The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 377

Another incoming call violently yanked Jocelyn from her thoughts. Glancing at the screen, she recognized the number immediately. It was Adrian.

She didn't need a crystal ball to know why he was calling. He had finally unearthed her real identity. This frantic calling was just his fragile ego demanding she confess it to his face because he couldn't stomach the truth.

Jocelyn's assumption was spot on. That was exactly the psychological breakdown Adrian was experiencing. He dialed her number a dozen times, only to be met with endless ringing until, finally, he was sent straight to voicemail. She had blocked him.

Adrian gripped his new phone, fighting the desperate urge to smash it against the steering wheel.

Half an hour later, he stood outside The Astoria.

He stared at the digital keypad of Jocelyn's old apartment, trying to guess the passcode. His first instinct was her birthday. He punched it in.

Error.

He stood there for a long moment, suddenly realizing with a sickening jolt that he wasn't entirely sure what her exact birthday was.

His second guess was their wedding anniversary. That date was burned into his memory, but mostly because it was the same day the woman he thought he loved had married his younger brother.

Error.

Just as he raised his hand to try a third combination, the deadbolt clicked, and the door swung open.

A surge of triumph hit him—he thought Jocelyn was home. But instead of his ex-wife, he was met with the icy glare of a tall, imposing man.

Adrian froze, his jaw tightening. "Who the hell are you?"

Gideon Shaw stood in the doorway, a towel slung over his shoulder and his hair still damp from the shower. He possessed a rugged, sharp-edged magnetism, radiating an effortless, dangerous confidence.

Gideon stared back, his voice a low, unimpressed drawl. "Who the hell are you?"

Adrian's temper flared. "I asked you a question!"

Gideon didn't flinch. "And I asked you one."

"She blocked my number," Adrian ground out through clenched teeth.

Gideon let out another slow, infuriatingly smug "Oh."

"She's not here," Gideon stated bluntly, and slammed the door right in Adrian's face.

Adrian stood in the hallway, completely stunned. The sheer disrespect made his blood boil. He had come here demanding answers, and instead, he had been humiliated by a strange man sleeping in his ex-wife's apartment. He was losing his mind.

Inside, Gideon quickly fired off a text to Jocelyn.

[Your ex is at the door. He's not leaving.]

Jocelyn sighed at her screen. When had Adrian become this shameless?

[Ignore him. He'll get bored and leave eventually, ] she replied.