Belated love, I no longer need

Chapter 1

When we were about to head to the amusement park, my boyfriend, Joseph, brought along a woman and her daughter.

There happened to be one seat short in the car.

Joseph told me to get out and give my seat to the two of them. “Scarlett has a kid with her. Let them go first. I’ll come back for

you later,” he said.

I calmly stepped out and watched as the car slowly pulled away from the pack. Three hours later, they arrived at the amusement

park for the fireworks and feast.

When a friend asked Joseph why he still hadn’t come back to get me, Drew was patiently helping Scarlett light a giant firework.

He wasn’t in a rush at all and even said, “It’ll be fine if I pick Maria up later. She won’t mind. I’ll coax her a bit, and she’ll

stop being mad.”

Anger only worked on people who cared about someone.

My dad, mom, and brother never cared, and now, not even Joseph cared anymore. It was time for me to leave for good.

******

While getting ready for the outing, Joseph Hewitt showed up with a mother-daughter pair. The sight of them made me instantly lose

interest in going. Scarlett Hostyn, a stunning woman in a form-fitting dress, walked towards us with a little girl named Mia Moore

in tow.

"Maria, Joseph said you invited us. Thanks!" she said with a smile that seemed sweet but carried a subtle hint of provocation.

She knew darn well I wouldn't have invited her.

Joseph loaded Scarlett's luggage into the trunk and opened the back-seat door.

But he paused when he saw two extra guys in the back. They were his friend's younger brothers who decided to tag along at the last

minute.

His friend looked a bit sheepish and scratched his nose. "Joseph, I had no idea you were bringing them."

He stepped forward, ready to kick the two boys out of the car.

Before Joseph could say anything, Scarlett objected.

"They're at that fun-loving age. Don't make them leave," she said, her voice laced with a hint of disappointment as she lowered

her head.

"Mia and I will just sit this one out. Have a great time!"

After taking a few steps, she turned back. "Joseph, Mia was going on and on about this trip last night. Send her some pictures

while you're having fun, okay?"

Joseph's eyes wavered for a moment, then he opened the passenger-side door.

Reaching out, he pulled me out of the car. "Maria, get out for now. I'll come back for you later," he said nonchalantly.

I had no clue what kind of look was on my face at that instant, but it must have been something. The two boys in the back-seat

immediately got out, too.

"Miss, you take our seats. We'll skip this trip," they said, their faces a mix of pity and guilt.

I stared into Joseph's calm eyes and let out a bitter laugh.

It was clear this trip wasn't meant for me.

Calmly, I grabbed my luggage and pushed the boys back into the car.

As the car was about to pull away, Scarlett sat in the passenger seat with Mia in her arms. She waved at me smugly through the

window.

Glancing at Joseph's handsome profile through the glass, I felt a sudden wave of weariness washing over me.

My eyes landed on the ring on his finger, the one I'd put on him during our engagement.

Now, it just seemed so out of place.

Over the five-hour drive, Scarlett was glued to Instagram, churning out nearly ten posts.

At the start, it was a visual feast of the roadside scenery. Before long, though, most of the content zeroed in on Joseph's

dashing looks as he steered the wheel with one hand.

A comment popped up under the video: [Scarlett, is this your boyfriend? He's a real looker!]

Scarlett shot back with a shy emoji and then kept posting snapshots of Joseph.

The trip from here to Ocean City clocks in at five hours. When Joseph pulled into a rest area, he phoned me up.

He said, "Don't move. I'll swing by and grab you."

The idea of baking under the blistering sun for ages was a non-starter for me now.

Still, I bit my tongue and even gave my okay.

I just had to find out if Joseph would follow through on his word and come back for me.

I plopped down on the sofa, watching the clock hands crawl by. Five hours slipped away, then six, then seven.

Just then, Scarlett dropped another Instagram bombshell. In the video, she was in a skimpy swimsuit, lounging on an inflatable

raft, with Joseph's tall frame right by her side.

The video was filled with peals of laughter and a loud whoop.

Out of the blue, someone asked, "Joseph, aren't you gonna go get Maria?"

Joseph's hand froze for a split second, making Scarlett tip over and take an unexpected gulp of seawater.