Page 31

“You have a boyfriend?” Sawyer scoffed. “You? Right after leaving me?”
Ellie didn’t answer.
Sawyer let go of her wrist, his scoff growing louder. “Ellie, can’t you even think of a better lie??”
“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” Ellie gritted out.
"Alright then, show me your boyfriend. Where is he? Why am I not seeing him here? Where is your so called fucking boyfriend?"
Ellie turned around, ready to storm off—when she collided with a tall man dressed in all black.
She nearly fell back, but his hand swiftly wrapped around her waist, steadying her and pulling her close. Her head slammed against his chest, firm beneath a simple round-neck T-shirt. He wore jeans and cowboy boots, exuding effortless charm—like a main lead who had just stepped out of a TV show.
Before she could think, Ellie grabbed his hand and turned back to Sawyer.
“Here. This is my boyfriend.”
Sawyer’s gaze flicked between the man and Ellie, before another scoff left his lips. "Ellie, stop lying. I’m not blind. Are you going to grab any random man off the street and declare him your boyfriend? And I’m supposed to believe you?"
Ellie leaned closer to the handsome man, looking up at him. Leaning in, she whispered quickly in his ear, "Cooperate with me, and I’ll give you five hundred dollars."
Then, without waiting for his response, she hugged his arm tighter and shot Sawyer a defiant look.
“As I said, I don’t care if you believe me or not.”
Sawyer’s jaw clenched, his eyes dark.
Sawyer sneered. "You grabbed a passerby and declared him your boyfriend? Just let go of him. He looks like he’s about to push you off himself any minute."
Ellie’s jaw clenched at Sawyer’s words, her eyes flashing with fury. But instead of lashing out, she took a deep breath, forcing a sweet smile onto her lips.
“I don’t care what you think, Sawyer.”
That one line struck him like a whip. He was so used to hearing her call him ‘husband’ that hearing his name—justSawyer—felt like she had cursed at him.
Without waiting for his response, she turned to the man beside her.
“Thank you for coming to pick me up, baby,” she said, her voice laced with affection. “I’m so happy you came just to take me back home.”
Then, without sparing Sawyer a glance, she arched up on her toes and kissed the man at the corner of his lips. From Sawyer’s angle, however, it looked like a full kiss on the lips.
Sawyer’s face darkened instantly, his jaw tightening as a storm of jealousy crashed through him. His fists clenched at his sides, his entire body stiff with tension. The burning fury in his eyes was sharp and vicious.
He watched as Ellie not only touched the man’s arm but also caressed his face before leaning up and pressing her lips against his. The sight made his blood boil.
The rage radiating from him was so intense that Olivia, standing nearby, felt a chill crawl down her spine. For the first time, she wondered if she had made a mistake by provoking Sawyer against Ellie at this moment. If he was this furious just seeing Ellie with another man, then there was a chance he might end up getting back together with her—ruining Olivia’s plan of discarding Ellie completely out of his life.
Just as she debated quietly slipping away, Sawyer slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Flipping it open, he turned to Olivia with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"You were just proposing to me? What a coincidence. I also got you a gift—one of a kind, personally made just for you."
Ellie, still on her toes from the kiss, slowly lowered back down. Her breath hitched as her gaze landed on the box in his hand.
Her heart stopped. A painful ache spread through her chest, suffocating her.
A baby pink perfume bottle with a black bow cap. The scent coming out of it was unmistakable. It washerscent.
For as long as Ellie had lived with Sawyer, she had told him—over and over again—that this was the perfume of her dreams. She had wished for it, even if just as a birthday gift, or as the last present she ever received in her life. It didn't have to be expensive; even a little, tiny bottle would do, as long as she could wear it once in her life to fulfil her wish. Jasmine and orange scent in a pink bottle.