Chapter 71


    Jocelyn was on pins and needles the whole day without a peep from Melvin


    Instead, thements under that ount were blowing up.


    Only then did she notice the topment was actually posted by Hamison


    “Hey everyone, it’s Harrison here. Just to set the record straight, it was just a regr, casual get


    together, not an engagement like some of you are making it out to be. Let’s not jump to conclusions.


    Thanks!”


    Jocelyn knew Harrison was looking out for her. That guy had a way of being thoughtful without making


    a fuss about it.


    If it weren’t for the worry that Melvin might stir up trouble, she wouldn’t give a hoot about what others


    were gossiping about.


    The bigger the hoo, the more she fretted about Melvin getting ticked off


    After a moment’s hesitation, she also chimed in with ament under Harrison’s, “Just a friendly


    hangout. No need to fill in the nks, haha. Your well-wishes aren’t doing any favors for me and my


    boyfnend’s harmony. If you wanna send good wishes, send them to me and my beau, alright? Thanks!”


    She was scrambling to make amends


    Thest sentence was just to soothe Melvin.


    But her reply didn’t do squat to calm the storm. Some troll started a beat, using her of ying the


    field, hopping from one boat to


    the other.


    Then came the photos. There she was in the city with Melvin at a hotel entrance, her neck covered in


    love bites.


    The snapshot was taken at a tricky angle. Her face was clear as day, but Melvin’s was blurry. It still


    could be told he was not Harrison though.


    Besides that photo, the troll dropped the bomb that Jocelyn was a middle school teacher.


    Theizens went ballistic in a hot minute


    One by one, they swarmed herment section, mming her for wild living style. She was said to be


    a disgrace to teachers


    The controversy just kept getting louder. What started as blessings for her and Hammson turned into a


    free-for-all on her character.


    For the first time, Jocelyn felt the full brunt of a cyber mob, which could crush a soul all of a sudden


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She used to wonder how she’d handle being in the shoes of those who faced online witch hunts. In the


    past, she’d be unfazed because


    her conscience was clear


    But now, faced with the real deal, she was still clear-conscience and all, but she couldn’t just brush it off


    She was scared She worried that her parents would get dragged into this mess.


    A whirlwind of gnevance, fear, anxiety, worry, and terror hit her all at once, overwhelming her like an


    unbreakable


    What was just a follow-up to a street interview had blown up into a nightmare


    The flooding insults were flying left and right. It didn’t take long before Jocelyn was out


    Then came the snide remarks about her looks being too sultry for a serious teacher


    With her students in their teens and her good looks, any slight impropriety or intention to go lowbrow


    will lose students focus on their


    studies.


    Later, folks were hitting up the school’s official website and demanding to dismiss Jocelyn


    Nobody saw the uproaring


    Jocelyn never imagined she’d be the talk of the town, on par with inte celebs or stars


    If there wasn’t someone pulling strings behind the scenes, she’d eat her hat.


    As the online saga went from bad to worse, Calvin headed home before clocking out, his face as


    stormy as the neighbors’ curious nces.


    Daisy was all sighs, with those harsh words stabbing her heart.


    Jocelyn, not wanting to drag her parents down, beat it back to her apartment before anyone could


    come knocking


    She almost topped getting out of the cab, mask on and all


    song’s bright skies were how grim as if the heavens were about to copse


    A sudden pust, the growling thunder, and the weeping leaves seemed to resonate with her mood as


    she stumped onto the steps of a


    earby nurden, drained


    She powered off her phone, her hair whipping around in the wind, clothes rustling.


    A bolt of lightning tore across the sky on the other side of the city, and soybean like raindrops began to


    fall, spreading ripples at her feet and slowly drenching the ground


    At this time, no one was spying on her, right?


    When she went out of home those normally friendly neighbors were giving her the side-eye, and the


    driver seemed to size her up even in the cab. She felt like someone was ready to spit out “shameless”


    at her everywhere.


    The rain was relerVess, soaking her through and through But it was the only ce she could find a


    moment of peace.


    She had no clue why she was suddenly the target of a cyber roast, or why things had spiraled out of


    control


    The streetlights reflected on the wet pavement made her look even more pitiful, as if she was the only


    one left in the world, or as if the world had cast her aside.


    Heading down, she felt her eyes burned and her throat sliced open Covering her face, she did not


    know if it was rain or tears, cold and salty


    The rain seemned to stop, but she could still hear it.


    When she dropped her hands, she saw a pair of rain-soaked shoes, her gaze slowly trailing up to see


    sleek legs in sharp suit pants.


    She knew who it was.


    When she finally saw the face, she clenched her teeth stubbornly, a surge welling up in her eyes.


    “Had enough of the rain? The man’s cold voice without any warmth seemed even icier against the chill


    of the rain.


    Jocelyn propped herself up by her arms. She had seen stray cats that always huddled in corners during


    the rain, filthy and forlorn.


    Right now, she was just like one of those strays


    “Get up!” Melvin’s tone was t


    Sitting still, Jocelyn swallowed hard and tightly pressed her lips, “Just let me be for a while.”


    As soon as she finished, the man yanked her up with no tenderness, hurting her arm.


    With numb legs, she nearly copsed to her knees.


    Melvin ditched the umbre, scooping her up in his arms. His whole body instantly soaked, their bodies


    pressing together His warmth shivered Jocelyn who was too weak to struggle


    Back home, Melvin tossed her into the bathroom and stripped off her wet clothes. His one hand


    steadied her so she wouldn’t fall, the other held the shower head, turning on the hot water to rinse her


    from head to toe


    “nt your feet!” Melvin had her lean on him as he squeezed out some body wash and started


    lathering her up with bubbles.


    It wasn’t the first time that Jocelyn was bathed by him However, this time he was super rough, not


    giving a damn about being gentle or treating her like a delicate flower He seemed to scrub ayer of


    skin off her


    And for the first time, he didn’t y her as a toy, just genuinely gave her a bath.


    After turning off the water, he wrapped her up in a towel like a burrito and camed her to the bedroom,


    plopping her down on the bed.


    Seeing her lying there, lifeless like a doll with its spirit sucked out, Melvin didn’t say a word


    He patiently blow-dried her hair before heading back to the bathroom to take his shower, which was


    quite out of his character


    Jocelyn, listening to the sound of water running, felt groggy and curled up under the covers, burying her


    head.