Nina edged closer, her heart pounding with exhilaration.

She needed to heareverything.

This—this was thejuiciestgossip in town.

Already, Joanne’s reputation as a lover was in the trenches after what she did to Liam Sullivan—the town’s golden boy. She hadcheatedon him, dumped him, and walked away the moment she secured her Harvard degree, leaving his heart shattered for all to see.

And now?

Now, she strutted around with that high-and-mighty pride, set to marry theblue-blooded, filthy-richJonathan Meyer, acting as if she was above it all.

But karma... karma had a way of settling debts.

And here it was—served on a silver platter.

Joanne’sownboyfriend, tangled up in another woman’s arms.

This was better than any scandal the town had ever seen.

Using the cover of parked cars, Nina moved stealthily, her fingers tight around her phone as she zoomed in on Jonathan and the mystery woman. Just then, she saw Joanne’s truck rolling into the parking lot.

Nina feared Jonathan might get alerted by Joanne’s truck but he wasn’t even looking anywhere. His eyes were on that woman. The tension between them was thick, nearly palpable.

Jonathan lookedangry, his face set in hard lines, while the woman—beautiful, emotional—spoke with urgency.

"I’ve been keeping it in for so long," the woman said, her sweet voice trembling. "I can’t anymore."

Jonathan’s response was low, inaudible.

"Iloveyou!" she burst out.

Nina’s breath hitched.Holy hell.

Jonathan shook his head. He said something again, his body rigid, but then—the woman stepped closer, pressing her lips near his ear, whispering something meant only for him.

And just like that—his resistance faltered.

His shoulders tensed. His jaw locked.

He wassilent now.

Nina frowned.Why wasn’t this getting explosive?

She had expected a fight, maybe Jonathan storming off, pushing the woman away. But instead, he just stood there, absorbing whatever the hell she was saying.

Nina let out a frustrated sigh, glancing toward where Joanneshouldhave been by now.

And there she was.

But instead of witnessing the disaster unfolding before her, Joanne wastalkingto someone.

Nina’s fingers curled in impatience.Damn it, Joanne. Stop chatting and look over here!

She nearly growled in frustration.

How could shemakeJoanne notice?

Nina kept recording, shifting between the couple and Joanne, waiting—hoping—for the moment Joanne turned her head.

And then...

"What do you feel when I do this?"

The woman’s voice cracked with desperation, tears streaking down her face as she reached up, grabbed Jonathan by the collar...

Andkissed him.

Again.

This time, however, Jonathan didn’t resist.

His handsmoved. One gripped the back of her head, his fingers threading into her hair...

And hedeepened the kiss.

Nina’s breath caught.Holy. Shit.

This was it.

This wasthemoment.

Her camera didn’t waver, didn’t so much as shake as she captured every single second of it.

And then—she felt it.

A shift in the air..

She turned her phone lens...

AndthereJoanne was.

Standing frozen.

Watching.

Her boyfriend.

With his tongue down another woman’s throat.

Nina’s heart nearly burst with excitement. She had to bite her tongue to keep from squealing.

Back and forth, she recorded—Joanne’s stricken expression, the raw devastation in her eyes, and then back to the passionate, tangled mess that was Jonathan and his mystery lover.

Her fingers trembled with glee.

I deserve a Pulitzer for this.

*

Joanne drove toward the field, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts.

What she felt for Jonathan—what she was supposed to feel—was nothing compared to the wildfire stirring inside her for someone else.

Someone who was merely a paying guest in her house.

Someone who wasn’t even supposed to be a permanent part of her life.

Yet, JD had become more than just a presence—he had become an ache she couldn’t ignore.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.This wasn’t right.She had to confront what was happening inside her. JD wasn’t just a fleeting moment, not to her. But she didn’t want to let her thoughts stray too far.Not now.

The first thing sheneededto do was end things with Jonathan.

It was inevitable.

Maybe he knew it, too. Maybe that’s why he had pulled away that day, why he refused to kiss her. It couldn’t have been about the place—his office?Please.Even if he had been wary of the setting, he could have at least kissed her goodbye, even briefly.

But he hadn’t.

Because it wasn’tabout that.

There was no spark left between them.

And she couldn’t keep pretending.

A dull ache settled in her chest as she thought of Charlotte. The little girl adored her. This breakup would hurt her the most.

But was she supposed to stay in a lifeless relationship just for Charlotte’s sake?

No.

Joanne sighed, steeling herself. She had made up her mind.

By the time she reached the softball field and parked her truck, she was already pulling out her phone, ready to text Jonathan and ask him to meet her.

But before she could type a single word, she spotted Morgan and his friends unloading crates of fruit punch for the kids.

A distraction.Perfect.

She walked over, slipping into casual conversation with them as they prepared to carry the heavy containers toward the field.

Then—

That feeling.

Something prickled at the back of her neck.

A strange, eerie sensation, like someone’s eyes were on her.

Her breath hitched.

The escaped prisoner?

Her heart thudded as she subtly reached into her purse, her fingers brushing against the cool metal of her gun.

The teenagers carried on and she turned toward the far end of the parking lot, scanning the area with careful steps. A few cars, a stretch of pavement, and a tree standing just beyond the wall.

Muted whispers carried through the air.

Joanne hesitated.

Probably just a couple of teenagers sneaking off to "talk."

She almost turned back—almost let it go—

Until she heardhisvoice.

Jonathan.

Her stomach dropped.

Before she knew it, her feet were moving, her heart hammering against her ribs.

And then...

Shesawthem.

Jonathan.

Kissing none other than...Valerie Porter.

The world tilted.

A breath caught in her throat, sharp and cold.

For a moment, she could only stare, her mind struggling to process the scene before her.

Jonathan, the man she was about to break up with, tangled in an embrace with another woman.

Not justanywoman.

Valerie Porter.

And yet—

What struck her the most wasn’t the betrayal.

It was thewayhe kissed her.

Like hemeantit.

Like hewantedit.

Joanne’s hands curled into fists.

She had come here toendthings.

But it seemed Jonathan had already beaten her to it.

And...

Why did it happen to her again and again? Why? Was she that undesirable?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com