CHAPTER 154: THE BIDDING CEREMONY (HUSBAND’S COLD SHOULDER)

Logan’s eyes darkened.

Jean felt the heat radiating off him, not from desire... but from the storm brewing inside. His fists clenched by his sides, knuckles turning white.

She saw it all.

The way his gaze flickered between her trembling body and Tyler’s smug demeanor.

"You followed her here?" Logan growled. His voice was low. Dangerous.

Tyler didn’t flinch.

"Followed? Please. This is a public venue. And your wife seemed happy enough to talk." He looked at Jean then, his eyes heavy with feigned softness. "Weren’t you, Jean?"

Jean shook her head. "Stop twisting..."

"Twisting?" Tyler interrupted smoothly. "I’m just stating facts. We have... history. You think you know everything about her, Logan? About what she’s capable of?"

Logan took a threatening step forward.

But Tyler raised both palms, mock surrender in his posture.

"Easy, husband. I’m not here to fight. I’m just saying... you might want to ask her a few questions before deciding how much of her to protect."

That last sentence hit Jean like a slap.

"We shared something very unique... A marriage like this is never enough to forget, Logan."

Her chest caved.

"You know how it was between us in university days too... we were always on and off. This is just another Jean’s phase of rebellion against me. She always comes back no matter what..."

He was doing it again... twisting truths, spinning guilt, making her feel tainted before the man she finally began to trust.

And worst of all... she could see the flicker of hesitation

flash through Logan’s eyes.

Not disbelief. But curiosity.

It shattered her.

She backed away... one step. Two.

"Jean..." Logan began.

But she had already turned, swallowing down her shame, her pain, her anger... everything.

"I need air," she whispered.

Jean turned.

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t speak.

Her feet moved on their own, driven by the need to escape... anything, anywhere but here. Away from Tyler’s vile presence. Away from Logan’s silence.

But she didn’t make it far.

A firm grip caught her wrist mid-step.

"We don’t have time for that..." Logan’s voice was low, almost clipped, but unmistakably controlled. "...Let’s go."

Jean’s breath hitched. She looked back.

His hand held hers... not too tightly, but strong enough to tell her he wasn’t going to let her drift off into the dark again.

His eyes didn’t search hers for answers.

Not now.

Not yet.

There was a flicker of something in them... confusion... betrayal... but also a quiet restraint. He wasn’t ready to talk. But he wasn’t ready to let her go either.

Behind them, Tyler chuckled under his breath.

Logan didn’t acknowledge it. He simply turned, gently but firmly pulling Jean with him.

She followed. Quietly.

Shaking. Burning inside.

Tyler’s presence lingered like smoke on her skin. His words echoed in her head.

"You might want to ask her a few questions..."

Her heartbeat roared in her ears as they stepped back into the glittering lights of the after-party. The music, the clinking of champagne glasses, the hum of laughter... all felt like static.

No one knew what just happened in the shadows.

No one knew that Jean was seconds away from unraveling.

Except Logan... who still had her wrist in his grasp.

And despite the chaos inside her...

She didn’t pull away.

__________________________

Laughter. Music. Flashing lights. None of it reached Jean.

The moment she stepped into the hall with Logan by her side, everything felt distant. Like she was watching a party she wasn’t invited to... an outsider wrapped in an expensive dress and war-torn silence.

Logan hadn’t looked at her once since they re-entered.

His hand was no longer holding hers.

He walked beside her, not with her.

That distinction hurt more than it should have.

Jean’s fingers grazed her arm subconsciously, as if trying to rub off the filth Tyler left behind. His scent still lingered in her mind, like a poisoned whisper curling around her ear.

"Jean," Emma’s voice cut in, bright and curious. "There you are. What took you so long?"

Jean forced a smile and stepped forward. "Just... freshening up."

But Emma’s eyes narrowed... not with suspicion, but concern. She noticed it.

The subtle tremble in Jean’s voice.

The way Jean kept her arms close to her body, like she was trying to protect herself from something unseen.

Her eyes flicked to Logan... his jaw tight, his expression unreadable.

Cold. Distant. Unmoving.

He stood like a marble statue near the champagne bar, his tie slightly loosened, drink in hand... but not a single drop touched his lips.

Emma leaned closer to Jean, her voice a gentle whisper. "Did something happen?"

Jean shook her head quickly. Too quickly.

"I’m fine," she said, and that was her biggest lie of the night.

Emma didn’t push. But her gaze followed Jean’s line of vision... straight to Logan.

That’s when she noticed it too.

The tension.

Like a string pulled taut between the two, threatening to snap.

Logan wasn’t glancing back. Not once. But he didn’t leave either. He stayed rooted, like a soldier guarding a battlefield no one else could see.

Emma’s brows furrowed.

Something had happened.

And Jean? She looked like she was one whispered word away from shattering.

____________________________

The party music dulled as the glass door slid shut behind them. City lights shimmered in the distance, but Logan wasn’t looking. He stood with his back to the railing, arms folded, jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might snap.

Emma joined him with cautious steps, her heels soft against the tiled floor.

"Logan," she began gently, her eyes scanning his closed-off posture. "You’re scaring Jean."

His eyes snapped to her, flashing with restrained fury. "She was with Tyler, Emma."

Emma blinked, surprised by how bitter the word came out of his mouth.

"You mean Tyler Dominic? He is here?!"

He nodded stiffly.

"Back in university... They were a thing. I saw it. Heard about it. Everyone did." His voice cracked faintly, but he covered it up with a scoff. "And now he just shows up, whispers something in her ear, and she can barely stand on her feet?"

"So what?" Emma snapped, stepping forward. "You think that means she’s back with him? That you should just start giving her the cold shoulder because you think something happened?"

Logan didn’t answer. "I know you care about her but I need time to process."