He Took Me For Granted, I Said No

Chapter 2

Jasper froze for a split second, then huffed out a weary, forced smile.

His voice carried a thread of distraction so faint it was almost impossible to catch, "Ella, stop throwing a fit. I have to head to the airport soon to pick up an important business contact. If you say yes to my proposal, I'll have my assistant buy you that whole box of the milk candy you love so much, okay?"

I knew it. That 'important person' he was talking about was Monica.

She was finally coming home after finishing her studies abroad.

He was coddling me like a preschool teacher calming a stubborn kid throwing a tantrum about going to class.

But I wasn't going to be fooled this time.

My gaze drifted instinctively to the glass panel beside me, where my reflection stared back.

My hair was styled to perfection. I wore the white dress he'd specially commissioned for me, the fabric cinched tight around my tiny waist, my curves stood out nicely, and my legs looked long and sleek.

I was just like any leading lady getting proposed to on TV. I was a grown woman.

A full-grown woman, not a child.

In my past life, Monica's photo was Jasper's computer wallpaper. He couldn't stop staring at her, his eyes holding this strange, hungry look. Sometimes his breathing would pick up, coming in ragged, heavy gasps just from looking at her.

Plenty of people said that's what a man's gaze looks like when he's looking at the woman he wants, actually.

But the way Jasper looked at me? It was no different from how he looked at a child who always begged for candy.

I clenched the fabric of my dress in my shaking hand, ready to tell him again that I didn't want to marry him, not in this life, not ever.

That was when his phone blared from his pocket, the familiar jingle he'd set just for Monica cut through the quiet air.

He fished the phone out instantly, his whole face softening as he answered. His voice dropped to a low murmur, thick and sweet, as if it were soaked in honey.

"Mon? You've landed? I got a little unexpected thing here, but I'll sort it out in a minute. Stay put, don't go anywhere, I'll be right there to get you."

I stood there quietly, listening to that gentle tone of his, and it all came rushing back. It was exactly like it had been in my past life.

Even when he was right in the middle of our son's birthday party, he'd drop everything the second that phone rang, soft as silk, comforting her on the other end if she complained her flight was delayed or her bags were too heavy.

And that child I'd nearly died bringing into this world?

From the time he was little, he'd tilt that face that looked exactly like Jasper's and parrot his father's words right back to me, "Mom, you're such a hassle, you can't do anything right. If Monica were here, everything would be fine."

Jasper hung up the phone. He didn't even bother asking for my answer, just stuffed the ring box straight into my palm and patted my head.

"Go home with my assistant first. I'll bring your candy back tonight, okay?"

Right after that, he turned and snapped a quick order to his assistant, "Take good care of Ella. Smooth things over with the reporters, don't let them print any garbage about her."

The assistant nodded in agreement, and Jasper was gone, striding away fast.

All the guests packed into the room had their eyes on me. Their stares bit into my skin like a thousand tiny needles.

I couldn’t miss the stifled snickers coming from the crowd, and their blunt, unhidden gossip drifted straight to my ears.

"See? Told you there was no point for a diplomat to propose to that i***t anyway, this whole thing was just for show. The second Monica White got back into town, he dumped her without a second thought."

"That diplomat has only ever had eyes for his childhood friend, of course. Too bad the fool doesn't get it. Now she's just left standing here all alone at her own engagement party. Just wait till they tie the knot. She's in for a world of hurt."

I stood all by myself in the middle of that pretty, warmly romantic venue they'd decked out for the proposal.

The ring box in my hand felt heavy as lead, and I stood there like a fool, the butt of every single guest's joke.

The assistant looked over at me, his voice flat and by-the-book. "Miss Carpenter, it's time for us to leave."

I shook my head. "I’ll make my own way back."

The assistant blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by my refusal.

But I just gathered the heavy fabric of my skirt in one hand and stepped toward the entrance, my heels rubbing my feet raw with every step.

I knew exactly where home was. Jasper had taught me how to find my way, scared I'd get lost if I went out alone.

But I also knew that Monica was home now.

So this time around, I wasn't going back.

Step by step, I headed farther and farther away, walking in the opposite direction.