22. Jasmine
Chapter twenty-two
Jasmine
It’s like my tears are waiting for Ana to show up. As soon as the door opened, I burst into a sob, and Ana pulled me into a hug with one hand while dragging my luggage in with the other. After shutting the door, she leads me into the living room, pulling me down onto the couch, her arms around me.
“Jasmine, it’s okay.”
“It’s not.” I feel terrible for leaving Alec that way, and sometimes, the pain increases to the point where I can hardly breathe.
I haven’t told Ana what happened. After the hateful Mrs. Ace left, I booked a flight to New York, packed my luggage, and wrote Alec a goodbye letter.
I wanted to tell him his mother visited, but I omitted that fact because I didn’t want any more bad blood between them. As much as I hated the woman, I loved Alec more and wanted him to have a great relationship with his family .
On my way to the airport, I texted Ana that I was on my way to New York, and she was shocked. The last time we spoke, I was waiting for Alec to return home so I could tell him I was pregnant. She didn’t ask any questions, only requested that I stop by her house first before heading home.
Even now, as I cry in her arms, she doesn’t ask me anything. She just tries to comfort me.
“Jasmine, please, don’t cry. It’s going to affect the baby. We want a happy baby. You’ve been crying too much lately.”
The baby!
My hands fly to my stomach. I’m ten weeks pregnant, and Alec doesn’t even know it. How can I tell him now?
“You haven’t told him, have you?”
“No.” I shake my head, wiping the tears on my face. “It was his mother.”
“What?” She frowns, pulling away from me.
“When you were on the phone and the doorbell rang…”
“You said it was Alec,” she whispers.
“I know. But it was his mother.” I shake my head. “She knew Alec was out and came anyway.”
“What did she want?” Ana asks bitterly. “Nothing good, obviously, since you are sitting in front of me right now. ”
“Ana, she came for my character,” I said, crying. “She’s a terrible woman. She said so many hurtful things. It was bad. She even offered me money.”
“What?” Ana screeches. “Money to leave Alec?”
“Yes! She called me poor. Called me jobless. She said I was useless to Alec and—”
“This woman needs some sense knocked into her immediately, and I’m not afraid to do it!” Ana bristles. “And what did Alec say when he returned?”
I blink. “I didn’t wait for him to return. I left!”
“You left without talking to Alec about this?”
“Talk about what? We’ve been through this so many times. His mother is never going to change.”
“And that’s on her! You can’t let her separate you from the love of your life. Leaving Alec’s life means she won!”
“This isn’t about winning, Ana.” I pull away from her, upset. “This is my life! I’m not in a competition with her. I’m chasing my happiness.”
“Jas—”
“I cannot continue in a relationship with Alec when his mother thinks I’m more worthless than a cockroach just because I want to win! That’s not winning because she doesn’t respect me!”
I start to cry again, and Ana sighs. “I’m sorry, Jasmine. But how is Alec supposed to know what happened? ”
“He won’t.” I nod resolutely. “He won’t. What’s the point of him knowing? His mother will always be there, and I don’t want any more fights between them.”
“But he has to know why you left, doesn’t he?” She asks. “Or he’s going to think it’s your fault.”
“I don’t care what he thinks, Ana. I’m done with him and his family. I’m done!”
“What about the baby?”
“Ana, can you stop?” I rise to my feet, shaking my head at her. “I don’t want to answer all these questions right now. I want to think!”
“Jasmine, I just think we need to cover all grounds and—”
“I don’t want to cover any ground. I want to curse and hate myself!” I storm towards the door, grabbing my luggage as I leave.
I was hoping I would be alone when I got home, but when I turned the knob, I walked in on Riley in the living room watching TV. He glances at the door, takes one look at me, and sprints forward.
“Jasmine? Are you okay?”
I nod because speaking would cause me to cry, and I’ve cried all the tears I can afford today. Riley shakes his head. “No, you’re not.”
I drag my luggage into the living room and fall on the couch, wondering just how much I can tell him without affecting his relationship with Alec. There are so many things to consider, and it weighs me down.
“Jasmine!” Riley hovers over me. “Where’s Alec?”
“France.”
“Why are you here? Did you two fight?”
“No.” I turn to look up at him. “We didn’t fight.”
“Then what happened?” He frowns. “And don’t say “nothing” because you look like you’ve been crying.”
I sit up. “Alec didn’t do anything, Riley. I decided to leave him.”
Riley frowns harder. “Why? I thought you loved him.”
“I love him, but his mom hates me, Riley.” Fresh tears fall down my face. “She doesn’t like me at all. I’ve done everything I can, but she doesn’t want me.”
Riley sinks onto the chair beside me, his eyes melting with anger. “I warned Alec about this. He said he would protect you from them. I knew it was a—.”
“He did, but—”
“Stop protecting him!”
“I’m not! It’s the truth. He did. When I met with his mother, Alec was clear whose side he was on.”
“Then why did you leave him?”
“Because his mother came to me.”
“What?”
I explain everything to Riley, and he’s shaking with anger by the time I’m done. “How can she be so evil speaking to you like that? She doesn’t even know you.”
“She doesn’t want to know me. She just wants me to leave her son alone.”
Riley sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “So, what are you going to do, Jasmine?”
“I already made my decision. I’m leaving Alec.”
He meets my gaze. “Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure.” I force a smile, but it comes out wobbly. “I cannot cope with his family. I have to let him go.”
Riley slumps on the couch. “I should have stopped you from going to France. I had a bad feeling about it.”
“I’m glad you didn’t stop me because how else would I have known what his mother is like?” I ask. “I could have gone months or years with Alec and ended up in this same position, which would hurt more. I think this is for the best.”
Riley glances at me again, his gaze roaming my face. There are a lot of details in his eyes, but I can’t read them. “What is it?”
“What about your baby?” he asks. “What do you intend to do about it?”
My mouth falls open, and I scoot back from him. “W-what baby?”
He rolls his eyes. “Come on, Jasmine. ”
My heart almost explodes, and I stand up and head for the stairs. Riley follows. “Jasmine, stop.” He grabs my arm and turns me to him.
“How did you find out?”
“You underestimate me, Jasmine. I’m very perceptive.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to tell me.” He folds his arms. “You don’t trust me enough?”
“I thought you would be mad.”
“Why would I be mad?” He scowls. “You’re my sister; I’ll always support you.”
I throw my arms around Riley, grateful to have an amazing big brother like him. I’ve been so scared to tell him about my pregnancy, yet he knew and kept it to himself, waiting until I was ready.
“But you have to tell Alec…”
“Do I have to?” I pull away with a sigh.
“Yes, Jas, you have to.”
I shake my head. “I’m not ready yet, Riley.”
“How far along are you?”
“A little over ten weeks.”
Riley arches his brows. “You don’t have much time,” he says, taking a step back. “Do the right thing.”
He walks away from me and resumes his position in front of the TV. I go up to my room, my head muddled with thoughts of Alec. I keep my phone off because I know he will try to call, and I’m not ready to speak to him yet.
A part of me knows I may be wrong. I should have done the right thing and waited for Alec, but I was so upset at Mrs. Ace that I never wanted anything to do with their family anymore. But there’s a baby, and Alec is the father, so sooner or later, he must learn about it.