Everybody knew that I was dating Jayvon Sawyer just because Jaslene Glenn went abroad.

They were all eager to see what'd happen next, thinking Jayvon would dump me as soon as Jaslene got back.

But they had no idea that I was waiting too-waiting for Jayvon to break up with me.

***

Jayvon and I were supposed to get engaged at the end of the month. Today was the day we planned to go pick out an engagement ring.

But I waited for him at the jewelry store for hours, and he never showed up. He didn't answer my calls or texts.

Worried, I drove over to his office. When I rushed in, I saw him bending down to cover a girl lying on the bed in the lounge with a blanket.

He had never been that gentle with me. My hand tightened on the doorknob.

Hearing the noise, Jayvon turned around, and I blurted out, "Who is she?"

He put his index finger to his lips, shushing me and motioning for me to go outside.

"Jaslene has been abroad for years and just got back last night. She's still jet-lagged. Let's talk outside. Don't wake her up."

Jaslene?

The stepdaughter of Jayvon's uncle?

I didn't realize who she was until I sat down on the sofa. Even though we moved in the same circles, her situation was kind of tricky. She went abroad right after high school, so we barely crossed paths.

All I knew was that Jayvon used to be close to her, treating her like his own sister.

But I couldn't help feeling annoyed. Just because his cousin came back, he stood me up for something as important as picking out an engagement ring?

He always said he loved me and spoiled me, and his proposal was such a big deal that the whole city was talking about it.

So I was all excited and busy getting ready for the engagement ceremony.

But now it seemed like he didn't care at all!

Reality gave me a rude awakening.

But I didn't show it. I didn't want to make a fuss and embarrass Jayvon.

I took a deep breath, swallowed my disappointment, and pasted on a smile. "Since she's sleeping, let's go pick out the ring now, and then we can have dinner at your place tonight."

But Jayvon shot me down right away. "No. Jaslene just got back, and she's still adjusting to being here. She needs me around. The ring can wait. Let's put it off for a couple of days."

Hearing this, I clenched my fists. "Are you saying you don't want to get engaged to me anymore?"

"No, don't be silly. Don't jump to conclusions," Jayvon said after a short pause, sounding kind of distant.

I wasn't happy with his answer and was about to say something when the door to the conference room opened. Jaslene, who had been sleeping, stuck her head out.

She still looked a little sleepy, and she had a pure, innocent look about her.

When Jaslene saw me, she froze for a second, then smiled, "Hey, Bree! I'm Jayvon's cousin. You look even better in person than in your photos. Nice to meet you!"

She started off by saying I looked good, so I couldn't stay cold. I had to smile back and say hi.

"I heard you're going to check out engagement rings. Need me to tag along and help you guys decide?"

When she said "engagement," I noticed her eyes got a little sad.

Jayvon looked a bit weird, too. His eyes got kind of serious as he walked over to Jaslene and said softly, "Did we wake you up with all the talking?"

Jaslene shook her head, then sighed, "I came back without asking. Is Grandpa going to be mad and send me away again?"

That didn't seem right to me. Jayvon's grandpa, Pablo Sawyer, was nice and always good to the younger folks. He should be stoked that his granddaughter, who had been overseas for years, was back.

Even though Jaslene wasn't his blood granddaughter but came into the Sawyer family through his third daughter-in-law, there was no way he'd give her a hard time.

Seeing I was confused, Jaslene forced a smile. "To be honest, I did something wrong when I was younger. It made Grandpa mad, so he sent me abroad.

"He said I couldn't come back without his say-so..."

She trailed off, sounding a little hurt.

Jayvon reassured her, "Don't worry. I can take care of you now. Nobody is gonna push you around or make you do things you don't wanna do. I mean it."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, looking earnest.

So what about me? A joke in their little love story?

And they didn't act like cousins, more like a couple.

Jayvon turned to me. "Jaslene isn't in a good place right now. Let's hold off on the ring thing."

Seeing Jaslene's eyes were a bit red, I didn't want to push it, so I gave in. "Okay, we'll do it another day."

"I'm really sorry, Bree. I feel bad that I messed up your plans. I should serve you coffee or something to make it up to you."

Jaslene started walking over to the coffee station. I was about to tell her it was too much trouble, but she had poured the coffee and handed it to me.

I couldn't refuse her enthusiasm, so I reached for the cup. But the moment I touched the rim, it slipped and fell.

Some of the coffee splashed onto my fingers. I instinctively yanked my hand back and hissed in pain.

Jayvon rushed over, but he was more worried about Jaslene. He grabbed her hand and asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Where did it burn you?"

Jaslene bit her lip and looked kind of pitiful. "I'm fine. Just a little splash on the back of my hand."

"Does it hurt?" Jayvon got worried and took her to the bathroom to run her hand under the tap. "We should go to the hospital to get it checked out. Better safe than sorry."

I stood at the door, watching quietly. I glanced at Jaslene's hand, which was perfectly fine, and said with a bit of a dry tone, "Her hand isn't even red. How bad could it be to need medicine or a doctor?"

I held up my two fingers, which were a little red from the burn. "This is what a real burn looks like!"

Jaslene looked a bit awkward and hurriedly pulled me in. "Bree, you should rinse your hand. I'm so sorry. I didn't hold the cup steady.

"Jayvon is just like that. He gets nervous over everything. Don't mind him."

Luckily, the coffee wasn't that hot. After rinsing my hand, I didn't feel any pain. Jaslene apologized again, and I didn't feel right about saying anything else.

Jayvon handed me a tissue to dry my hand. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I glanced at him and shook my head. He was checking on me, but something felt off.

It was almost time to get off work, and Jayvon suggested we go get dinner. I agreed and joined them at a restaurant downstairs.

When we were ordering, Jayvon told the waiter, "For these dishes, no scallions or cilantro, and just a little bit of spice, please."

I was a bit surprised because I knew Jayvon didn't avoid those ingredients. The next moment, Jaslene's sweet voice piped up. "I can't believe you remembered my preferences! I'm so touched."

Jayvon said in a sweet voice, "You used to never eat anything with those in it. How could I forget?"

Jaslene stuck her tongue out playfully and pointed to the dessert on the menu. "I want that sundae."

"No way. You have a delicate digestion and can't have anything cold."

Jayvon said no right away, and no amount of pouting from Jaslene changed his mind.

I picked up my glass and took a sip of water to hide how awkward I felt. They were acting so close, making me feel like a third wheel.

When the food came, Jayvon took the bones out of the fish for Jaslene and kept serving her food, like I didn't exist.

I told myself it made sense. He was looking out for his cousin who had just come back from abroad. So I kept quiet.

Jaslene would talk to me every now and then, but I wasn't in the mood, so my answers were kind of half-hearted.

When we were about to leave after dinner, it suddenly started thundering outside, and then it poured like crazy.

I looked out at the stormy sky and said to Jayvon, "Jayvon, can you drive me home? I'll leave my car at your company."

Without a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Go grab a taxi. Jaslene can't drive, so I gotta take her back."

I was stunned.

My mom passed away in a car accident on a rainy day like this, and ever since, I had been scared of driving in bad weather.

Jayvon knew that, so he always drove me home when we hung out. But this time, he seemed to forget all about it and was completely focused on Jaslene.

My brow furrowed a bit, and I felt uneasy inside. But then I thought it was kind of petty to be jealous of my boyfriend's cousin.

Jaslene said to me with a bit of a sheepish smile, "So, Bree, you'll have to take a taxi home. I'm leaving with Jayvon now."

She waved goodbye to me, smiling sweetly. I had to hold back my feelings and wave back at her.

I watched as Jayvon opened the car door for her and then drove off. But I stayed there, resting my chin on my hand and staring out at the rain.

I stayed in the restaurant until the rain stopped, and then I drove home.

My pants got splashed by a puddle on the side of the road. I was about to hop in the shower and change when my phone pinged with a few photos from a number I didn't recognize.

I opened them and froze right there.

The photos were of Jayvon and Jaslene, kissing under a streetlight, looking like a couple in love. But they looked quite young, like they were from a few years ago.

I studied design, so I knew my way around lighting and angles. I scrutinized those photos for a good while and could tell they hadn't been photoshopped or anything.

The two were definitely kissing!

For a moment, I couldn't catch my breath and felt like I was choking. My heart was throbbing and numb. After a few deep breaths, I finally managed to steady my hand enough to call Jayvon.

I wanted to ask him what was going on between him and Jaslene!

But no matter how many times I called, all I got was the cold, robotic voice. He didn't pick up even once.

Standing in the living room, I felt my heart getting colder.

I had no idea where Jayvon had taken Jaslene, and without him answering his phone, I had no way of finding him.

Jayvon didn't come back until the third day. He showed up with a bouquet and gave me a hug.

"I'm so sorry, baby. After I dropped Jaslene off that day, I got word that there was an issue with a project at work, so I had to leave for a business trip without telling you. I've been so busy these past few days that I barely had time to sleep."

I wasn't entirely convinced by his story, but he had dark circles under his eyes, clearly from lack of sleep.

He gave me a necklace as an apology, and he seemed sincere, so I reluctantly believed him and didn't press him about where he had been.

But there was still one thing I couldn't let go of.

I showed him those photos and confronted him. "Tell me, what's going on here?"

The second he saw the photos, Jayvon's face turned sour.

He didn't answer my question; instead, he fired back, "You had someone check up on me? If you wanted to know something, you could've just asked me. Why go behind my back?"

His reaction was way over the top, and it left me confused.

I said, "I didn't. I don't even know who sent me these photos!"

To prove my point, I showed him the phone number.

When he saw it, he seemed to freeze for a second, like he was thinking something through. His face relaxed a bit, and he sounded a lot nicer.

"Sorry, I lost my cool just now. You know I hate it when people play games behind my back. I was wrong to doubt you."

Then he explained about the photos. "These are from high school. Back then, Jaslene and I were messing around. We eventually realized it wasn't serious and broke it off.

"Nothing happened between us. We're cool. It was just a little thing, so don't make a big deal out of it."

He put his arm around me, whispering softly and leaning down to kiss me, but I automatically moved away.

From the first time I saw Jaslene to the whole thing with the photos, my gut feeling told me that Jayvon wasn't being honest about his relationship with Jaslene.

If they were kissing in high school, who was to say nothing else happened?

I couldn't bring myself to get close to him until I knew for sure. It felt off.

My dodging kind of bugged Jayvon. He tousled my hair and said, "Come on, stop acting up. I know you're upset, but there really is nothing between Jaslene and me."

I pushed him away, my voice a bit cold. "Fine, as long as you know."

Jayvon yawned. "I haven't slept well in days. I'm gonna take a shower and get some shut-eye. Once I feel better, I'll be ready to make it up to you."

Then he went to the closet, grabbed his pajamas, and headed into the bathroom to shower.

I sat on the couch, feeling pretty frustrated.

Jayvon's phone was on the table. Just then, a WhatsApp message came in, and the screen lit up. It had his good buddy's name on it.

I usually wouldn't snoop around Jayvon's messages, but this time, for some strange reason, I leaned over and took a peek.

"Bro, Jaslene is back. Are you still planning to get engaged to Brianna as a cover?"

I froze. I stared at the screen like I couldn't believe my eyes.

It wasn't until the screen went dark that I snapped out of it. Then, I felt this rage building up inside me. It was like I was about to explode from feeling used and betrayed.

I was so angry that I couldn't stop shaking. It was Jayvon who asked me out first. I thought I was his one and only, but it turned out he just wanted a cover.

My family situation was a mess. My mom got married to a guy who was a total social climber, even though her parents warned her not to. The next year, my dad started seeing another woman and kept her as a mistress.

After I was born, my mom found out about his cheating. She was heartbroken and confronted him, asking why he did it. But all he did was blame her for being too bossy.

Later, my mom got depressed, but my dad didn't care at all. And less than a month after my mom died in a car accident, he married his mistress with all the bells and whistles.

So I had never believed in love.

I got my mom's good looks. I was a cutie from the get-go and always had guys around. It was Jayvon who made the first move.

At a party, I danced so well that everyone was blown away.

Jayvon started chasing me hard, sending me flowers and all kinds of fancy gifts, but I didn't feel much for him.

During a hiking trip organized by the club, I took a bad fall and got seriously injured. He carried me all the way down the mountain and stayed by my bedside around the clock.

After I got out of the hospital, I had trouble walking, and he came to my dorm every day to help me get around between the dorm and the classroom building.

His sincerity got to me, and I started to see him in a new light. I thought I had finally found the right person, so I said yes to his confession.

But it turned out that I was just a cover for him!

I was so angry that I could explode. I grabbed his phone and stormed into the bathroom to confront him, demanding he give me some answers!

When I got to the door, I suddenly chilled out.

Jayvon had been pulling the wool over my eyes for almost five years, and all this time, he had only had eyes for Jaslene.

Now I finally got what they were talking about all along.

So Pablo had to send Jaslene abroad to break them up.

Maybe Jayvon's engagement to me was just a way to get Jaslene back.

If I barged in now, all I'd get were lies. But I couldn't let it go and break up with Jayvon like it was no big deal.

He had been playing me like a fiddle. There was no way I was gonna let him off the hook that easily.

A cold gleam flickered in my eyes. He wouldn't give up on Jaslene and get engaged to me.

No matter what he was planning, I was gonna make sure he learned a lesson he wouldn't forget!

I put his phone back where it was, like nothing ever happened.

I sat on the couch to calm myself down. When Jayvon came out of the bathroom, I suggested going to pick out the engagement ring again.

He smiled, "Sure, if it makes you happy. Let's go once I get changed."

He walked right over to the closet. I watched his back, sneering inwardly, but keeping my face completely blank.

I thought, "Just you wait, Jayvon. I'm gonna throw you an engagement party you'll never forget!"

Jayvon came out of the closet, dressed in a loose black casual outfit. I used to love how cool and relaxed he looked in clothes like that, but now, no matter how good he looked, it didn't make my heart skip a beat anymore.

I got in the car with Jayvon. Just as I was buckling up, his phone rang.

It was Jaslene.

I couldn't hear what she said, but I heard Jayvon respond, "Okay, wait for me there. I'm on my way."

After he hung up, he turned to me with an apologetic look. "Bree, I'm so sorry. Something came up with Jaslene, and I gotta go help her. We'll sort out the engagement ring later. I promise I'll take you to get it as soon as I'm back!"

I frowned. "You want me to get out of the car now?"

I didn't know if Jayvon realized he was being a jerk or if he wanted to get me out of the car quickly, but he softened his tone. "Baby, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you once I'm done."

With that, he leaned in to kiss me, but I swiftly put my hand up to stop him and push him away. Then I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car.

No sooner had I stepped out than he hit the gas and drove off.

I stood there, and a cold smile crept up on my lips without me even trying.

The car was pretty small. Even though Jayvon didn't turn on the speaker, I could make out something about Nocturne Bar.

I got in my car and followed.

When I walked into the hall, there was Jayvon, surrounded by a crowd, with Jaslene right beside him. They were heading up to a private room on the second floor.

I knew everyone in that group. They were Jayvon's childhood friends, and we had hung out together quite a few times before.

So the "important thing" he had to do was a party with Jaslene and his friends. I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't.

Right then, I finally got how much Jaslene meant to Jayvon, and how much of a fool I was.

My heart was throbbing, and I gritted my teeth to hold back the pain as I walked upstairs and got to the door of their private room.

It wasn't shut tight, and through the crack, I could see Jaslene snuggling up to Jayvon's shoulder while he fed her a cherry.

A wave of rage washed over me. I was about to bust in and confront them when someone suddenly asked, "Jayvon, if Brianna wasn't in the picture, would you get back together with Jaslene?"

When I heard that, I stopped what I was doing. My breath got stuck in my chest, and I waited quietly for Jayvon's answer. I wanted to know too.

The man on the leather couch paused for a second, then said seriously, "Yes!"

Jaslene's eyes lit up.

But I didn't give her time to get mushy. I yanked the door open and barged in.

The room fell into an instant hush. Jayvon was surprised to see me.

He jumped to his feet. "Bree, what are you doing here?"

Everyone was staring at me and Jayvon, all tense, like they were waiting for me to get jealous and blow up.

But I smiled and clapped. "Good for you, Jayvon, you've finally got your true love back. If you can't forget each other, I'll back off. Why don't you kiss again?"

Jayvon frowned. "We were only joking. Don't get the wrong idea."

Jaslene stood up too, looking innocent. "Yeah, Bree, we joke like this all the time. Don't take it seriously. If we had known you were coming, we wouldn't have said it that way."

The others chimed in to help them out.

"If I hadn't shown up, I'd never know you two still have feelings for each other," I said with a sneer.

"This whole brother-sister drama is pathetic and gross to watch."

Jaslene turned pale. Jayvon tried to say something for her, but I cut him off. "Jayvon, we're done!"

With that, I turned around and walked away, but Jayvon's worried voice came from behind.

"Bree, we only did it for a giggle. Don't read too much into it. Don't get huffy and say stuff you don't mean. Nothing is going on between me and Jaslene.

"Chill out. The engagement ceremony is coming up. Don't make a big deal out of this and embarrass our families."

Even at a time like this, he was still talking such nonsense. Did he really think I was that stupid?

I kept walking. After I left the bar, I called my bestie, Kailee Stewart. I gave her my location and asked her to come over for drinks.

I didn't want to be in the same bar as Jayvon and his friends. Just thinking about it made me feel sick. Luckily, there was another bar right across the street, so I went there instead.

I got a booth where I could drink in peace. By the time Kailee got there, I had had a few drinks.

I was holding my glass in one hand and her hand in the other, complaining about everything Jayvon had done.

Kailee slammed her glass down hard. "Freaking Jayvon! What a jerk! How dare he treat you like that? Next time I see him, I'm gonna give him a good slap!"

"I get it now. All men are liars! We can't trust a single one of them!"

Kailee was totally on my side. "You're spot on! That's the truth!

"That son of a gun should be dragged off and castrated!"

Just thinking about it made me even more furious. I chugged down a few drinks in a row and fumed, "He always said he loved and respected me, and we'd wait until the wedding night. I was so touched back then. Now... Bah!

"He's saving himself for his cousin. Does he think I'm unlovable or something? I'm a hot chick! Plenty of guys would jump at the chance to be with me!"

I was so worked up that my voice got louder without me noticing. I didn't realize that the guy in the booth next to us had heard every word I said. His eyes looked deep and serious.

I grabbed Kailee's hand and said firmly, "Bet I can find someone right here, right now!"

Kailee held my hand. "You're drunk. Calm down."

"No, I'm not! You don't believe me, huh? I'll show you!"

I shook off her hand, stood up, and started looking around.

The bar was dark, but I spotted the hot guy in the booth next to us. He had sharp features, and his white shirt was unbuttoned at the top. He looked cool and untouchable.

He was looking at me too. His eyes were like a deep hole, as if they could pull me right in.

That was the kind of guy I wanted-someone challenging!

Once I decided, I walked right over, hooked my arm around his shoulder, and sat on his lap.

Then I blurted out, "Hey, cutie. Wanna hook up?"