealous. His words became sharp and reckless, laced with anger, as he relentlessly questioned Yvonne.
Just then, Yvonne raised her hand in a quick motion and landed a slap across his face.
The sound of the slap echoed through the empty parking lot, making the moment feel jarring and intense.
“Stop it, Jared!”
Perhaps it was the anger boiling inside her, or maybe she’d slapped him too hard, but her fingers trembled slightly. Yet, her voice remained calm.
It wasn’t just his humiliation of her that angered her, but his disrespect for the emotions she’d once given him wholeheartedly.
Jared’s cheek began to redden from the slap, and he was momentarily stunned.
“Did I say something wrong? You’re so eager to go on blind dates. Isn’t it because you’re lonely and can’t sleep by yourself?”
He ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek. There was even a faint taste of blood lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Jared seemed to suddenly grow exhilarated. His eyes turned dark and sinister as he grinned at her.
“Yvvy, after all these years together, you’re leaving me just like that. You went on a blind date with that guy just once, and it was enough for you to rush back and protect him? Are you doing this just to mess with me? What makes that guy even worthy of comparison to me?”
Every question he asked was meant to provoke a denial from her. But Yvonne’s silence, which he took as an implicit acceptance, only fueled his anger.
“I can
date whoever I want. It’s none of your business!”
Yvonne had already given up on trying to reason with him. Now that Harold had made it out of here safely, she had no reason to stick around.
“None of my business? Yvonne, isn’t our bond deep enough?”
Jared stepped forward and blocked her path. His profile, half–hidden in the shadows, grew more intense and imposing.
“Since we were kids, I’ve never allowed any man near you. I’ve watched over your youth, so you should only be mine. I never share, and that hasn’t changed. You have no other choice but me.”
As Jared moved closer, he seemed to catch the faint scent of her. It tangled with his breath, making it hard to control himself, as if both emotions and desire were swirling inside him.
“Yvvy, I’ve never lost. You’ll never escape from me. Come back to my side.”
His need to control and possess her had completely taken over. Her face was reflected in his eyes. The burning fury in his gaze was like chains trying to bind her to him.
At that moment, as Yvonne met Jared’s gaze, she felt a sense of fear..
Her sweetest first love, the one who’d been by her side through the years and had always been there for her, was long gone.
And the end of this love was ruined by his own actions.
“What do you take me for, Jared? A shirt you wear? A watch you own? I was never your accessory. Whether you’re in my life or not, I’ll always be Yvonne Jamison.” She smiled bitterly. “Still, I should thank you. You’ve helped me see just how horrible you are. Now I know I should throw our memories as far away as possible.‘ “I’m horrible? Then why have you loved me all these years? Are you pathetic?”
Jared’s anger finally boiled over again.
This was the first time he’d snapped like this, and it all stemmed from one thing–Yvonne leaving him.
“If you didn’t love me, why did you stay here instead of going abroad? Why did you live with me? Why did you buy your wedding dress and wait for me to many you? Yvonne, everything you did proves how much you loved me.”
