Just Before My Wedding: Trapped By My Ruthless Boss novel Chapter 89

Chapter 89

KISAREL

“You can’t keep on doing this to yourself, chérie,” Elgin said from the dining room.

I did not answer.

I stayed curled up on the couch with the blanket pulled to my chin, staring at nothing in particular. The television was on, but I had no idea what was playing.

My phone was face down beside me. I had checked it every few minutes for the past two days, and every time I checked, the

screen was empty.

Oceans hadn’t even tried to reach me since I left his house on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, I woke up expecting an apology, an explanation, or something. Instead, I opened the Gram and saw Moonie’s posts. She was in his house, his living room, his guest room, everywhere…

In one of her posts, there were shopping bags in the background. The caption said: “When your man is obsessed with spoiling you.”

I threw up after reading it.

I had texted him yesterday like the idiot I clearly was.

‘Are you okay?‘

But he had not replied.

Later yesterday, she posted again.

Cake tasting.

Her and Oceans, sitting across from each other at a bakery I always wished I could use for my wedding cake.

She was leaning toward the camera, holding up a fork with a bite of something, her smile so wide it looked like it hurt.

Her caption was worse this time.

“Wedding prep with my forever.”

I had cried so hard I gave myself a headache.

Although Oceans wasn’t looking at the camera or at her…. But he was there.

And I was here, on Elgin’s couch, wearing the same sweatshirt I had been wearing since Friday night.

“He hasn’t called.” I said in a flat voice.

Elgin walked over and stood in front of the couch, blocking the television.

“You are staring like the TV offended your ancestors,” He said, handing me the mug in his hand. “Drink this.”

“I don’t want tea”

“It is not tea. It is emotional survival in a cup.”

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Chapter 89

I looked at him.

He sighed and sat beside me. “Arel.”

That was all it took for my face to crumple before I could stop it.

“I was so stupid,” I whispered.

“I noticed.”

“I texted him.”

“I assumed.”

“He didn’t reply.”

“No.”

I looked up at him. His face was soft and worried, the way it got when he was trying not to say I told you so.

“I was so stupid,” I whispered.

“You were not stupid.” He sat down beside me and pulled the blanket higher, tucking it around my shoulders. “You were think it’s safe to say – in love. There is a difference. Not a large difference, perhaps. But a difference.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’ve told you a thousand times. I wasn’t in love with him.”

“Mhm…” He said.

There was a pause.

“I don’t want to go to work tomorrow,” I said quietly. “Or ever again. I want to stop.”

His face changed immediately. “No.”

“Elgin–”

“No, chérie. If you stay home, he wins. Whatever this cruel little game is, he gets to know it worked.” He pulled the blanket off me. “Tomorrow, you will bathe, dress hot, smell edible, walk into that office with your chin up, and act like Oceans Stark is the office printer. Necessary, annoying, and not worth crying over.”

Despite everything, a broken laugh slipped out.

Elgin pointed at me. “There. Life. I saw it.”

My phone rang on the couch, and I wiped my cheeks quickly before reaching for it.

Jace.

I almost ignored it, but something in me was too tired to keep shutting him out.

I answered.

“HI”

“Baby” face said in a gentle voice. “Can I take you to lunch today? Please. Just lunch.”

I closed my eyes. Jace..

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Chapter 89

Please, baby. I’ve missed you so much.” He pushed, and Elgin nodded and mouthed a ‘say yes.

I heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Okay.”

“Thank you, baby. Thank you.”

I ended the call and dropped the phone face down again, but a text came in immediately.

Nessa.

“Are you free tomorrow evening? There’s a small night market at Luna Park. Food, music, lights. I thought you might like it.”

Elgin leaned over shamelessly. “Nessa?”

Yes.

His mouth twisted. “I do not like that woman.”

“You don’t know her.”

“I don’t need to know a snake personally to recognize it.”

“Elgin.”

He lifted both hands. “However, between you meeting the mysterious, beautiful woman at a public night market and you rotting on this couch over Mr. Emotional Bankruptcy, I vote night market.”

“I don’t know.”

“We are going.”

I paused, “We?”

“Yes. We.” He folded his arms dramatically, “I want to make a face–to–face evaluation of this mystery woman. It’s about time.”

Lunch with Jace felt like sitting inside an old life that no longer fit me.

The restaurant was expensive. Of course it was. Jace had always known how to use money as an apology whenever words were not enough. Soft gold lighting, glass walls, white tablecloths, waiters who moved like they had been trained not to make sound. The kind of place where people lowered their voices because even laughter felt too ordinary for the prices on the

menu.

I sat across from him in the dress Elgin had forced me into after spending twenty full minutes talking about heartbreak needing better tailoring.

It was black. Simple, but not innocent.

The neckline dipped low enough to remind me I had a body, the waist hugged tighter than anything I usually wore, and the slit stopped just high enough on my thigh to make me uncomfortable every time I crossed my legs. Elgin had brushed my hair out in soft waves, lined my eyes darker than usual, and put me in heels I had complained about until I saw myself in the mirror.

It was beautiful.

And for one stupid second, I had wished Oceans would see me.

That thought had almost ruined everything before I even stepped out of the house.

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You look stunning.” Jace said.

I looked

up from the glass of water I had been tracing with my finger.

“Thank you.”

His smile softened. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and expensive watch, his hair neat, his eyes warmer than I wanted them to be. He looked like the man I used to love. Worse, he looked like the man who once made me believe I was safe.

That version of him had become the hardest one to face.

“I mean it,” he said, leaning forward. “You’re beautiful, Arel.”

I pressed my lips together and looked down at the table.

There was a time when those words from him would have made my chest warm. I would have smiled, blushed, maybe reached for his hand across the table.

Now, I only felt tired.

“Thank you,” I said again.

His face shifted a little, but he recovered quickly. “I ordered the wine you like.”

“I’m not drinking.”

“Oh.” His hand paused near the bottle. “Right. That’s fine. We don’t have to.”

We sat in silence for a while before Jace cleared his throat. “I’m glad you came. I’ve missed you so much.”

I managed a smile. “I’ve been busy with work.”

“I know.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I just… I keep thinking about us. About the wedding. About everything we have planned. And sometimes I get nervous,” he laughed like he was nervous. “God, I can’t wait to finally walk you down the aisle.”

He talked about the wedding. About the venue he had found, the band he wanted to book, and the guest list his mother was already drafting. I nodded in the right places, made sounds that could have been agreement, watched his mouth move, and felt absolutely nothing.

“So,” he said, setting down his fork, “what do you think?”

I blinked. “About what?”

His smile tightened. “The flowers. I just described three different arrangements.”

Oops.

I wasn’t paying attention.

But just as I was about to say something to redeem myself, the doors of the restaurant opened, and my heart screeched to a

stop.

Oceans.

He walked in like he owned the place. He was putting on a dark suit and a white shirt, with no tie. His hair was brushed back from his forehead, and his silver–grey eyes swept across the room until they rested on me.

Moonie was with him.

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Chapter 89

She was wearing red. A dress that stopped mid–thigh and heels that made her taller than him. Her blonde hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in waves that caught the light. She was smiling–that bright, wide, camera–ready smile that she deployed whenever she wanted the world to see how happy she was

He was holding her hand.

“Kisarel?” Jace’s voice came from somewhere far away. “Are you okay? You’re pale.”

I couldn’t look away from them.

Moonie leaned into Oceans‘ side and said something in his car. He bent his head to listen, and for one horrible moment, they looked like a real couple.

Didn’t he say he didn’t love her?

What changed?

“Kisarel.” Jace’s hand covered mine. “What’s wrong?”

I forced my eyes back to the face of the man who was supposed to be my future… The man who had never made me feel the way Oceans did, and my heart broke into pieces as I stood up immediately.

“I need to go.”

***

Author’s Note.

Okay, I need to know… because what exactly are we supposed to do with Oceans Stark right now?

Let me know in the comments:

1. Did Kiss do the right thing by walking out? Or should she have stayed and made him watch her with Jace?
2. Be honest – how angry are you at Oceans right now?

And the most important question:

Are you still rooting for them?

Drop your thoughts. I’m reading every single one.

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