SWNOVELS Chapter 225
Melvin was right.
Even if something did happen to Castiel, it was none of his business.
It was hard for Jocelyn to think about how he managed to hold Euston in his arms and say something so cold and uncaring.
Castiel's fate hung in the balance, missing without a trace. There was no time for Jocelyn to get caught up in her own tangled emotions. The chance to save him was slipping away, and her heart ached with the urgency of it.
"Castiel isn't my husband," she declared, taking a deep breath that did little to steady her trembling voice. In the face of Melvin's incredulous gaze, she dropped the bombshell. "Euston isn't my child. He's Castiel's son with his girlfriend."
Stunned, Melvin gaped at her, his mind reeling. "Are you... are you kidding?" It was the first thought that raced through his mind.
"No," Jocelyn replied calmly, trying to explain the tangled web of lies. "The marriage certificate is a fake. There's no record of me ever being married. And you said it yourself, the child doesn't look like me. How could he if he's not my son?"
As she watched Melvin process the news, Jocelyn continued, "Castiel and I are just friends, nothing more."
Melvin stared at her, his gut telling him that Jocelyn was telling the truth. His heart, which had felt as still as a stagnant pond, suddenly bubbled to life as if a fish had darted through the water, causing ripples to spread across the surface.
Silently, he swallowed hard, holding the child with one arm while he fished out his cellphone with the other. "What's the status on Castiel?" he asked into the phone. "Alright, got it."
"Here, hold him," Melvin said, handing Euston over to Jocelyn before stepping outside with his phone.
Jocelyn didn't know who he was calling, but as she watched his silhouette through the window, a sense of relief inexplicably washed over her.
For five years, she and Melvin had been entangled in a complex dance. She had loved him deeply for the first three and spent the next two trying to erase those feelings. Now, it seemed both everything and nothing had changed. The remnants of deep love still held their place in her heart.
When Melvin finally came back inside, Jocelyn looked at him expectantly. "Well?"
"Some locals have taken the woman," Melvin said casually. "He went to rescue her and got himself captured."
Jocelyn's heart raced. "Is there any way to save them? Castiel sounded so weak when he called."
"I've got my brother-in-law working on it," Melvin replied. "He's negotiating to get them out."
"Your brother-in-law?" Jocelyn asked, puzzled. "Yasmine's ex-husband?"
"Yeah," was all Melvin offered, unwilling to divulge more.
Jocelyn knew better than to probe further. If her brother-in-law had the clout to negotiate with the locals, it was clear he was not a man to be trifled with. She had never fully understood Melvin, let alone Yasmine's family.
"Don't worry," Melvin added, though his assurance was far from certain. "As long as they're alive, there's still hope."
Jocelyn looked down at the peaceful Euston in her arms, silently praying for Castiel's safe return.
Melvin's gaze softened as he watched her. The burden that had weighed on his heart was finally lifted.
"It's only three in the morning. Try to get some more sleep," he suggested. "I'll let you know if there's any news."
Unable to sleep, Jocelyn waited until Euston was sound asleep before gently placing him in the crib upstairs. The child was usually a good sleeper and would have slept through the night if not for the disruptive phone call.
Back downstairs, she found Melvin on the sofa, his fingers flying over his cellphone screen. She poured him a glass of water.
As their eyes met, Jocelyn quickly looked away, unsettled by the brief connection. She set the glass down beside him and took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa, sipping her own water to hide her inner turmoil.
Setting down his phone, Melvin took a drink and asked, "So, you did all this just to let me move on?"
Jocelyn felt like a student caught off guard, her heart racing with nerves. "No."
"Why let me believe that you married Castiel and had his child?" Melvin pressed, sensing a vulnerability in her.
Unable to face him, Jocelyn took another sip of water, feeling suddenly guilty under his intense questioning.
Seeing her silent and avoiding his gaze, Melvin's emotions were a mix of anger and resignation. "Do you have any idea how I felt, believing you married someone else and had a kid? I hoped countless times that Castiel would leave you, or better yet, that he'd just die."
Jocelyn's grip on the glass tightened, his words stirring a storm within her, threatening to undo years of emotional detachment.
Melvin's eyes bore into her, sensing a victory in reclaiming what he'd lost, even though they weren't an item yet. Just knowing she wasn't someone else's wife was enough for him.
"Why won't you speak?" he pressed, unwilling to monologue.
Jocelyn remained silent, caught in the crossfire of past love and the tumultuous present.
Jocelyn darted a quick glance at him before dropping her gaze again. "I don't know what to say."
"Two years, and you've got nothing to tell me?"
"Nothing."
"Hah." Melvin chuckled, leaning back into the couch, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He was genuinely pleased. "I, on the other hand, have plenty to say to you." Jocelyn looked up at him.
Melvin was completely at ease. "While you were away on your exchange, I spent the better part of a year laid up in the hospital, followed by another half a year of recovery. When I woke up, my sister called me a fool. She said nothing could rouse me, except the mention of your name-that's when I showed any sign of life."
"After that, she said if I turned out to be permanently disabled, you surely wouldn't stick around. So, I worked my butt off to get recovered again."
"That's when I knew that psychological issues, whatever they were, weren't the real problem." Melvin's gaze was intense, his voice deep. "Losing you was the problem."
Jocelyn's heart thumped hard in her chest.
That same rush of excitement she felt the first time she saw him was there again.
Time had refined them both, changed them-people and mindsets alike.
His charm, undiminished as ever.
For Jocelyn, it had been a case of love at first sight, which explained the depth of her lingering attachment.
"What about you?" Melvin asked her. "Did you ever think of me in the past two years?"
"I did." Jocelyn avoided his eyes. "I was bitter, I was angry, and in the end..."
Her love still outweighed it all.
"And what?" Melvin wanted to hear the rest.
Jocelyn shook her head. "Let's not dwell on the past."
"How about we talk about the future, then?" Melvin was quick to steer the conversation forward.