Evan's car slowly pulled up in front of the banquet hall. The door opened, and he'd barely taken a step before his friends surrounded him.

They gathered around, chattering excitedly. Their faces lit up with anticipation, as if waiting for the opening of a grand show.

"Where are the videos, Evan? Didn't you say you were posting them today?" someone asked impatiently. His eyes gleamed with gossip.

Frowning, Evan slowly pulled his phone from his pocket. Under the eager gazes of the crowd, the faint glow of the phone screen flickered in his hand.

But just as everyone thought he was about to unlock it, he suddenly put the phone back in his pocket and said calmly, "I'm not posting them."

Those four simple words hit like a stone thrown into a calm lake, immediately stirring a storm of confusion.

Everyone stared, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"You're not posting them?" they all exclaime

The moment the doors to the banquet hall swung open, a flicker of excitement flashed in Evan's eyes. However, it was quickly replaced by a cold, biting chill.

Because it wasn't Joselyn walking in. It was Megan.

She wore a luxurious dress, and her makeup was flawless, yet her face betrayed the anger and hurt she felt. Her eyes locked on Evan as she walked straight toward him.

Evan's expression darkened instantly. His voice was frosty as he asked, "What are you doing here? Who let you in? I didn't send you an invitation."

Megan bit her lip. Trembling, she replied, "I'm your fiancée. You're throwing a birthday party for another woman, and I'm not allowed to come?"

Evan's eyes turned sharp, his tone laced with warning. "Don't make a scene here, Megan."

But Megan seemed not to hear him. She scanned the banquet hall, her voice growing louder as she spoke.

"Look at this place. These flow

Evan paused for a moment, then let out a chuckle. "That's it?"

He rattled off a string of numbers, and Joselyn froze.

It was her birthday.

"Why would you use my birthday as your password?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Evan lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. His voice was gentle as he replied, "Because I love you."

Joselyn stared at him, stunned.

She had no idea whether he was telling the truth, but it didn't matter anymore. Either way, she wasn't going to believe him.

Evan handed her his phone with an easy smile. "Do you want to check my phone? Go ahead, babe. I've got nothing to hide. You can check it anytime."

Joselyn took the phone. For the first time in days, a faint smile flickered across her lips.

Evan let out a quiet sigh of relief and pulled her into a tight hug. "You finally smiled."

His voice was laced with indulgence. "Your birthday's in two days. I'm throwing you a huge party, so I'll be busy the next few days. I might not be around as much, okay?"

Joselyn nodded, then asked after a pause, "Are we inviting Jarrett?"

Evan went silent—and for so long that Joselyn started to think he wouldn't answer at all.

Then, finally, he replied, "Yeah. Invite him."

Joselyn smiled, but there was a sheen of tears in her eyes. "Okay."

While Evan busied himself with party preparations, Joselyn started packing. She organized everything carefully and took the time to say goodbye to each of her friends.

The night before the party, Evan came home. He held her close and leaned in for a kiss. However, she gently pushed him away, using her period as an excuse.

Evan didn't press. Instead, he trailed kisses down her neck, branding her skin with faint marks. His voice was low as he said, "Just so everyone knows you belong to me."

Joselyn didn't respond. She just let him do as he pleased.

That night, while Evan slept, she quietly reached for his phone. The first thing she saw was his group chat with his friends. They were discussing the plan for tomorrow.

"Evan, Joselyn's birthday is tomorrow. Weren't you gonna leak her sex tapes then? Where are the videos?"

"Yeah, man, hurry up and send them over."

"Dude, are you even checking your messages? We've been reminding you since this morning. It's already night."

Joselyn's fingers trembled. She backed out of the chat, went straight to his private folder, and started deleting the videos one by one.

Then, just to be sure, she emptied the trash. Only when the last trace of those videos was gone did she finally feel something close to relief.

The next morning, she grabbed her suitcase and got ready to leave.

Evan woke up just in time to see her standing at the door. He blinked at her groggily. "Where are you going, babe?"

"To pick up Jarrett," Joselyn answered calmly.

Evan glanced at her suitcase, looking somewhat confused. "You need a suitcase to pick him up?"

"These are just some old dance costumes. I figured I'd have Jarrett take them back for me."

She was lying so easily now. Maybe she'd learned it from him.

And just like that, Evan bought it. He didn't question it any further. He simply got out of bed and wrapped his arms around her. "Wait for me. I'll go with you."

Joselyn shook her head. "We should tell Jarrett about us at the party. I'm afraid he won't take it well otherwise. You go ahead to the venue first."

Evan thought for a moment, then seemed to agree that it might be too soon. He gently ruffled her hair, smiling as he nodded.

"Alright. Just don't be late. I'll be waiting for you at the party."

He freshened up and left, driving straight to the venue.

Meanwhile, Joselyn remained standing there, watching the car disappear into the distance. Only when it was completely out of sight did she hail a cab to the airport.

The process for check-in, baggage drop, and boarding went by smoothly and quickly.

Once Joselyn was on the plane, she finally pulled up Evan's chat on her phone. 

She'd thought about the last message to send him countless times. She'd planned to tell him that she'd heard everything that night at the club. She'd wanted to ask him why. Why would he do something like this to her?

But now, at the very end, all of that seemed pointless. Instead, she simply typed two short sentences.

"Let's end this, Evan. I don't love you anymore."

After she hit send, the plane slowly took off. Joselyn gazed out at the white clouds, blocked his number, and pressed the power button to turn off her phone.

Farewell, Airedale.

Farewell, Evan Lloyd.

Evan's car slowly pulled up in front of the banquet hall. The door opened, and he'd barely taken a step before his friends surrounded him.

They gathered around, chattering excitedly. Their faces lit up with anticipation, as if waiting for the opening of a grand show.

"Where are the videos, Evan? Didn't you say you were posting them today?" someone asked impatiently. His eyes gleamed with gossip.

Frowning, Evan slowly pulled his phone from his pocket. Under the eager gazes of the crowd, the faint glow of the phone screen flickered in his hand.

But just as everyone thought he was about to unlock it, he suddenly put the phone back in his pocket and said calmly, "I'm not posting them."

Those four simple words hit like a stone thrown into a calm lake, immediately stirring a storm of confusion.

Everyone stared, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"You're not posting them?" they all exclaimed in unison. Their faces were filled with shock.

Someone couldn't hold back and asked, "What do you

Chapter 9