I took a deep breath, the bitterness in my chest burning even hotter.

“I’m not pretending to be tough, and I’m not in a bad mood,” I said, turning to look him in the eye. “Why don’t you go home and teach your kid how to read? You’re the genius, right? Put those brains to work where it actually counts.”

Jared gave me a look, totally at a loss for words.

“Victoria, during this time we’ve been apart, haven’t you ever thought about what we used to have?” he asked, his voice tinged with bitterness.

“I haven’t had the time,” I replied coolly. But honestly, I had. I’d been replaying everything in my head, trying to figure out how things fell apart in my previous life—and how to keep it from happening all over again.

“I don’t buy it,” Jared said, shaking his head. “Are you just trying to find traces of me in Nathan? But he can’t be what you need, can he? Is that why you two are falling apart?”

I was floored by what he said.

Then I just laughed, speechless. “Jared, people should know their own place. Why are you so clueless about where you stand?”

Jared just stared at me, lost for words.

I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, you always think you matter more to me than you really do, just because I was crazy about you once.”

“Isn’t that true?” Jared said with a resigned look.

I didn’t want to get into another fight with him; I just wanted to set things straight. “Have you ever heard a little story?”

Jared lounged on the couch with that lazy, attentive look. “Go ahead, I’m all ears.”

“It’s the story of a lock and a key,” I said, trying to be patient. “The key wanted to travel, so it left the lock on the door. After a long time, the key came back and realized it couldn’t unlock the lock anymore.”

Jared looked at me, surprised. “Why?”

“Because the lock rusted,” I said. “My heart for you has completely frozen over. Even if you’re just half a meter away from me now, there’s no way we could ever hug each other without a second thought, like we used to.”

Jared was stunned to the core.

I bit my lip and let out a sarcastic laugh. “My heart’s gone cold, and you’re still trying to thaw it—that just makes you the real fool here.”

“Victoria!” Jared shot me an irritated look, clearly not a fan of that story. “Stop going on about how you don’t feel anything for me anymore. We still have a kid together.”

“I know that. I never said I wouldn’t take responsibility for her. I just want you to get that after the divorce, any more concern from you just feels out of place,” I reminded him coldly.

Jared looked like he’d just taken a punch. He went quiet for a few seconds, then let out a self-mocking laugh. “I always thought I was the rational one, always in control. Turns out, being calm just meant I was numb to my own feelings.”

I paused, just looking at him.

“Now it’s like I’m back to my younger self—jealous, possessive, way too sensitive. All these crazy feelings keep crashing into me,” Jared said, his eyes dark as he looked at me. “Victoria, you’re the one who made me feel young again—reckless, passionate, like I’m losing my mind.”

I stared at him in disbelief as he closed the distance between us, step by step.

“If giving you my heart is some kind of retribution, then I’ll take it as what I deserve,” Jared said, his eyes locked stubbornly on mine, his voice growing low. “Victoria, I want to wait for you—three, maybe five more years. If it’s not you in the end, then it doesn’t matter who I end up with.”

I actually shuddered—Jared was seriously crazy, like something was really wrong with him.

While I was still in shock, he suddenly reached out with those long arms and yanked me tight against his chest.

“But I still want it to be you, Victoria. Can it still be you?” Jared said, not even letting me answer before he crushed his lips to mine in a fierce kiss.