---- Chapter 4. Under Jayden's parents' puzzled stares, I no longer bothered with pretense. I nodded plainly. "Yes. I told you before. I'm done with Jayden. He's vanished now anyway, and I don't intend to wait." "Leah! Don't be impulsive. Just wait-I'll find him! You can't possibly throw away six years of love just like that!" I said nothing. I simply watched them leave, the corners of my lips lifting into a slow, mocking smile. Not long after, a video arrived on my phone. "Ms. Devin, here's the latest footage." It was from the person I'd hired to keep tabs on Jayden. In the frame, he was walking hand in hand with Sophie down a street, smiling like a man without a care. Then his phone rang. He answered, listened for amoment, and his face fell. ---- "What? Mom, you want me to come back right now? What? Leah's engaged to someone else?! Mom, calm down, we'll talk when I get back!" His face drained of color. He turned abruptly, clearly ready to flee. But Sophie grabbed his arm, leaned in close, whispering at length. I could imagine what she was saying. Sure enough, the panic soon ebbed from his expression. A flush returned to his cheeks, then was quickly replaced by a kind of offended fury. He called his mother back. "Mom, I'm not coming back! Calm down and listen to me. I know Leah. She loves me too much to really do this. She's just trying to force me home, that's all. She's always been controlling- this is just another one of her cheap tricks. And the more she pulls this crap, the less I respect her. " It seemed Jayden's parents didn't quite agree. I could hear them faintly pressing him again, likely bringing up family interests, making appeals on ---- behalf of the Jayden name. "T got it! I'll come back and marry her, all right? But seriously, if I didn't want to marry her, what's the point of everything we've worked for all these years? Enough already. I'm hanging up. When I get back, I'm going to make Leah beg to marry me. " The video ended there. I honestly had no idea where Jayden got his confidence. Behind me, Nick emerged. He'd been watching too. "Leah," he said, his tone dry, 'I heard he wants you to beg for his hand? You're not planning to ditch me again, are you?" I met his eyes and laughed softly. "No. I'll marry you. Jayden can do whatever he wants." He raised an eyebrow at that, his lips tugging into a knowing smile. "Good. That's how it should be." The wedding day drew near. Jayden never showed.