Chapter33
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ally snapped. “Catalina came in first! Don’t make yourself look even more pathetic by being jealous.”
Jennifer quickly reviewed the details in her mind. If this really was Catalina’s design, she hadn’t given it the highest score. She was certain of that.
And that certainty explained the look in Catalina’s eyes.
“She doesn’t know anything,” Brayan said coldly, barely glancing Jennifer’s way.
That glance hit harder than a slap.
Then he turned to Catalina and gently brushed her silky hair behind her ear. “I know you were number one.”
“Brayan…” Catalina’s eyes welled up, full of emotion.
To Jennifer, the whole scene was nauseating. Her chest tightened, and her breath caught.
But she said nothing. ‘What is the point?‘ she thought.
As long as Brayan believed Catalina, her word would always be the truth.
Jennifer turned to leave–only to find her path blocked.
She looked up.
Brayan was standing in front of her.
23.54
Chapters
288 Vouchers
“Take it off.”
His tone was low, clipped, and laced with irritation.
When Jennifer didn’t move or respond, his voice hardened.
“I said take off that uniform. Go home. Now.”
Jennifer understood exactly what this was.
Brayan was embarrassed.
Because she looked like a janitor.
“Exactly! You might not feel embarrassed, but Brayan definitely does!” Ronan piled on, fanning the flames with glee.
Jennifer didn’t even glance his way. Her eyes were locked on Brayan- and he stared right back.
That look in his eyes–cool, rebellious, and untouchable–was the same one she remembered from the juvenile detention center years ago.
Back then, when she was young and just starting to understand what love felt like, she had no defense against that gaze. The way her heart raced–she could still recall it vividly.
But now…
She exhaled quietly. “If I embarrass you that much, then just sign the divorce papers. Once we’re divorced, whether I’m begging on the street or collecting bottles for spare change, it won’t be your problem anymore.”
Ronan let out an exaggerated groan, folding his arms as he rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Have a little pride. Begging on the street? Picking up trash? You don’t find that disgusting? Brayan probably wants to throw
19.91%
Chaplin33
up just hearing you say it.”
Annoyed. Brayan shoved Ronan aside and motioned for him to go stand with Catalina and the others.
Then he stepped forward, his tall frame looming so close it felt like he could block out the world.
Behind her back, Jennifer’s hands clenched into tight fists.
On any other day, she might have stepped back.
But not today.
She didn’t even fully understand why she was so angry–she just was.
So she stood her ground.
They were face–to–face, almost chest–to–chest. If not for the tension sparking between them, anyone watching might have mistaken the scene for something intimate.
From the sidelines, Catalina was growing increasingly uneasy.
She didn’t mind Brayan feeling humiliated by Jennifer–in fact, she welcomed it. The more disgusted he was, the better.
But she hated seeing him standing this close to Jennifer, like he only had to lean down a few inches to kiss her.
Her fingers clenched so tightly around the fabric of her mermaid dress she nearly tore it, but she didn’t dare say a word. She knew that speaking up now might only annoy Brayan.
The pressure of standing so close to him was suffocating. Jennifer’s heart was pounding, and sweat trickled down her temple and hairline.
45.39%
“You’d really rather beg on the street… collect bottles for change… than stay married to me?”
His voice was low and even, but there was something in it–something sharp, something dangerous–that made her skin crawl.
Jennifer braced herself. half expecting him to slap her.
But Brayan had never hit her.
He wasn’t the kind of man who laid hands on a woman. That, she was sure of
Even if he didn’t love her anymore, he wouldn’t become the type of man who used violence.
The silence between them stretched long enough to become unbearable. The air was heavy, her chest tight.
Then, out of nowhere, Brayan chuckled–a slow, almost amused smile. curling across his lips.
“Even if you really end up on the street one day,” he said softly. “I’ll still be your husband.”
A shiver ran through Jennifer. Her skin broke out in goosebumps.
There was no way to take those words as romantic–he hadn’t meant
them that way, and she knew it.
Now she was sure of it: Brayan had no intention of divorcing her.
He didn’t love her, but he also refused to let her
- go.
Jennifer had been about to make one final push for the divorce–but then his phone rang.
70.43%
It was a work call.
Without a second glance, Brayan answered and walked out of the lobby mid–conversation.
The moment he left, it felt like the tension holding Jennifer together finally snapped. She deflated like a balloon, her body heavy with fatigue, her head pounding from the emotional whiplash.
2355 1
