The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 391

Jocelyn froze for a few seconds, almost laughing out of sheer exasperation.

"Adrian, do you honestly think I have an ulterior motive for every decent man who happens to be around me?"

Adrian stared at those eyes, now filled with nothing but cold distance. The tight ache in his chest grew heavier.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Was Lana right? Had he actually started to care about this woman?

When Adrian finally spoke, the words slipped out carrying an unmistakable trace of jealousy.

"Don't you?"

Jocelyn frowned, shooting him a look of absolute disbelief.

After a brief silence, she burst into a soft laugh.

"Adrian, I don't even know what to call you anymore."

Her smile was half exasperated, half careless.

It left him momentarily stunned.

He didn't even realize what he was saying until the words were already out.

"That Vance guy... he's not just anybody."

His status was equal to, if not greater than, his own.

He was the kind of man women dreamed about.

Therefore...

"I don't believe you don't have feelings for him."

Jocelyn didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore.

"Believe whatever you want."

Adrian suddenly remembered the strange man he had seen at The Astoria last night.

"And another thing. Why is there a strange man living in your apartment?"

Jocelyn wanted to tell him it was none of his business.

But on second thought, if she said that, it would only fuel his curiosity.

So, she casually spun a lie.

Love was never about one-sided begging; it was about mutual effort.

A one-sided sacrifice only made a person pathetic, reducing them to clinging and pleading just to keep the other around.

The more pathetic you became, the faster you lost yourself.

Looking back on everything, Jocelyn felt a mix of lingering dread and immense relief.

Dread, because she had almost thrown her life away loving Adrian.

Relief, because she had finally woken up and cut her losses before it was too late.

In that moment, she couldn't guess what was actually going through his head.

But for once, she could read a flicker of regret, helplessness, and even a trace of sorrow in his gaze.

It was completely uncharacteristic of him.

When he finally spoke again, his words were shocking.

"Could you just... give me some time?"

Jocelyn didn't have to think hard to know exactly what he meant by that.