Chapter 34: An unexpected advice

Justine's POV

I choose to dance with Nathan because he asks for my help properly and he’s never been rude to me, not even once. "You look happily married, Justine," Nathan says. My brow furrows.

"Well, I should, right? Nathan, why are you doing this? I know you didn’t just come back into my life without any specific reason. I know you," I mumbled. His hands were on my waist, while mine were on his shoulder. Nathan sighed.

"Because I thought I wasn't late. I never expected that I'd be two weeks late. I came back because of you. I still want to continue the future I had for us," Nathan says. He’s always been honest and never lied to me. I smiled and met his eyes.

"You're a good guy, and you know it. You’ll find a girl that will hold your hand like nobody else does. I’m no longer single, Nathan. I’m married and I won’t betray my husband."

Nathan’s eyes were sad after he heard what I said. I pinch his cheek and smile at him. "I know you will soon find the right girl for you. You just have to wait. Who knows? You’ll find a better girl than me. There will always be better out there," I mumble. He tried to smile but that didn’t reach his eyes.

"I knew there was no such woman. You will always be that perfect girl in my eyes, Justine," Nathan replied.

I know he will only believe that for the time being. As soon as the right girl comes into his life, she'll only be the perfect one for him.

I didn’t argue anymore because it would be useless. As soon as the song ended, he let go of me. He wants to send me to our table but I told him that it’s okay. I look around and notice that my husband isn’t here yet.

My forehead wrinkled when I saw Jaxon laughing and leaving Lawrence’s side. My jaw clenched. I have a bad feeling about this. I look around and check for the mayor’s wife. I think I have to excuse us because we’ll go home earlier than the others.

I saw her. I wave at her and she waits for me until I get closer to them. The mayor was with her. "Happy wedding anniversary again, Mr. and Mrs. Mayor. Thank you so much for inviting me and my husband."

They both smiled and pinched my arms together. "No worries. We invited everyone because we wanted to inspire them. You know, marriage nowadays leads to the other. You youngsters always think that divorce is the solution for everything," Madam Mayor says. I simply laugh, because that’s the truth.

"We wished you both a happy but challenging marriage like ours. It’s better to be challenged and grow together, right, honey?"

His wife nodded and seemed to agree with what the mayor said. My husband came and wrapped his hands around me. "Well, we’ll keep that in mind, mayor. Thank you once again. We really have to go. Men keep on stealing my wife. I am a bit jealous and don’t want to share her too," Lawrence commented.

They both laugh. I guess they noticed that I was being danced to by Nathan and Jaxon. It’s better that we leave before other men ask me again for a dance. I’m just glad that my husband and I danced first or else it will be a bumpy argument as soon as we get inside his car.

I can sense the turmoil coming! After bidding our farewell, we exit the party without making unnecessary commotion. It’s better that way because the party was already too suffocating for all of us.

We both stopped walking when we accidentally saw a light in the sky. We look up and we are dilated. Did we just witness a meteor shower?! The biggest and brightest one?! Oh my gosh!

I held my husband's hand and smiled sweetly. I am glad he’s here with me. I close my eyes and make a wish for myself.

'I wish that everything would go as I planned. Please… please…'

I opened my eyes. I let go of his hand and bowed my head. "I apologize if I made you mad or offended. Nathan is just a good man. We never have dull moments or bad memories together. He will always be someone who is important to me."

He just scoffs. I heard his footsteps walking away from me. When I raise my head, he already opens the door of the car. He gets inside and drives it away without waiting for me. I sighed. I walk outside and hail a cab. I hope I can be able to follow him. "Can you follow that car?" I pointed.

He’s already too far. The cab driver nodded. "No problem, ma'am," he says.

He steps on the accelerator and drives faster in order to get closer to Lawren’s car. "Can I ask a question, sir? You seem to be married and happy as well," I stated. He’s already old. I wonder if he can share his wisdom from a male’s perspective.

"No problem, ma’am. You can ask anything as long as it’s not a dark or scary one," he asks. I laugh softly.

He knows how to joke and speak with his passengers. "My husband and I attended a party. My ex-boyfriend, who is a good man, asked me for a dance. I apologize if it offended him or something. I told him that I couldn’t hate him because he’s a good man and holds a place in my heart. Then he dashes away with that car."

I pointed to the car that he’s following. He laughs. I can see that he enjoys what I say. "You want an opinion from the same sex, right?" he says.

I simply nod. I just don’t get Lawrence's attitude! I already apologize for one’s sake! "Ma'am, if you women hate when men compare you to their exes or when they still remember some things about them, men feel the same way. We hate when our woman’s exes come into the picture," he paused. My husband made a U-turn and the cab driver did the same. Is he telling me that Lawrence is jealous?

"Oh please. My husband and I got married for convenience only. There’s no way he’s jealous. He loves another girl!"

I know too well that Lawrence won’t get jealous. Maybe he’s mad because his cousin mocked him. I know Jaxon well. He is good at gaslighting any situation in his favor.

"Someone must have mocked him. I know it’s his ego that was hurt," I whispered. He coughs and looks at me in the rear-view mirror.

"A man gets jealous when their woman smiles and laughs at other men more than they do when she’s with him. Also, a mockery from other people means nothing to them. They’re already in a bad mood because of what they saw, not because of what other people say," he added.

I saw how serious he was when he gave me his statement. Should I believe him? We stopped after 15 minutes of driving. We’re in front of a high-end bar.

"Here’s my payment. Thank you for driving safely and for the advice as well. Have a good night, sir," I whispered.

I handed him $500 and got out. He opens his car window. "Keep the change. Thank you!" I stated.

I run inside the bar. I look around and find him. I saw him sitting on the counter. He orders right away. I decided to sit at a table behind him. I raise my hand.

"Yes, ma’am?" the waitress asks "Can I have hot wings and vodka? Thank you," I stated.

She writes down what I ordered and leaves me. As soon as my order arrived, I silently ate the hot wings and kept an eye on my husband. Half an hour later, he’s already drunk. He drinks three bottles of whisky. I wave at the waitress.

"Bill, please," I utter. I paid and left her a tip.