Chapter 54-Break up
Jonathan's POV...
The door slowly creaked open and Audrey stepped in. Her head was hung low.
I stood up from the chair by the fireplace and went to meet her. From her countenance and composure, I knew instantly that things didn't go well with her father.
"Did he do something wrong?" I asked.
She didn't reply. She just walked past me, like I wasn't there.
I turned around and grabbed her wrist gently. Her next reaction shocked me to the marrow.
She turned abruptly and landed a slap on my cheek.
I blinked in surprise... and pain. Not because the slap was painful, but because I was only concerned about her and she took her anger out on me.
I raised my gaze to meet hers. Her eyes widened as she stared at my cheek she had just hit. I saw the guilt and regret in her eyes.
Slowly, she lifted the same hand she used to hit me and touched my cheeks softly. I noticed how her hand shivered against my skin and how vulnerable she looked. Her makeup was smudged. She had been crying.
I lifted my hand and placed it on hers. Immediately, she removed her hands from my cheek and from my touch and stepped back, creating a big distance between us. She moved away like I was something she was to avoid.
"Audrey?" I called.
No response.
"Audrey?" I called again and she didn't respond. She wasn't even looking at me. She was staring at the floor.
I moved forward to cover the distance between.
"Stop!" she screamed as she raised her head. "Don't come any closer," she placed both hands forward in front of her, in a bid to prevent me from coming closer.
I stopped instantly in my tracks.
She was confusing me with her change in behaviour. Just this morning, everything was perfect... but now... she treated me like I was a plague.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. She was looking directly at me. But not in the usual way she usually does.
"Tell you what?" I asked.
"Why didn't you tell me about everything?" She added. Her chest started to rise and fall simultaneously. She stared at me with distant and cold eyes.
"Audrey, please calm down," I urged. "I know things may not have ended well with you father, and I'm..."
"Why didn't you tell me our fathers knew eachother?" She screamed.
My mouth still hung open after she cut me off. I blinked as I watched her. Realization dawned on me. She found out.
"Audrey..."
"Don't call my name," she said slowly, running her hands through her hair. It seems like I irritated her.
Her tone ripped my heart in two. I stood there, too stunned. "I'm sorry. I honestly wanted to tell you but the chance never came," I tried defending. How did she know about it?
She laughed humorlessly, looking everywhere but my face.
"You knew all along Jonathan, yet you didn't tell me. You hid this truth from me and all this while, I kept falling in love with you like a fool, not knowing you knew the cause of my broken family,"
My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
She laughed humorlessly. "Don't try to pretend," she closed the distance between us and pointed her finger at me. "Your father was the person who ruined my family. He made my father abandon my mom and I,"
I blinked in shock when she said that. My father did what?
"You met my father?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Why didn't you tell me Jonathan? You knew all along but you kept silent. Why?" She screamed.
"I... I... I didn't know," I stuttered. "I only knew they were friends and my dad set us up together that night..."
She turned away immediately and headed for the stairs, not wanting to listen to me.
I rushed towards her and stood in front of her, making her stop.
"Audrey please, hear me out. I didn't know about that and I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. It was my mistake and I'm willing to make amends..."
She shook her head as she shut her eyes.
"No. No," she opened her eyes. "Your father broke my family.
He made my mom the broken woman she is today.
For the entire years of my life, she lived in constant regret.
And worst of all, I spent my life hating the wrong person.
Little did I know that I was falling in love with the son of the man who destroyed my home,"
"Audrey. Please I'm sorry about what my dad did. I'm sorry..."
"Sorry fixes nothing now," she added.
Fear crept into my heart. What did she mean by that?
"What do you mean?" I asked, the fear evident in my voice.
"I can't continue this anymore. Contract or not, real or not... I can't be with you,"
That landed like a bomb to me. She wanted to break up with me... and my father was the reason.
"Audrey. Please. No, you can't do that. If you want me to end things with my father... I'll do that. Please don't leave me,"
"No," she protested. "I can't be the reason your family breaks. I don't want to do the same thing your father did to my family,"
"You promised me," I moved closer to her and held her hands passionately and placed them on my chest.
"You said you will never leave me no matter what. You promised," my voice broke as a tear slipped down my cheeks.
"I can't do that anymore," she tried to free her hands. "Your father made my father leave us, you could do the same. You could leave me too. You..."
I cut her with a kiss. She quickly released her hands and pushed me away.
Her breathing was uneven. "Your father can ask you to leave me... and you will. He's still your father anyways,"
"Audrey. No. Don't let my father come between us. He can't ruin us too,"
There was silence, then she caressed my cheek softly. "I'm sorry. But he already has,"
She removed her hand and rushed past me and headed upstairs.
No. No. This can't be happening. Audrey can't be serious. My jaw tightened.
It's all because of my father. He was hell-bent on ruining everything I loved.
Anger swelled in my chest. I slammed my fist against the wall. I grimaced at the pain that passed through my entire body.
I heard her footsteps coming back.
Right there in the living room, I knelt down and clasped my hands together in front of me.
She descended the stairs. She was carrying a little bag. The moment she saw me, she rushed to me, kneeling on the floor too as she grabbed my hand, there was blood in it.
She looked at me tenderly. "Don't hurt yourself, please,"
"Then don't go,"
"I can't stay. Jonathan, our story wouldn't end well. It's better it ends right now,"
I shook my head. I felt liquid roll down my cheeks and drop on my hand. I didn't even know I was crying.
"I'll make it end well," I said in assurance and tried holding her hands, but she stopped me.
"Please don't cry," she raised her hand rather and wiped my cheeks. "And don't hurt yourself too,"
Was I cursed to never find love?
I was never loved at home. My highschool crush used me and played with my emotions. Now, Audrey was leaving me because of my father.
Was this my fate? To never find peace and love till I died.
She held my face with both hands. I could feel the stain of blood on her hand as she touched my face. The blood was from my injury when she tried wiping off the blood.
"You're the best thing that has even happened to me. You broke the wall of ice around my heart and made my heart beat again," she sniffled.
I let the tears flow freely. I was shattered by everything happening at the moment. This couldn't be real. I felt like my world was slipping through my fingers.
"You gave me a firsthand experience of love and made me want to love and feel loved," she paused and stared into my eyes.
She smiled softly. "Your eyes were the first thing I fell in love with," her gaze dropped to my lips, then she looked at me.
"I love you so much Jonathan. I love you more than I've loved anyone before. If I was to choose to love someone else...," she shook her head. "I wouldn't love any man that is not you,"
"I'm sorry this had to happen to us," she broke down in tears.
"It doesn't have to happen to us. Just let me set things right," I gently removed her hands from my face and cupped her cheeks.
"If setting things right means you have to disregard your father, I can't let you do that. I can't be the reason for that" she argued.
There was silence. A very long silence. We were there on the floor, staring at each other.
"You really want to do this?" I broke the silence.
"Not me. This is best for us. We have achieved our aim... the main reason for the contract. The scandal is off the media. Our images are clear,"
"What point is the contract if I have a clear public image but loses the woman I love and cherish the most,"
Her lips parted open to say something, but no words came.
"You're the only woman who makes my heart beat. You hold a very special place in my heart. You're my home, my peace. Without you... this house will just be a structure where peace lacked,"
She blinked at my words. I saw an emotion flicker in her eyes.
I used my thumb to wipe her tears. Then, I covered the distance between us. She shut her eyes immediately, waiting for when my lips claimed hers.
Without thinking, I crashed my lips to hers. The kiss wasn't rushed. It was a slow and passionate kiss filled with untold emotions and hurt.
Her hands reached into my hair as she ruffled with it. Our lips moved in sync. This was our good bye kiss. I will definitely still see her, but then, she wouldn't be within reach anymore.
I broke from the kiss and rested my forehead against hers. I opened my eyes and looked at her. Her eyes were still closed. When she finally opened them, we stared at each other.
This was the last passionate moment we would ever share. After everything that has happened, our lives will never be the same without each other. And just like that... I lost her.
You guysss, I'm so thankful to God for helping me pull off this chapter. I had to rewrite and edit it several times. But thankfully, here it is.