The Inevitable

Chapter 22: The truth beneath the surface

The days after Tyler's visit felt like an endless loop of quiet grief. I tried to pull myself out of the hole I'd fallen into, but nothing seemed to work. I moved around the house like a ghost, my parents too careful with their words, and Tatum trying her best to keep me grounded.

It was getting late when the call came in. My phone buzzed beside me on the nightstand, and without looking, I knew who it was. It had to be him. It had been weeks of silence, but somehow, I knew.

I stared at the screen, debating whether to answer. My heart ached just seeing his name. I almost let it go to voicemail, but my fingers betrayed me, swiping the screen.

"Jayda..." Tyler's voice was low, tentative.

I swallowed hard, gripping the phone tightly. I didn't say anything at first. What could I say?

"I know you don't want to hear from me," he continued. "But there's something I need to tell you. It's about the baby."

His words stopped me cold. The baby. Our baby.

I hadn't spoken those words out loud since the night everything went wrong. The memories surged back, hitting me all at once—the hospital, the blood, the unbearable pain.

"What about the baby?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I wasn't ready to talk about this, but something in his tone made me listen.

"There's something you don't know," he said, his voice tight, like he was struggling to get the words out. "Something I didn't tell you before."

I could feel my chest tightening. "What do you mean?"

There was silence on the other end, and I could hear his breath catching as if he was debating whether to say it or not.

"Tyler, what is it?" I pressed, my heart racing.

"I didn't want to drag you deeper into this, Jayda. I thought... maybe if I didn't tell you, you could move on. But now... I can't keep it from you any longer."

My hand started to tremble, my pulse thundering in my ears. "What are you talking about?"

There was a long pause, and then he dropped the bomb.

"The night of the attack... it wasn't random. It wasn't just the gang coming after me. They were after us... after you."

"What?" The word came out in a breathless gasp.

"The baby wasn't lost by accident, Jayda," Tyler said, his voice thick with regret. "They came for us because of something I did. They wanted to hurt me by hurting you."

I froze, the weight of his words sinking in like a knife. "What are you saying? That I lost the baby because of you?"

Tears blurred my vision as I waited for him to answer, but his silence told me everything I needed to know.

"Oh my God," I whispered, the realization hitting me like a tidal wave. "You knew this would happen."

"I swear, I didn't know they'd go that far," Tyler's voice cracked. "I didn't know they'd target you. I thought I could keep you safe. But I was wrong, Jayda. I was so wrong."

I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. Everything I thought I knew was a lie. The baby wasn't just a tragic loss—it was a casualty of Tyler's world, a consequence of his choices.

"How could you keep this from me?" My voice shook with anger and disbelief. "How could you let me think it was just... just an accident?"

"I didn't want to break you any more than I already had," he said, his voice pleading. "I thought if you didn't know, maybe you could heal."

Heal? The word felt like poison in my mouth. How could I ever heal, knowing that Tyler's life—his world—was the reason our baby was gone?

"I can't do this anymore," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I can't live in your world, Tyler. Every time I let you in, it destroys me."

"I know," he said, and I could hear the tears in his voice. "But I love you, Jayda. I can't lose you, not again. I'll leave it all behind. I swear I'll change."

His words felt like a promise I'd heard too many times before. But now, it was too late. The damage was done.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, choking on my tears. "I can't forgive you for this."

I hung up, my hand shaking as I dropped the phone on the bed. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could do was fall to my knees and let the grief wash over me, deeper than before, more crushing than I thought possible.

And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, there was a knock on the door. My mom's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Jayda, someone's here to see you."

I wiped my tears, trying to compose myself, but my heart was pounding in my chest. Who could it be now?

I opened the door to find my mom standing there, looking hesitant. "It's... it's about Tyler," she said, her voice strained.

My breath caught in my throat. "What?"

She hesitated, her eyes filled with a worry I hadn't seen before. "They found him."

"Found him? What do you mean?"

My mom glanced away, her voice soft. "The police, Jayda. They're saying something's happened."

To be continued in Book Two...