"Patience, Princess," I murmured against her lips, the words almost a growl.
She bit her lip, her frustration clear, but she didn't argue. Instead, she focused on the way I was driving her mad, her body trembling as I continued my slow, deliberate...
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JUSTINE
Jayden drops down in front of me, his face etched with pain. Or maybe I’m just terrible at reading him. He kneels, reaching out to cup my face, but I flinch back, refusing his touch as the tears start to fall, unrestrained.
“Baby, please, look at me. It wasn’t what it seemed. I swear on my mother’s life. I would never hurt you like that. Please believe me. Tell me you know I’d never betray you. I’m begging you, Justine.” His voice cracks, thick with emotion.
But I can’t trust what I see anymore. I can’t shake the feeling that from the beginning, he was never really mine. Maybe I never stood a chance and I was selfish to think I could keep him.
“Jayden, I… I don’t know what to believe anymore,” I manage, my voice trembling with the weight of everything crashing down.
I’ll never be Madison. I’ll never be that soft-spoken and grounded girl. No matter how hard I tried to change myself, I’ll never be her. I thought it was my fault—that I just wasn’t enough. But maybe that’s just the way it was meant to be.
“Justine,” Jayden’s voice is desperate, his words catching in his throat. “You don’t have to be anyone but yourself. That’s the person I care about. That’s who I want.”
A bitter laugh escapes me, though it feels more like a sob. “Thank you for letting me believe that, even if just for a little while.”
“What are you saying?” His hand reaches out again, trembling. “She kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back. I don’t know why she did it, but I swear, I didn’t want that. You mean everything to me. More than you’ll ever know. Please, don’t leave me. I can’t live without you.”
His forehead presses against mine, his tears falling in time with mine. His desperation pulls at me, but I can’t ignore the image of him and Madison together. I can’t erase the doubt that’s settled into my heart.
“I need time to process all of this, Jayden. I don’t know what to think right now.”
His hands tighten their grip on mine, shaking. “Please don’t say that. I need you. I want you—only you.”
But the image of him kissing her lingers, gnawing at me. “You two need each other more than I need you. I won’t lose myself trying to hold on to something that’s slipping away.”
“It’s you that I want, Justine. Not anyone else.”
I can barely see him through the blur of tears, but I reach out to caress his cheek, my heart breaking. “I’m not even angry. I’m just… devastated. My worst fear came true. Please, Jayden, just be happy. Take care of yourself.” I choke on the words. “It’s best if we go our separate ways.”
“No!” He grips my hands tighter, his tears falling harder. “Don’t do this. Please don’t leave me. You’re my everything.”
I look at him one last time, my heart-shattering at the sight of him on his knees, begging. But for once, I put myself first. I turn away, leaving him there as I head toward the car where my friends are waiting.
Lily is the first to reach me, her hand warm and gentle as she takes mine. “Do you want to talk about it, sweetheart?” she asks softly. “We’re here. Whatever you need.”
As we drive away, leaving Jayden and the gala behind, my mind drifts to my parents. They’ll hear about this. Someone must have seen it. The thought adds to the weight pressing down on my chest, but I can’t deal with that right now. I need time. Time to process, to let my heart grieve.
Jayden’s words echo in my mind. “She kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back.” How did that happen if he didn’t want it? But then again, Jayden’s not the kind of guy to lie. I don’t know what to believe.
But I know one thing: I need space. We both do. I need to get back to being myself. To believe in myself again. I’ve been so lost, trying to be someone else. I lost sight of the girl who knew what she wanted, who believed that what was meant for her would find her.
If it’s meant to be with Jayden, it will be. But I can’t chase it anymore.
The long weekend stretches ahead of me, offering a small gift of time. Time to cry, to let myself feel it all before I have to face the world again.
I squeeze Lily’s hand and manage a small smile. “I’ll tell you everything soon. But right now, I just need to focus on healing.”
The girls nod, wrapping me in their warmth and comfort as we drive into the night, leaving Jayden’s cries fading behind us.
Later in her room
Lying in bed, I stare at the ceiling. My phone won’t stop lighting up—calls, texts, more calls. All from Jayden. Sixty missed calls. Twelve unread messages.
I should turn my phone off. Distance myself. But there’s a part of me that can’t. The part that still cares, that wants to believe he’s as broken by this as I am. I like knowing that he’s not sleeping either.
I tap the first message.
“I swear, baby, it’s not what you think. Please let me explain.”
The next: “I can’t stand the thought of you not wanting to see me again.”
The third, more frantic: “PLEASE PICK UP, I’M DYING WITHOUT YOU.”
And the fourth: “ I know how bad it looked, but I swear, it wasn’t what it seemed. Please, just hear me out.”
I toss the phone to the other side of the bed, the temptation to call him back growing stronger with each message. I need to stay strong, to protect myself.
Tears sting my eyes again. I can’t ignore the pain in his words. Part of me wants to believe him, to trust that he wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. But that image… Madison’s lips on his.
Curling up on my side, I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold together the pieces of my shattered heart. The long weekend stretches out before me, time to grieve what’s lost and find a way to rebuild what’s left.
