Jade's POV
The tension from the fight lingered like smoke in the air long after Nick stormed out. My heart pounded in my chest, my mind racing to catch up with everything that had just happened. I stood frozen in the room, Harry still standing in front of me, bruised and breathing heavily. The chaos had left a mess of emotions, and I didn't even know where to begin to untangle them.
I felt shattered, like I had been ripped apart from the inside out. My heart ached with the weight of what I had seen, heard, and felt in the last few minutes. Nick's words echoed in my head—"I can accept that you be with anyone, but not with him." And the way Harry had flaunted the fact that we'd been together, like it was some kind of victory over Nick... I couldn't believe it.
How had everything spiraled so quickly?
Harry's eyes met mine, and I could see the remorse in them. His lip was still bleeding, his knuckles bruised, but his concern was all for me. He stepped closer, his hand reaching out for me, but I instinctively flinched away, my emotions still too raw.
"Jade..." he started, his voice softer now, filled with guilt. "I didn't mean for it to go like that. I shouldn't have—"
"You shouldn't have," I interrupted, my voice shaking. "What were you thinking, Harry? You know how complicated this is. You know how fragile everything is right now." My voice broke as the tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked down at his hands, guilt evident in every word. "I wasn't thinking. I just... I just hate seeing you hurt because of him."
"That doesn't give you the right to throw it in his face like that!" I shouted, the anger and pain I had been holding in bubbling to the surface. "What we had—what we have—it's not something you can use to win some twisted game with Nick."
Harry flinched at my words, and I saw the hurt flash across his face, but he didn't defend himself. He just stood there, accepting it. And somehow, that made it worse.
"I'm not a prize, Harry," I whispered, the tears falling faster now. "I'm not something for you or Nick to win."
He stepped closer again, but this time I didn't pull away. His hand gently cupped my cheek, wiping away the tears. "I know," he said quietly. "You're right. I let the moment get the better of me, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."
The sincerity in his voice broke through my anger, and for a moment, I let myself lean into his touch, finding comfort in the warmth of his hand. But even in this moment of connection, the weight of everything between us felt heavier than ever.
I stepped back, wiping my face as I tried to steady my breath. "I need space, Harry," I said softly, my voice trembling. "I need time to think. I can't do this right now."
Harry's face fell, but he nodded. "I understand," he whispered. "I'll give you time, Jade. As much as you need."
He took one last lingering look at me before turning and walking out of the room, leaving me alone with the silence and the shattered pieces of everything that had once felt so certain.
I sank onto the couch, my body trembling with the weight of it all. My thoughts were a whirlwind, spinning in every direction as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. I loved Nick—or at least, I thought I did. But his betrayal had shattered my trust in a way that I wasn't sure could ever be repaired.
And Harry... sweet, steady Harry. He had been there for me when I needed someone the most, and I couldn't deny the way I felt about him. But tonight, something had shifted. I had seen a side of him that scared me, a side that I wasn't sure I could handle.
I wiped my tears away, my hands shaking as I reached for my phone. Without thinking, I dialed Nick's number. I wasn't sure why I did it, or what I even wanted to say, but I needed to hear his voice, to try and find some clarity in this mess.
It rang twice before he picked up.
"Jade?" His voice was hoarse, filled with pain and uncertainty.
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "Nick, I... I don't know what to say."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and when he finally spoke, his voice was quieter. "I'm sorry, Jade. I didn't mean to come in and make things worse. I just... I needed to see you. I needed to know if there was any chance left for us."
I closed my eyes, feeling the tears welling up again. "I don't know, Nick. I don't know if I can get past what happened."
"I understand," he whispered. "And I'll wait. I'll wait as long as it takes. But I can't lose you, Jade. I can't just let you go."
His words tugged at my heart, but they also filled me with a deep sense of conflict. I didn't want to hurt Nick anymore than I already had. But how could I move forward with him when every time I looked at him, I saw the betrayal, the pain?
"I need time," I said again, my voice barely a whisper. "I need to figure things out. I can't make any promises."
"I'll give you time," he said, his voice filled with quiet desperation. "But just know that I'm not giving up on us. I love you, Jade. And I'll fight for you."
I ended the call, my heart heavy with the weight of it all. I had two men who were both fighting for my heart, but in the end, I wasn't sure if either of them truly understood what I needed. Because right now, more than anything, I needed to find myself again.
I stared at the phone in my hand, feeling the tears slipping down my face once more. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Love wasn't supposed to hurt like this. But maybe that was the hardest lesson I had to learn.
I needed time. I needed space. But more than anything, I needed to figure out if I could ever trust again—whether that was with Nick, with Harry, or with anyone.
Nick's POV
I stared down at my phone, the weight of Jade's words pressing down on me like a leaden cloud. "I need time," she had said. But what did that mean? How long could I wait? How long before she decided that Harry was the one she wanted, and I was just the guy who had broken her?
The pain of seeing them together, the way he held her hand, the way his eyes were filled with protectiveness, burned in my chest. I had done this—I had driven her away. And now, seeing the way Harry looked at her, the way he flaunted the possibility of them being together, made it even worse. I couldn't stand the thought of losing her to him.
The memory of the fight flashed in my mind, and I clenched my fists, feeling the anger bubble up again. Harry's smug words echoed in my head, taunting me. "But what if we did?" I had wanted to punch him again right there and then, to show him that he wasn't going to win this. But the truth was, I had already lost so much.
I knew Jade was hurt. I knew she was confused. But I couldn't shake the fear that I was too late—that my mistake had cost me the love of my life.
But no matter what, I wasn't going to give up. Not on her. Not on us. I just hoped that, in the end, she would still choose me.
Because if she didn't... I wasn't sure if I could handle the fallout.

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