Chapter 4 A Hollow Joke
709 Words
The hotel's electronic screen cycled through a thousand private photos of Josselyn.
"Serves her right! This is what she gets for messing with Ms. Brock. She is lucky it's not streaming live—she got off easy."
"She's so vicious, but look at that body—wow. Her legs are smooth, her hips like ripe peaches. I'd love to pin her down and hear her beg."
Josselyn's face turned ashen. She let the vulgar words ring in her ears, unblinking.
Zachary showed no reaction at all. He held Darlene's hand tight and whispered soft words to soothe her.
His eyes never once strayed to Josselyn.
Josselyn downed a glass of liquor in one gulp. The burn of the alcohol stung her throat, making her cough violently.
She hoped the alcohol would numb her mind, quiet her aching heart—anything to stop the pain.
"Hey, lady, drinking alone?" a man asked.
She stood out in the crowd, and a group of leering men closed in. They brushed their hands against her thighs and waist.
A sleazy middle-aged man hooked his finger under her chin, grinning lewdly. "Got your heart broken, huh? Let me take your mind off it, baby."
"Get away... get away from me, Zachary." In her panic, his name slipped out before she could think.
Once, he'd always been there to protect her the second she was in trouble. He'd never let a single harm befall her. That's why his name had been her safety net.
But now, Zachary's long fingers were laced tightly with Darlene's.
It hit Josselyn then—Zachary was no longer hers. He belonged to someone else.
Her eyes burned, a sharp, bitter ache pricking at her lids.
Security finally intervened, pulling her free from the men's grasp. She clutched her rumpled clothes and hurried to the bathroom to fix herself up.
She was about to leave when she saw Zachary pin Darlene against the sink, kissing her fiercely.
Josselyn's eyes welled up with tears.
Zachary had always been cold by nature—he only felt desire for the person he loved.
Before, women had tried to seduce him, slipping him the strongest drugs money could buy. He'd never so much as flinched. Rumors even swirled through Joltspire City that he had no interest in women at all.
Then he met Josselyn. The first time they were together, he'd lost all control. His buddies joked that he'd found his soulmate—she'd wrapped him around her finger completely.
She'd been overjoyed, sure she was different from everyone else.
But now she knew—one simple kiss from Darlene could reduce him to this.
He didn't even care about the guests at the banquet anymore.
At the sink, Darlene's eyes were red-rimmed. "Zachary, Ms. Treneer is your ex. Won't it bother you to see her getting touched like that?"
"Jealous?" Zachary's voice was low and rough. "Darlene, you're the only one I care about. What happens to her means nothing to me."
Darlene murmured, "But... she waited three years for you..."
"She brought it on herself." Zachary's voice tightened, and he kissed her hard. He tilted her chin up, his lips claiming hers. "Darlene, are you really worried about her right now? Hmm?"
His long fingers slipped to the back of her bra.
Darlene blushed, soft, breathless moans escaping her. "Not here... Josselyn's outside..."
"Let her watch." Zachary frowned slightly, his movements growing rougher. "A husband and wife being intimate—why would I need to explain that to some outsider?"
Josselyn felt an unrelenting pain in her chest.
She remembered watching a movie once and joking with him, "In movies, people forget their loved ones when they lose their memory. If you forgot me, would you fall for someone else?"
Zachary took her hand and pressed it to his chest. The thunder of his heart pulsed under her fingertips. "Do you hear that? My heart will recognize you before my memory ever does. So never, ever let go of my hand."
Once, those words had felt so real. Now they sounded like a hollow joke.
Josselyn pressed her lips together.
She told herself the liquor just wasn't strong enough to numb the pain. If it were, why would her heart still be breaking?
- Writer
