by Monica James
I am so going to end up on COPS, as I zip in and out of traffic, desperate to get to Jasper.
I’m mulling over everything, over and over again, and no matter how many times I chew over it, it all leads to one conclusion.
Jasper’s dad, the one who died in a house fire, is not his real father.
I think back to last night, when I overheard Jasper talking to his mom about signing some paperwork. Surely the paperwork I found is different than that his mom has given him, because there’s no way Jasper knows his dad is not actually his biological father.
And that’s exactly what the document I found reveals.
Now that I’m not a hysterical mess, I can piece together Danielle’s devious plot. She’s one messed up, evil bitch, and she would have gotten away with it, if not for the evidence I have stowed away in my bag.
I didn’t think it was possible to hate a person as much as I hate Danielle, but the rage I feel inside of me, because of her, because of her lies, stems into homicidal territory.
How could she do this to him?
I blindly reach for my bag, ensuring the document and photo is safe inside. With no other choice, I have to show Jasper that his mom has been lying to him all this time. Her intentions were not to rekindle her relationship with her son, like she claimed. No. Her motivation to reconcile with Jasper has got to do with money.
Jasper’s money.
Money he’s unaware he’s inherited.
Money his biological father, Jeremy Blackwood, left for his son in a trust fund, which Jasper was entitled to when he turned twenty-five.
Jasper is the sole recipient to the staggering amount of one million dollars.
His father set up the trust fund the day Jasper was born, and continued adding funds up until his twenty-fifth birthday.
Now that Jasper is twenty-six and he hasn’t claimed the money, his mother is next in line for receiving the unclaimed funds.
It was a clause Jeremy Blackwood ensured was written into the contract. If, by chance, the money wasn’t claimed by Jasper’s twenty-sixth birthday, then Danielle is entitled to it.
All of it.
He must have really loved her.
The thing is, Jasper doesn’t even know this money exists. Nor does he know that Jeremy exists.
Of course, Danielle knows everything. She signed the original document, stating she would inform Jasper of the fund when he was old enough to understand.
She didn’t.
Screeching into the lot, I zip into a parking spot and charge out of the car, racing up the stairs, two at a time.
The lift stops at every floor, and I impatiently shuffle from foot to foot, waiting to get to my floor. Finally it stops and I shove past two people, apologizing over my shoulder. I skid down the hallway and come to a dead stop, millimeters from Danielle’s door.
How am I supposed to tell him this? After I discovered what Danielle is up to, I charged out of her house with the devil on my heels, without really thinking of the impact this will have on Jasper.
How do I sugarcoat, ‘Jasper, your mom never wanted to reconcile with you. She’s just using you to inherit money that is rightfully yours. She needs you to sign on the dotted line for her to get a single penny of that money.’
That’s the catch.
For Danielle to receive any money, she needs Jasper’s signature, to confirm that he wants nothing to do with the inheritance, and therefore signing it all over to her.
That’s why she’s back in his life. It’s got nothing to do with turning over a new leaf. This is all about greed and deceit, as I know Danielle would have tricked Jasper into signing another document, and somehow using it to appear he signed everything over to her.
I have no doubt that this whole suicide attempt was staged. It was done so Jasper would feel guilty for pushing his mom away, and she hoped his guilt would compel him to do anything she said. And believe anything she said.
She knew she couldn’t tear us apart, and in the end Jasper would choose me. So with no other choice, she attempted to take her own life, trying to win Jasper over by playing with his heartstrings.
I. Hate. Her.
I decide I’m just going to wing it, as there’s no way to cushion the blow for Jasper. This isn’t something I can sugarcoat, as this is just a cruel, calculated betrayal to the worst degree.
I charge into Danielle’s room, only to be greeted by her empty, made-up bed.
They must have gone to her therapy sessions. I decide to look for Jasper because I can’t sit here waiting, I’m a tight ball of nerves.
Running out of the room’ not looking where I’m going, I bump into Doctor Fitzgerald out in the hallway, spilling all of his paperwork onto the floor.
“Oh, sorry!” I mumble, embarrassed, as I drop to my knees and attempt to pick up his documents.
“That’s okay, Miss,” he says, joining me on his knees, collecting his paperwork.
When I pass him the documents, his eyes meet mine, and recognition instantly flashes behind his brown eyes.
“Oh, you were here this morning with Mr. White, weren’t you?” he asks.
“Yes, I was,” I confirm, reaching for a folder and passing it to him, which he thankfully accepts.
“Is everything okay with him? He charged off in an awful hurry.”
“He did? When?” I question, my hand stilling from retrieving any more paperwork.
Doctor Fitzgerald shrugs, his brow furrowing. “About half an hour ago. He stormed out of here in a rage. We thought it had something to do with his mom, and him still being in a huff about the paperwork we needed. But her daughter brought in the documents after I spoke to him this morning.”
I begin breathing heavily and my heart commences slamming against my ribcage, threatening to explode out of my chest.
“What daughter?” I ask in breathless anticipation.
“Danielle’s daughter. What did she say her name was again? She was blonde, about yea tall,” he says, gesturing with his hand about eye level on him.
“Indiana?” I ask, but I know the answer.
“Yes, that was it. She spoke to Mr. White just after she handed in Ms. White’s paperwork, and that’s when he charged out of here. Off the record, I think something she said angered him, to the point of him doing that.”
Looking at the direction he’s pointing, I’m confronted by a large hole in the plaster. No points for guessing whose fist fits into the hole like a jigsaw piece.
Rising to my feet, I pass the doctor the last of the paperwork and sprint towards the elevators.
What the hell is going on?
I throw my cell onto the passenger seat, enraged. Where is he?
I’ve tried Jasper’s cell a gazillion times, and every time I get through, it goes straight to voicemail.
A sense of dread is beginning to form in the pit of my stomach, as I know whatever I’m about to find out isn’t going to be good.
I don’t know what Indie and Danielle are up to. Indie calling herself Danielle’s daughter doesn’t make a lick of sense. And how did Danielle get discharged from hospital when I was the one sent looking for the paperwork?
Unless the reason why I couldn’t find the documents, was because Indie beat me to Danielle’s, grabbing the paperwork before I could. That makes perfect sense, as Danielle wouldn’t want Jasper snooping in her study, for fear of him finding what I did. That must mean, holy shit… Indie knows the truth.
I’m seriously just holding on, and if I saw either Indie or Danielle, I wouldn’t think twice about running them over.
As I pull up into Jasper’s driveway, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see his truck sitting on the grass. Jumping out without locking my car, I barge through the front door, not bothering to knock, afraid he would shut the door in my face if I did.
As soon as I enter the living room, all my fears are confirmed.
Something bad has happened. Something life changing.
Jasper is a broken man.
H
e’s standing with his back facing me, but by the hunch of his shoulders and the droop of his head, I know that whatever is about to happen will mark the end of an era.
It will mark the end of us.
“Jasper?” I whisper, my voice wavering.
He doesn’t turn around. He doesn’t move.
The only thing that changes is his breathing, which becomes severe and harsh.
“Jasper?” I ask again, taking a quiet step towards him.
As I get within a few steps of him, he turns slowly and faces me, and I look into the eyes of a damaged, shattered man.
The walls start closing in on me and I struggle to breathe.
He knows.
Jasper’s beautiful lips dip into a melancholy frown, and the sight breaks my heart. And I doubt it’ll ever heal.
“Are you pregnant?” he asks simply, his voice hoarse.
I lower my eyes, because I can’t bear to face him when I break his heart.
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head slowly.
The second the words leave my lips, my world will forever be changed.
Jasper blows out a deep breath, but remains silent.
I courageously raise my eyes to meet his, and feel empty when he returns my gaze.
“How could you lie to me? About something so important. How?” he screams, leaping forward.
I flinch and try to steady myself before I answer him.
“I didn’t… I couldn’t… It was…”
But I can’t construct a sentence because I’m on the verge of hysteria.
“You what, Ava? Forgot to tell me that our baby is actually nonexistent?”
“No, of course not,” I choke. “I was only thinking of you.”
“Oh, I seriously doubt that,” he replies sarcastically.
“It’s the truth!” I plead, reaching for him, but he steps away from me like my touch will set him alight.
“I couldn’t tell you. With everything going on with your mom, I didn’t want to make things worse for you. You had enough on your plate. I was going tell you once she was released,” I say, beseeching him to believe me.
“Oh, that’s rich.” He snickers, interlacing his hands behind his neck and staring up at the ceiling.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, wishing he would stop being so angry and talk to me.
“Quit with the act, I know everything,” he replies, meeting my eyes.
What the hell is he talking about?
“What act? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I insist.
“I know you found out you weren’t pregnant way before my mom. Way before Seattle. And you made me feel like such an asshole when I proposed to you. Using our bogus baby as an excuse not to marry me, when really you just didn’t want to be my wife!” he yells, throwing his hands out to the side.
He’s livid as he runs a hand through his hair and tugs on it roughly.
“That’s not true!” I shout.
What is he talking about? Why does he think I’ve been lying about the pregnancy for weeks?
Then it all clicks into place.
“Who told you?” I ask, stepping towards him and latching onto his arm.
“It doesn’t matter who,” he barks, shrugging out of my grip.
“Like hell it doesn’t. Tell me who!” I scream, but I know who.
“Indie,” he replies, and the word sounds like nails raking down a blackboard.
How did she know I wasn’t pregnant? And more importantly, why does he believe her?
“How can you believe her over me? I’m telling you, I’ve only known for a few of days,” I say on a whisper, not meeting his eyes.
Jasper reaches into his back pocket and tosses a piece of paper at me. I catch it and open it cautiously.
As my eyes scour over the words, my heart stops.
How does Indie have my medical file from Doctor Hemming’s office? And why does the date read weeks before my actual appointment?
Think, Ava.
OH MY GOD.
The receptionist. I now remember who she is.
She was at Jasper’s party, the one with stars in her eyes for him. The blonde pixie Danielle all but threw into Jasper’s lap.
She’s the one who stole my file and gave it to Indie. And of course Indie changed the date so it appeared I’ve been lying to Jasper this whole time. If matters weren’t bad enough, she has gone and made it so much worse.
Looks like I was right about Danielle all along. I have no doubt Indie came to her with this information and as the saying goes, ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’
Danielle’s whole ruse was to convince Jasper that I’m the bad one, leading him astray with my lies, while she was the good, perfect mother, only wanting what’s best for her son. I was right. Danielle’s suicide attempt was all part of her ploy to side Jasper with her, against me.
I scrunch up the piece of paper in my fist and throw it onto the floor.
“How could you believe her?” I ask sadly, holding onto my tears.
My whole world is tumbling around me and I can’t do anything to stop it.
“Because the proof is there, Ava!” he says, pointing to the piece of paper.
“But I’m telling you that it’s not true. I found out I wasn’t pregnant a day after I returned from Seattle. The night you came to my house, I was going to tell you. But then you told me your mom was under suicide watch. How could I tell you? You had so much going on. I didn’t want to make matters worse. I saw how stressed out you were with everything and I just couldn’t tell you, I was afraid you’d break. It was wrong, and I’m so sorry. Please, believe me.” I know I sound pathetic, as I’m all but begging him to believe me.
But I know he doesn’t.
By trying to save Jasper the heartache of knowing the truth, I have just made things a lot worse.
“I would never lie to you, especially about this. I wanted to tell you at dinner, but we both needed one night, just one night where we could pretend that everything was going to be all right. Please believe me, Jasper,” I plead, looking into his face, memorizing every feature, as I know he’s about to break my heart into a million pieces.
I haven’t lied to Jasper. All I’ve tried to do is save him from a cascade of tears and pain. He’s had enough lately to last him ten lifetimes. But it’s all backfired, and now, now things will never be the same.
Jasper snickers, meeting my eyes. “How can I trust you ever again? I hate that you’ve given me reason not to believe you. I can forget all the misunderstandings in the past, but this,” he says, sighing. “I just can’t. I can’t forgive you, Ava, this is just too much.”
His voice breaks when he confesses my fears out loud.
The tears I’ve been holding onto break free and stream down my face uncontrollably.
“But I’m telling you the truth!” I cry.
Jasper only shrugs, shaking his head, lost.
“So now what?” I sniff, wiping away my tears, but it’s useless as more fall to take their place.
Jasper sighs, his hands dug deep into his jeans.
“Ava… I wanted our baby so much. You’ll never know how much I wanted to be a dad. To be a father to our child. But now, when I look at you, all I can see is…” and he leaves the sentence hanging.
“What? What can you see?” I ask, close to being hysterical.
“I see my past.”
He lowers his head, his hair dipping over his face, blanketing his beautiful eyes as he tears my heart into two.
“We’re done, Ava… I’m sorry. I can’t… do this anymore. I don’t want to hear anymore.”
I can actually feel my heart break. The pain rips through my chest, and I feel like a tsunami has just pulled me under, and I’m struggling to breathe.
I have to fight for him. I have to show him what’s sitting in my handbag, the proof that Danielle and Indie are the liars, not me.
But I can’t.
I can’t move.
&nbs
p; He doesn’t believe.
How can he not believe me?
“Let me explain. I’ll show you,” I beg, reaching inside my bag.
He shakes his head, meeting my eyes.
“No.”
I gasp, my hands ceasing on their search for the truth.
By the look in his eyes, I know he wouldn’t believe me anyway, because he’s done with me. And this time, he really means it. How many times can he forgive me before he’s had enough?
Obviously, he’s all out of forgiveness, because he has finally given up on me, when he promised he never would.
How am I to survive this?
I can’t.
But I also can’t force him to love me because I too, have had enough. I can’t do this anymore. This constant tug of war with his mom, I know now, that I will never win. And that just fucking hurts. I’ll always be second best, and the only reason to put me first has just been taken away from him.
But it’s been taken away from me, too.
I wanted our baby as much as he did.
“Ava,” Jasper whispers, and I can hear the finality in his voice.
My bottom lip trembles as I meet his eyes and the distant, unreadable stare I’m greeted with is the end of me.
I sob so hard the noise rattles inside my chest and echoes off the walls.
He’s leaving me.
He’s really leaving me.
If this is the end, then I need to tell him how I feel. How he’s made me feel. I need him to know that no matter what, I will always be his.
Even though he doesn’t want me to be.
Sniffing back my tears, I stand tall because when I tell him this, I don’t want him remembering me as a weeping mess. I want him to remember me as the girl he fell in love with.
Before all of this.
“Every single day, I will regret not telling you about our baby.” Jasper closes his eyes, pained when he hears the word baby. But I continue, as I need to get it all out before I crumple into a heap. “But I will never regret a single day I spent with you. Thank you for showing me that it’s okay to love again, to follow my heart and never let go. And I won’t let go, I will never love anyone as much as I do you. You’re imprinted on my heart, Jasper White. I just hope I’m imprinted on yours.”
Jasper opens his eyes and tears fall down his stubbled cheeks, slipping into trembling lips.