His Heart Beat for Her, So I Left Chapter 02
Serena’s POV
I pushed open the restaurant’s front door. Snow-laced wind swept in, chilling me to the core at once.
My place wasn’t too far. I wrapped my arms around myself and walked step by step through the cold night. The bitter cold stung my nose and brought tears to my eyes.
A car pulled over to the side of the road and gave a short honk. Jacob got out, draped his coat and scarf over my shoulders hastily, then bent down to pick up my frozen body and strapped me into the passenger seat.
A strange rose fragrance wafted over, making my head throb.
On the floor by my feet lay a pair of high heels that Cecilia had left behind.
The “Serena’s Seat” sticker on the dashboard lay crumpled on the floor mat.
“I told you to wait for me back there,” he said as he closed my door and turned up the heat.
I buried my face in his coat, which still held his body warmth. After I had warmed up a bit, I finally spoke.
“Who is Cecilia?”
Jacob’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“Just a friend.”
I took a deep breath, holding back my tears, and pressed further. “Jacob, what am I, then?”
The worst thought was growing wildly in my mind. The fear that I was just a substitute. The fear that these ten years of pouring my whole heart into a secret mate bond had been a lie from the start.
“You’re overreacting.” He danced around my question. ” I simply drove her back to her hotel. With so many people watching, if I hadn’t taken her, Cecilia would have lost face. She has always been easily embarrassed.”
“Answer me. What am I?” I cut him off.
The car suddenly lurched forward. The roar of the engine drowned out everything I had said.
This was always how he was. He always clammed up when faced with awkward questions.
We only set the date for our mating ceremony reluctantly, pressured by our families and pack elders as we grew older.
“Jacob, do you like her?”
“No.”
“Then why did you let her take the passenger seat?”
” She just wanted to sit there.”
His indifferent attitude made my heart grow cold, little by little.
“What about the No Pulse Flutter Challenge tonight?”
“The tracker was broken.”
“Jacob, do you think I’m that gullible?” My voice started to shake.
He finally lost his patience.
“Enough.” He paused at a red light. ” Our mating ceremony is all planned out, invitations sent and everything. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jacob pulled out a perfume pendant and hung it inside the car. The rose scent grew even stronger. It was a gift from Cecilia.
“You owe me an explanation.”
He stared straight ahead and said nothing.
“Jacob, are you even listening to me?”
Rage rushed to my head. I reached out and yanked the pendant off.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Jacob grabbed my wrist. His grip tightened painfully, as if he would break my wrist. His eyes held a fierceness I had never seen in him before.
The writing was on the wall.
Why was I still asking such stupid questions?
“Fine.”
“Fine…”
I dropped the pendant and pushed open the car door. My legs buckled, and I tumbled into a roadside flower bed. Slush soaked my clothes instantly.
Jacob never indulged my petty moods. He leaned over, slammed the passenger door shut, and stepped on the gas, speeding away.
By the time I finally made it home, Jacob was standing outside the garage. Cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet.
When he saw me, he let out a cold snort and turned to go upstairs.
I followed behind him. As soon as we entered the master bedroom, I locked the door.
The wedding photo on the desk faced the bed. In ten years of dating, we had barely taken any pictures together. I always had to coax him before he’d pose for the photos unwillingly. And after we took the photo, he would always add, ” Don’t share these photos with anyone.”
Jacob had never been the romantic type. He always relied on money when picking out gifts for me. On our anniversary one year, he had casually slipped a large check into a box and called it a present.
He had never had much patience with me. He had never put much thought into us, either.
His computer on the desk was still on. A message popped up in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Cecilia: [ Jacob, it’s my birthday the day after tomorrow. Can you come watch a play with me?]
He replied almost instantly.
Jacob: [Okay.]
On impulse, I tried to click on it.
It needed a password.
My fingers trembling, I typed in Cecilia’s birthday.
It opened.
That was when I realized it was a throwaway account he’d made just for her. Cecilia was the only person on his follow list. Their conversation history stretched back almost two years.
Jacob: [Cecilia, look at the gift I’m making for you.]
Attached below was a photo. It was a hand-carved wooden figurine. It was not exquisitely crafted, yet every detail revealed his devotion.
Jacob: [I’ve been working on it for over half a month. It’s almost done.]
So all this time he had been avoiding me—it wasn’t because he was busy with pack business. It wasn’t because he was too tired from preparing for our mating ceremony.
He had been making a birthday gift for Cecilia.
The words in front of me blurred into a halo of light. I held onto the desk just to stay on my feet.
I couldn’t let it go. I kept digging through his encrypted photo albums and social media accounts.
Tens of thousands of photos.
All of them were of the same person.
Cecilia.
