Ashley POV

A few excited shouts and cheers were heard as soon as the exit door opened. The guy broke away from my gaze and slipped out after Jax. Then it was just the two of us. It took about ten minutes for the guards to shoo the fans away and for all the staff to be let out of the building. It took me another ten minutes to prepare to confront Jayden. I stared at the worn rubber floor for that long, trying to find the right question.

Since when? How? Why? As soon as the door closed and everyone was out of the room, he walked over to me. I looked up as he stopped half an arm's length from me. His face was without makeup and the ends of his hair sticking out from under his hat looked wet. His expression was hard to read as he crossed his arms and stared intently at me. It was then that I realized he was much taller than me. When did he grow so fast?

"Why are you here?" The question that popped into my head was cut off.

"Eva invited me," I replied stiffly. His eyebrows knitted together. "And you didn't think of turning her down?"

"I did," I replied through my teeth. I couldn't believe it. What was the reason he was so angry with me? Isn't it his fault? "But since I've never been to one of your concerts, I thought, 'I'd better come.' But I didn't expect to meet your lovely girlfriend in the bathroom."

His lips twitched, but he didn't seem to give an answer. His brown eyes just stared into mine, cold and unwavering. That was enough of an answer.

"It's nice to finally meet her," I said with a mocking smile at him, even though it was painful for me. That hurts. "How long are you going to keep us apart? Until we get married? Or even after that?"

"Shhh," he whispered, looking suspicious. "I thought we agreed not to talk about this unless we were absolutely sure no one could hear."

"I thought we agreed that you and I were getting married," I said curtly. "That's a two-man show in this country, at least the last time I checked. Does she know about us?"

He pursed his lips tightly when he met my eyes again. I had always admired his long, soft lashes, but now they disgusted me. I was almost tempted to ask him not to look at me, but I didn't want to let him get away with my answer.

"No," he finally said. " She… Everyone thinks we're just family friends."

" Well," I began, feeling colder than I had all night. "As of today, that won't be a lie anymore."

He frowned, and for the first time in years, I saw something like fear and anxiety in his brown eyes. "What do you mean?"

I pulled out my ring and held it in front of him. "I'm calling off our engagement. I won't - won't marry a cheating bastard like you. You can live happily ever after with someone else, like Blair Anderson. Smile, Jayden - you're finally getting rid of me, may you live happily ever after with your dear girlfriend."

I said with a fake smile and cold eyes. "Oh, and before I forget, I, Ashley Van Smith, of the Red Moon Pack, reject Jayden Ronan Keller, of the Crimson Pack, as my mate and fiancé, we are hereby no longer related."

My inner wolf, Lea began to whine as I uttered the word of rejection to him. 'He cheated on us, he doesn't want us. He already has another girl, just remember that,' I told her. And slowly she began to quiet down and give in to me.

"No."

His tone was hard and trembling, his eyes even harder. I raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"I don't think you've decided yet," I said in as sweet a voice as possible. "As soon as I tell my mom and dad..."

"Please, you can't."

If I didn't know him better, I could have sworn that a hint of desperation crept into his words. Even his face was convincing. But I knew that Jayden Ronan Keller was never desperate. He was rude, cold, and indifferent to me. Now I could also call him a 'bad liar' and maybe even a 'phony'. He's not the kind of person who would be miserable if I left him. Right?

"You can't just break off the engagement and reject me, Ash," he begged. "Please."

I just stared at him for a moment. I had spent years celebrating holidays and occasions with him and his parents. What would happen if I broke off the engagement?

My dad had a soft heart, and he would probably still try to keep in touch with his parents. It was my mom who would cause trouble. Big trouble.

But who could blame her? My parents and his parents had been planning his and my wedding for decades.

"I guess you forced this decision on me when you decided to be in a romantic relationship with another girl," I said, surprising even myself with how hurt I sounded. "I'm calling it off. You and I are never getting married."

I dropped the ring and started to turn around when he grabbed my wrist. I glared at him over my shoulder. "Let go."

"Not until I say so," he said. "Please, Ash, listen to me for a second."

I checked my phone. Eva and the others must have been waiting for me for over half an hour. Were they still outside?

Taking my silence as a cue to speak, he slowly released my wrist. "I didn't intend to fall in love with her. It just happened. You can't blame me for that." I glared at him. Oh boy. This guy really has no shame! Cheating bastard! I cursed him inwardly.

"You must think I'm more stupid than I am," I hissed. I couldn't deny how much his words hurt. "Did you memorize a romantic drama script? Do you even listen to yourself?"

He took a deep breath through his nostrils and took off his hat to run his fingers through his wet hair. I recognized this behavior, he was getting very frustrated. But why?

"How long have we known each other?" I continued when he remained silent. "How long have we known that we were going to get married? I mean, I know we don't like each other, but at least I think we can make this work. Isn't that what you promised my parents and your parents? What did you and I promise each other?"

"I... I can explain," he managed, his gaze becoming miserable. "I just... I need time."

"You need time?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "You know," I began as I backed away from him. "I don't even want to know. Live happily ever after with her or whoever, I don't care. I'm out."

"Are you crying?"

"No, I'm not crying," I said, touching the corners of my eyes. To my surprise, my fingers were wet. "Stay away from me, Jayden," I added as he began to follow me. "I don't really want to see you. Actually, I'm sure I never want to see your face again."

"That would be hard, considering I'm a pop star."

"Don't try to be a smart ass. You know what I mean." I turned away from him and started walking. "I never want to see you again, Jayden Ronan Keller."

Ashley POV

He didn't follow me, though. But I knew he had seen my tears. I tried to wipe them away as I hurried out of the stadium. I didn't know why I was crying. I should have been screaming with joy, celebrating his betrayal, maybe drinking a beer by myself. I was free. My life is so ironic, isn't it? Like some kind of cheesy drama in a TV series. Then why did it hurt so much?

When I arrived, I saw Eva's face immediately turn serious when she saw me, and she silenced her tired and cranky mother and her friends. There seemed to be something in my expression that made them worry and not talk to me, as they remained silent all the way home. Eva's mom made sure to drop me off first, even though the trip to Beverly Street would take the longest because of the detour from the stadium.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Eva asked after I thanked her mom. Her eyes were worried.

"Sure," I said quickly as I got out of the car. I found myself sounding much more harsh than I wanted to, so I added, "Thanks for the ride."

Her mother nodded with a face so similar to Eva's that when I first met her, I thought they were sisters far apart in age. After all, she was also very young, having become a mother at the age of 22. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep over at our house? I know school is tomorrow, but Eva said your parents are in London and will be there until next week."

"I'm fine, Auntie," I said quickly. "I'm used to it." I was definitely not in the mood for any kind of hang-out at the moment. Even though Eva was more mature than most, she still couldn't help but ask me what had happened.

And there was no way I was going to repeat the events of Jayden's cheating affair, which hadn't really happened yet. Although I couldn't talk about it even if I wanted to.

"Bye!" Eva and the others said. I could see the curiosity in her friends' eyes. But I wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

I could only smile slightly. "Yes."

My parents' apartment was empty at the time. There was a note on the refrigerator door to remind me that they were on a business trip and vacation in London with Jayden's parents. The four of them were gone until Saturday. That meant that if I told my parents now, his parents would know and they'd have six days to argue.

Well, I debated about contacting my dad. Maybe I should tell him and my mom right away. Even if it wasn't the right reason, because there was something as simple as the face cam option on WhatsApp or Google Meet. Still, I was reluctant to call.

With a tired exhale, I rummaged through the cupboard for a packet of instant noodles. I had already skipped dinner because of Eva's sudden invitation, and my stomach had been rumbling for a few hours. I also had the feeling that I was about to eat something bad.

But I refused to know why. Lea had been blocking me out from her until now. Poor thing she must have been pretty shattered by this whole unfortunate turn of events and I knew that very well.

While I waited for the water to boil, I prepared a tray with a fork, spoon, water, and a small portion of parmesan and parsley so I could take the food into the living room. I was used to eating by myself. When my paternal grandparents were alive, I almost always had to eat with them when my parents were away. It was all they could do after they got too old to travel, so they gave my father the responsibility of being the chief representative of Red Moon Inc. But ever since my grandmother died and my grandfather got sick from grief before he finally passed away five years ago, well, for werewolves, when one of their mates dies, it's bound to be a deep sadness because we only have one soulmate, so I understand the situation my grandfather was in.

In fact, my family is of werewolf blood, along with Jayden's extended family. They try to blend into society side by side with humans. From the moment my grandparents died, I had to cook for myself. I also never knew my maternal grandparents, as they died before I was born, and none of my relatives lived in the neighboring town.

But it didn't really matter. Apparently, I've always felt lonely all my life, as far back as I can remember. The curse of fate, I guess.

I put the noodles in steaming hot water and added the packets of various spices and dried vegetables. The little screen on the microwave said 11:30 p.m. I hated myself for eating so late instead of sleeping, especially since I had to go to school at eight in the morning. But as I stirred all the ingredients and watched the noodles and ingredients soften and the clear water turn reddish, I realized that I was waking up with an eerie feeling.

Lazily, I remembered the expression on his face. It seemed like he was about to say something in our earlier conversation. Maybe something important. What was it? He's not stupid enough to think that he can go out with his girlfriend while he's engaged to another girl, is he? No, I don't think so. There had to be a reason - either bad or unexpected - why he'd decided to stay with me now that his heart was hers.

"Ugh, stop it," I hissed inside. "Get him out of my mind, he's not worth wasting my mental energy on. Well, just give my parents a call in the morning, since they're probably asleep right now. Let them take care of their poor only daughter."

My tone sounded bitter. I think my face looked bitter as well. But hey, at least I was out of a hell marriage and a cheating mate that was probably doomed to end badly. I don't know what I would have done if I found out about Blair Anderson after I walked down the aisle. Let's just say that a bowl of noodles in the middle of the night would be the least of my worries.

At the moment, I'm sitting in front of the TV, absentmindedly flipping through the channels, when I finally feel drowsiness creeping into my eyelids and my body. The long-cold pot of sauce and my glass of water had already been emptied and refilled twice. I turned off the TV and headed for the kitchen with my dishes when a voice suddenly broke the silence.

Ring, ring, ring.

The sound was coming from my cell phone. I immediately ran to the kitchen, having forgotten to put the phone in the kitchen, and picked it up. But, the caller was someone I didn't recognize.

Why would someone call me in the middle of the night?

Screw that, it's already past midnight, I noticed as I looked at the microwave. But there wasn't enough time for me to think, so I answered right away, without considering various possibilities.

"Hello?" I said hesitantly.

"Um..." a male voice sounded soft. "Who is this?"

"Shouldn't you know, since you're the one calling?" I parried, immediately becoming suspicious. The person sounded vaguely familiar, though I couldn't guess who it was.

"Well, this is the only number I haven't called on this phone, and it doesn't clearly state the person's name."

I frowned. "What?"

Suddenly I heard a voice in the background near me - or rather, a speaker on another phone - and I realized, "He's really cracked the code!" and "Who are you talking to?" until finally, "Tyler, give me the phone."

There was a rough scraping sound in my ears. My brow furrowed further as another male voice spoke to me.

"It's Clark Walter, one of the lead managers of Boyz Hits Bullets."

"Okay?" I said slowly.

"Are you related to or friends with Jayden Ronan Keller?"

"I wouldn't say either," I replied, feeling cold at the sound of his name. "But I do know a guy by that name who happens to be in this group."

There was a sigh in the voice. A long, laborious breathing out and I suddenly stiffened.

Suddenly I knew that something was very wrong.

"Over there... there has been a serious accident. If you could come to the Silvercross Healing Center as soon as possible, it would be a great help. Did you need help getting here?"