I've been in a five-year secret relationship with Shawn Lowell. For so long, everyone thinks we're rivals who hate each other's guts.

At a bachelorette party hosted by a mutual friend, the bride-to-be orders every guy who is still single to wear eye masks. After that, every single woman has to walk one lap in front of them.

This is so that the men can pick up on the women's perfumes. If they find a perfume they like the most, they can embrace the woman instantly and become a couple for the day.

I walk very slowly in front of the men on purpose. In fact, I even stop in front of Shawn for half a second.

But as soon as Shawn takes off his eye mask, he finds himself hugging Alyssa Sutton, his childhood sweetheart and first love.

"Wow! You really are amazing, Mr. Lowell! You actually recognized Alyssa from all those fragrances and hugged her on the spot! Even God thinks you two are a match made in heaven!"

Alyssa's eyes slightly redden, whereas Shawn looks down at her with a doting smile playing on his lips. Both of them refuse to let go of each other.

As I stand a short distance away, I just smile at the scene.

Last night, Shawn was still kissing the scar on my chest in bed while telling me that he wanted to marry me.

How is it that he's forgotten his promise in just the blink of an eye?

Jocelyn's POV

Someone from the crowd teased, "Shawn, it's like heaven's smiling on you two, letting you and Alyssa be a couple for the day to make up for the lost time."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. Shawn has everything going for him, yet we haven't heard a word about his love life in years. It really makes you wonder if he's been hung up on someone this whole time."

The crowd's eyes darted back and forth between my secret boyfriend, Shawn Lowell, and his childhood sweetheart, Alyssa Sutton, their expressions heavy with implication.

Alyssa's ears flushed pink under everyone's gaze. She gave Shawn a playful shove, but he just stood there with a faint smile on his lips, neither confirming nor denying anything.

He played it off. "That's enough, guys. It's all in the past."

Then, as if to justify himself, he added, "I couldn't really catch anyone else's scent. I chose Alyssa because of her jasmine scent. It's the same one she wore back in school. Besides, if I'd grabbed the wrong woman by mistake, it would've been mortifying for her. I've still got a shred of decency left."

The room erupted in whistles and laughter, the suggestion hanging in the air.

I laughed along, easy and practiced, though my jaw ached from holding the smile.

I couldn't put a name to what I was feeling. It was a suffocating mix of bitterness and a sharp, aching tightness.

Before we left this morning, we had used the same bottle of body wash.

It was the oud scent Shawn had been loyal to for five years.

I'd once told him it was too heavy and that I wanted to switch, but he'd looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes.

He said he was a creature of habit and that only things that never changed made him feel secure.

"Like you," he'd said.

I'd let that one line get to my head. I'd bought two whole cases at once—enough to last eight years.

And yet here I was, standing right in front of him, carrying that exact same scent.

How could he possibly not recognize it?

"Wait… Jocelyn, why do I feel like you and Shawn smell the same?" the bride-to-be, Kristine Tanner, asked me as she brushed past me.

Her words sent a sudden hush over the room.

Everyone there knew Shawn and me were like oil and water. For five years, we'd been at each other's throats, poaching each other's deals, clawing to bring the other one down.

But Shawn had pulled through those five years. He'd dragged Lowell Group back from the brink of bankruptcy and fought his way up until he stood level with me.

So… had the whole thing been an act?

Probing gazes began to shift toward me.

Shawn cleared his throat right on cue, his voice dismissive as he tried to cover up. "It's just some generic body wash. It's hardly surprising we'd smell the same."

He hated artificial fragrances. That was why he'd never once bought me perfume. Our home only ever smelled like soap and laundry detergent.

He claimed that if there were too many scents around him, he'd have nightmares.

In the stillness of the night, he'd pull me beneath him and lose himself in me, desperate to coat every inch of me in his scent. He wanted me to belong to him and only him forever.

His eyes would go bloodshot, and he'd hold me so tight that I could barely breathe. Last night had been no different.

And yet now, he was dismissing me as "generic".

I shot back, "You're right. I'll switch brands the second I get home."

The scar on my chest throbbed with a dull ache. I reached up, brushed my fingers over it, and smiled. "I'd hate to keep sharing a scent with a stray. It'll only bring me bad luck."

"Jocelyn, what did you just say?" Shawn snapped, and the atmosphere in the room plunged to ice.

His brow furrowed as he pinned me with a glare. He'd always hated it when I tried to draw a line between us.

But today, Shawn had no grounds to lash out at me. All he could do was stare daggers at me.

I was speechless at his audacity. Was I the one who'd asked him to hold another woman in his arms?

I let out a cold laugh. Just as I was about to snap back, Kristine rushed in to smooth things over, terrified we were about to blow up her pre-wedding party.

"Oh, come on, Josie. It's my big day. Do me a favor and don't let him get under your skin."

She tried to change the subject. "So, has anyone caught your eye yet? I know you have high standards, but if you're still single, I'd love to set you up with someone."

"I do, actually," I said casually.

I glanced around the room, my eyes flickering toward a figure in the corner before landing back on Shawn. Then I dropped the bombshell, smiling as I spoke. "I'm getting engaged this weekend."

Jocelyn's POV

"Whoa, Jocelyn! You've been holding out on us, haven't you? If you're getting engaged, what are you even doing at a bachelorette party?" someone called out.

Kristine leaned in, eyes bright with curiosity. "Who's the lucky guy? Since when is this a thing, Josie? We haven't heard a single whisper."

"Just now," I replied casually.

The phone in my pocket started to buzz, each pulse angrier than the last.

Shawn's texts came through one after another.

"Jocelyn, what are you pulling?"

"Look, I know I shouldn't have hugged Alyssa, but I couldn't just walk away from the game. Kristine's getting married in two days. I couldn't blow her off and make things awkward."

"Be reasonable. I told you I'd marry you. I meant it."

After reading them all, I flipped the phone face-down on the table without typing a word back.

I just watched Shawn from across the room. As if to prove a point, he tightened his grip, pulling Alyssa even closer against him.

"Since you're the couple of the day, why don't you two give us a kiss?" someone suggested.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

The crowd egged them on until they were pressed together.

Alyssa was flush against his chest, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Stop it, you guys… Shawn and I haven't seen each other in five years. We can't just start making out."

She put on a show of resisting, but as she tilted her head up, her lips nearly brushed his jawline.

I'd been in love with Shawn for more than five years.

From the time I was a kid, I'd known my life was already mapped out for me. Every day was an endless cycle of tests and expectations. I'd stopped looking forward to anything a long time ago.

Then, one afternoon, when I was leaving the library to turn in some paperwork like any other day, a basketball came flying straight at me.

I was so dizzy from low blood sugar that I couldn't even move. I just closed my eyes and braced for the impact.

Honestly, a part of me thought getting knocked out wouldn't be the worst thing.

But then Shawn called out my name and stepped in front of me, shielding me from the blow.

That moment tore a hole in the monotonous fabric of my life.

I started carving out time in my schedule to watch his games and attend his debates.

I slowly fell for him, but when I heard he had a childhood sweetheart he'd known forever, I buried my feelings deep.

Then, five years ago, Alyssa moved abroad. At the same time, the Lowell family was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. I thought my moment had finally come.

"Enough, give them a break. Shawn, even my grandma's heard about your mom nagging you to get married. She says if you're not hitched by the end of the year, she'll break your legs herself," Kristine chimed in.

She covered her mouth, laughing. "I told her I'd book you a room at my family's orthopedic clinic, but it looks like you're saved now that Alyssa is back."

"You and Josie are a funny pair, though," she added. "Either you're tearing each other apart in business for five years, or you're both keeping your love lives under wraps. What is this, a footrace to the altar?"

The room erupted.

"No wonder Jocelyn is getting engaged on the spot. If Shawn beat her to the altar, she'd probably send funeral wreaths to the wedding out of spite."

For five years, everyone had assumed I was out to get Shawn.

In reality, I'd been the one flagging his missteps so they'd never see the light of day.

I was the one who'd pulled him back from the edge of bankruptcy, funneling him money and connections behind the scenes.

I'd rather be called petty and small-minded than wound his pride by letting people call him a kept man.

That was why, in five years, we'd never once held hands in public.

We arrived at restaurants separately.

At the movies, we sat three rows apart.

And yet I was happy to do it. I was the one who'd fallen for him first.

The day he finally agreed to be with me, he told me with bloodshot eyes that he needed five years.

He promised that on our fifth anniversary, he'd go public and give me the wedding of my dreams.

That was supposed to be this year.

That was supposed to be today.

But here he was, holding someone else in front of everyone.

"Come on, Jocelyn, don't leave us hanging. Who is the guy?"

The room kept pushing.

I met Shawn's ink-dark eyes and curled my lips into a smirk. "I can't say just yet. But… he's in this room."

Jocelyn's POV

"What? He's right here? Who's been keeping such a good secret? Come on, man, stand up and show yourself!" someone called out, head swiveling around the room.

The room erupted into a buzz of speculation as everyone started eyeing each other, the noise reaching a fever pitch.

At this, Shawn let out a subtle sigh of relief.

But the very next comment made his chest tighten all over again.

"You know… Jocelyn and Shawn are actually a lot alike. They both have a knack for dropping bombshells out of nowhere."

"If it hadn't been for Shawn's legendary bender after Alyssa left, none of us would have ever known he'd been carrying a torch for her for three whole years."

The atmosphere turned awkward for a split second.

Shawn broke the silence to explain, his voice clearer and louder than it had been all evening.

"That's ancient history. Stop hyping it up."

His eyes cut through the crowd and landed on me. He looked unusually tense.

But I suddenly didn't want to dwell on how much he'd loved Alyssa during those three years or on the decade they'd spent with their lives intertwined.

"You guys keep going. I'm hitting the restroom."

I pushed the door open, and a cool draft from the hallway hit me.

Only then did I pull my phone out and send two brief texts.

"You heard all of it."

"The marriage. I'm in."

The man on the other end seemed ecstatic. The typing indicator flickered incessantly.

But before the reply came through, Shawn caught up to me.

He grabbed my wrists, pinned them above my head, and trapped me against the wall. "Jocelyn, I told you that's all over. What's this little tantrum about?"

The overwhelming scent of oud washed over me.

Like a man possessed, he went for my lips with a desperate, aggressive hunger.

He always did this whenever we had a disagreement.

He was counting on the soft spot I had for him, on the part of me that couldn't quite walk away. All he had to do was wear me down. He knew that the moment I softened, I'd find a way to forgive him.

But this time, I turned my head away.

His kiss landed on my cheek, and he froze.

He raked a hand through his hair, his voice tight with frustration. "Fine. I shouldn't have done it. But Jocelyn, Alyssa just got back. My mom reminded me how close our families were growing up and asked me to look out for her."

He tried to talk me down. "How embarrassing would it have been for her if every other woman had a partner and she was the only one left standing alone?"

What about me?

I'd turned away every other man for his sake. Did that mean I had this coming?

"Josie, no matter how jealous you are, you can't go around joking about getting engaged to someone else," he said, his tone softening into something coaxing.

"Engagements take planning. I need to pick the right date, get everything set up, and give you the wedding you deserve. All of that takes time."

"And as for my mom…" he hesitated. "I'll handle her."

Shawn's mom had never liked me.

Fed by the rumors, she'd decided I was an arrogant, domineering woman who looked down on her son and was up to no good.

Lucky for her, her son had grit. He'd clawed his company back to life—even while I was, supposedly, crushing him.

So when Shawn first took me home to meet her, she slapped me across the face and told me to get the hell out.

She threw everything within reach at me—espresso cups, vases, slippers—and one of them shattered and sliced open my hand.

Shawn and I were forced to flee. I later found out that her husband had run off abroad with his mistress and the family's money, leaving her to suffer a mental breakdown in the aftermath.

That was why Shawn, terrified of his mom hurting me again, had insisted we keep our relationship a secret.

"Shawn? Where are you?"

In the middle of our standoff, Alyssa's bright, melodic voice rang out from the other end of the hallway.

Shawn let go of me at once, panic flashing across his face.

"Josie, go back inside. I'll come find you in a bit. I…"

Watching him scramble like that, a sudden wave of bitter resentment rose in my chest.

I couldn't bring myself to believe that five years of devotion could be brushed aside the moment Alyssa called his name.

I wanted to test him one last time. Just to see if he'd choose me. Just once.

"Shawn, have you forgotten what day it is today?"

Today was the day we were supposed to commit to each other forever.