PART 5 CHAPTER 191
JESS
I made it out of the elevator without breaking only just. The tears now blurred my vision, making the world around me feel like a watercolor painting that was slowly running into a puddle on the floor. Each desperate breath seemed to lodge itself in my throat, constricting my chest like a vice. Was this how Luke felt when I chose Aiden? When I just forgot everything we had? If that was the case, then I deserved this…
not just the
It felt as though my world had been ripped away from me familiar comforts but the very essence of who I thought I was.
“Jessica…” The sound of my name stopped me dead in my tracks. It was Luke. I felt the weight of his presence behind me, a gravitational force that pulled at my heartstrings, but I couldn’t turn around. The chasm of everything unsaid between us loomed so large that it seemed impossible
to cross.
“Jess…” The distance between us shrank as he approached. His voice was raw and cracked, each syllable slashing through the thick silence like a jagged edge. I felt the heat radiating from his body, a wave of warmth that I had longed for during the cold nights of separation. Then, in a moment that shattered my resolve, his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me against him until my back met his solid chest.
I inhaled deeply, allowing his familiar scent to envelop me. How could I have forgotten this? The way he made me feel secure, cherished, whole. Luke kissed the top of my head, a tender gesture that felt bittersweet. But this wasn’t safety, it was a fool’s paradise, a haunting reminder of what
once was.
PART & CHAPTER 191
“I missed you…” His voice quivered, and I could feel the weight of his sorrow pressing against me. My heart ached, but what could I say? Please choose me. Please undo your entire life for the girl who had forgotten
you.
“I get it…” I finally managed, though my voice sounded distant, barely a whisper against the thundering storm inside me. “I’m not angry. I understand… I just…” I just… needed to escape to a place where I could collapse without him seeing the wreckage. He deserved a chance at a family, and I won’t take that away from him. I inhaled, shaky and hesitant, and gently disentangled his arm from my waist.
–
“I love you, Luke. So I’m walking away it’s my decision not yours.” The words fell from my lips with a finality that shocked even me. I took a tentative step away from him, my heart breaking with every inch that separated our bodies. One step led to another until I broke free from the confines of the building, stumbling into the blazing sun.
As I stumbled out into the bright afternoon light, the sun hit me like a wave of reality, making me squint against its brightness. I blinked away the remnants of tears, trying to gather myself. That’s when I saw him–my brother, Josh–leaning against the wall outside the building. He waited for me–like he knew.
“Jess!” He called, pushing off the brick facade and rushing toward me. “What happened in there? You look-” He hesitated, his eyes darting over my tear–streaked face and the way my breath came in uneven gasps.
Suddenly, frustration bubbled up within me, and before I could stop it, I demanded, “Did you know?” I had to know if he had known all along if he’d chosen to keep this from me. I looked up at him, my heart pounding in my chest.
Josh hesitated, his brow furrowing as he scratched his head, fumbling for the right words. My heart sank at his silence, the tension hanging thick in
PARTS CHAPTER 131.
the air between us, “Jess, I-”
“No! Just tell me the truth!” I snapped, my voice echoing off the surrounding buildings. I could feel the eyes of passersby on me, but I was too far past the point of caring. The chaos inside me demanded to be unleashed. “Did you know she was pregnant?” The words came out like a
scream.
He swallowed hard. Silent admission etched itself on his face, and at that moment, I knew everything I needed to know. My heart seemed to splinter as the weight of betrayal pressed down on me, suffocating and heavy.
“Jess…” he started, but I could see the struggle in his eyes. This was more than he wanted to spill. “I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure. I thought… I hoped it would work out differently-
But I cut him off, a storm of emotions taking control. “So you chose to let me walk into that? You let me face him–them–alone?” Each word felt like a dagger, but I couldn’t stop. “You knew, and you didn’t say a word.”
“I thought you deserved to hear it from him,” Josh finally replied, his voice softer…
