Chapter 131

“What?” I blurted, shocked. Then, under my breath, I muttered, “He’s lost it, hasn’t he?”

“Ms. Kay, Mr. Johnston’s been acting… erratically lately,” Gavin confessed. The wedding dresses, the rings—it all clicked. It was Jace, with Gavin likely handling the messy details.

“What’s he trying to do—gross me out?” I snapped.

Gavin paused. “Honestly, I have no idea what Mr. Johnston’s thinking. But one thing’s clear—he doesn’t want to lose you. He really does love you.”

“Gavin Lawson,” I said, my tone serious, “it’s one thing for others to say that, but you? Do you actually believe he loves me?”

Gavin remained silent.

“He can be crazy all he wants, but I’m not playing his game,” I declared.

“Honestly, I’ve always felt guilty,” Gavin said, his voice thick with regret. “If it weren’t for me… this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Honestly, I should thank you,” I said, pausing. “If that hadn’t happened, I might not have had the courage to break up with Jace. But you need to understand—it wasn’t just that one thing. Jace and I were a mess for a while.”

“But the final blow… was because of me,” Gavin muttered.

“I’ve said all I can. If you still want to beat yourself up, that’s on you. As for Jace, if he fires you, then leave. The world’s big, and with your skills, you’ll find something better,” I reassured him.

“Have you found a new job?” Gavin asked.

“I don’t think it’ll be difficult,” I replied vaguely, unwilling to add to the drama. Jace was acting like a maniac, and I feared his reaction if he knew I’d already secured another position.

After hanging up, I closed my eyes, still processing Jace’s descent into proposing after everything. I needed to end things decisively to shatter his delusions.

Remembering my call to Hayden last night, I texted him: [I’m sober now. When can we talk?]

No reply. It was 10:30 a.m.—he was likely busy at work.

Instead of waiting, I showered and got ready. As I finished, a message from Hayden popped up: [Come to the amusement park.]

The amusement park? Again?

Remembering Gavin’s comment about Jace's planned proposal, I quickly replied: [No. Let’s meet elsewhere.]

Hayden responded instantly: [My time is limited.]

I was considering compromising when another text arrived: [Worried about the proposal?]

Even Hayden knew? What kind of scene was Jace creating?

I typed: [I don’t want drama.]

Hayden: [Avoiding it won’t help. He’ll just try again. Come and deal with it once and for all.]

His words made me smile. Was he offering to pretend to be my boyfriend?

He had a point. Even Lena suggested showing Jace I’d moved on.

So I replied: [Okay.]

To look completely different from how Jace saw me, I raided Lena’s closet and found a bright yellow spaghetti-strap dress. I wore my hair down instead of my usual ponytail and applied bold red lipstick.

The result was startling—I barely recognized myself. I looked like a new person, almost an enchantress. I’d never dressed like this before because Jace disliked it. He knew I was beautiful, but he didn't want other men noticing.

Arriving at the amusement park, I texted Hayden. He appeared quickly, jogging to meet me. The moment he saw me, I saw him swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.