Chapter 37 #2
“Please, call me. Text me. Anytime, anywhere—I will always answer. No matter what.”
Her smile is faint, but her nod is steady.
“Thank you, Jason. For everything that you’ve done for me.
I just need you to know that you’ve become such an important part of my life.
I don’t know where I’d be if you hadn’t saved me.
” Her voice wavers, heavy with emotion. “I’ll always be grateful for you.
And I will always wish that I met you first.”
I chuckle softy, but deep down, I’m struggling to keep it together. Everything inside me fucking hurts.
“And please know, none of this was your fault,” she continues. “You never pushed me in to do anything I didn’t want to do. Every step I took was my own choice, and mine alone. So don’t ever think that this was your fault, that you were being selfish. You just have a big heart… that’s all.”
She rises onto her toes, wraps her arms around my neck, and presses one last gentle kiss to my lips. “I love you, Jason. I always have… and I always will.”
And with those words, my whole world crumbles as my heart shatters to pieces.
I pound on Elena’s front door with such force I’m surprised the glass hasn’t cracked. I don’t care if the whole street hears or if someone calls the cops, I’m not leaving here until I say what needs to be said and finally put my ex-wife in her place.
The A4 envelope tucked beneath my arm is the reason I’m here, but so is the fact that she hurt Mila, and I’m done letting that slide. I should’ve stepped in from the beginning and stopped her cruelty, her jealousy, her bitterness, her cold-hearted digs. That ends today.
The door swings open, and my lovely ex-wife has the audacity to look surprised, as if she wasn’t the one who detonated a goddamn emotional bomb earlier today. I don’t bother with the pleasantries; I shoulder past her and head straight for the living room.
She storms in seconds after me, her voice sharp and piercing. “What the hell are you doing here, Jason? And where’s Jake?”
“I only need a minute. I’m not planning to stay long. I just came to deliver this.” I thrust the envelope against her chest. She snatches it on reflex, her expression shifting between confusion and unease.
“What’s this?”
“Open it,” is all I say, arms crossed as I watch her carefully.
She releases a long, frustrated sigh, then with trembling hands, tears open the envelope and pulls out the contents.
The moment her eyes scan the pages, they widen—shock and disbelief flashing across her face.
A sharp gasp escapes her lips, and I can’t help but take a quiet satisfaction in watching it all sink in.
“Oh my God… where did you get these?” she stammers, her voice laced with fear and barely-contained panic.
“The last thing you should be worried about is where they came from,” I say icily.
“What matters is who’s going to see them—like, I don’t know, the university’s governing board.” A slow smirk tugs at my lips as she flips through the pages with shaky hands.
“How did you...” Her voice trails off. She shakes her head and flips through the pages for the third time, desperate to believe they’re not real.
“How did I know?” I finish for her. “I’ve been digging for a while now, ever since you tried to meddle in my relationship with Mila.
And Bryan—remember him? My private investigator?
He took care of the rest. Now, imagine my surprise when I discovered you haven’t changed one bit.
Still coercing your students, still preying on them. ”
Her face pales.
“Four of them have already come forward with statements and proof—detailed accounts of everything you did, from harassment to tampering with their grades so they’d have sex with you.
What you’re holding now? That’s only half of it.
There’s much more, all ready to be handed over to the university’s governing board. ”
I pause, giving her time to process everything. She stands silent, completely motionless, unable to form the words to speak. So I continue.
“Lucky for you, I convinced your students to hold off… for now. And for Christ’s sake, Elena—the Vice Chancellor’s eighteen-year-old nephew?
He only just started this year. You couldn’t even give him a single year to enjoy uni life before you preyed on him.
” I shake my head, my voice low with disgust. “You really are a disgrace.”
Her eyes close, maybe from the shame, and when they open again, there’s a flicker of fear. “What do you want?” she asks, her voice breaking at the last word.
“I want nothing from you, personally. Even after everything I’ve uncovered, you’re still the mother of my child, and that’s the only reason I haven’t destroyed you or the career you’ve worked so hard for.
But make no mistake, Elena—if you ever pull a stunt like you did this morning again, if you so much as try to hurt Mila in any way, I will come for you.
And mother of my son or not, I will ruin you. That’s a promise.”
She gulps, her throat bobbing with the effort, then gives a slow, silent nod. I don’t wait for her to say anything else, I just need to get the fuck out of here. I’ve dealt with enough today, and being inside this house a second longer will only make things worse.
I turn on my heel and head for the door. At the threshold of the living room I pause and glance back at her one last time.
“Oh, and Elena—get some fucking counselling. You seriously need help.”
I storm out of the house and into the cold, crisp air—finally able to breathe once again. And as I drive home to my family, I think about Mila, sitting all alone in her small apartment, wondering what she’s up to. Is she doing okay? Is Sofia there comforting her? What is she up to right now?
I meant every word I said to her. I’ll never stop loving her.
What we had was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
She’s the one for me. I feel it deep in my soul—deep in my heart.
And for that reason alone, I’ll never give up on us.
Even if she wants me to let her go now. Even if she chooses to move on without me. I’ll wait—for however long it takes.