Ink & Intrigue -jaden hossler

Chapter Sixteen: The Silent Breakdown

Londen's POV

The moment I pressed “post” on that photo, I immediately regretted it. But it was already out there, a raw reflection of what I had been feeling inside. The tears in my eyes were real. They weren’t staged for sympathy or attention. It wasn’t just a breakdown—it was a culmination of everything that had been weighing on me for weeks.

I wish I’d never let Jaden get under my skin. I wished I hadn’t let myself believe that we could be something real, something lasting. But the truth was, I had been blindsided by my own feelings. Jaden had become my world, and when he pulled away, it felt like the foundation I had built everything on came crumbling down.

I didn’t expect him to see it right away, but of course, he did. And when I saw that notification pop up on my screen, my heart dropped. I didn’t need to check to know it was from him. He’d seen the post. He had to have seen it.

I sat on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest, trying to fight back the wave of regret that was now crashing over me. The last thing I wanted was for Jaden to think I was attacking him. I never wanted to hurt him, but the anger and hurt had built up, and I didn’t know how else to express it.

I couldn’t even remember how long I had been sitting there before my phone rang, the screen lighting up with his name.

Jaden.

I hesitated for a moment. A part of me wanted to ignore it, to make him feel the same emptiness I was feeling. But the other part of me—the part that still loved him—knew I couldn’t keep running from this. I needed to face it, no matter how hard it was.

I answered the call.

“Londen,” his voice came through, strained and urgent. “Please, just hear me out.”

I exhaled slowly, my chest tightening. “I saw your post.”

There was a long pause on the other end. I could tell he was trying to find the right words, but he wasn’t sure how to approach it. How could he? I had laid my heart bare for him, and it was nothing short of a mess.

“I’m so sorry for everything,” he said, his voice soft. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I thought... I thought I needed space, but I can see now that I just pushed you away. I shouldn’t have done that.”

I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the emotions that were threatening to spill over. “Jaden, you don’t get it. It wasn’t just about the space. It was about how you made me feel invisible. How you disappeared without explanation, without warning. I gave you everything, and you—” I choked on my words. “You just walked away.”

“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “And I hate myself for it. I was selfish, and I didn’t think about how it would affect you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I did. And I’m so sorry, Londy. I didn’t deserve you.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, and I wiped my eyes furiously. “You did deserve me, Jaden. You deserve someone who will love you, no matter what. But I was just... left in the dark. I couldn’t keep pretending everything was okay when I was falling apart inside.”

He was silent for a moment, probably processing everything I was saying. And as much as it hurt, I needed him to understand. I needed him to know how deeply I had been affected by his actions.

“I shouldn’t have posted that,” I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. “But I had to say something. I couldn’t just let this go without speaking my truth.”

“I get it,” he responded, his voice thick with regret. “You had every right to say it. I can’t take back what I did, but I’ll do anything to make it right. I just... need you to know that I never wanted to make you feel like this. I was messed up, and I should’ve been honest with you from the start.”

I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in. The pain was still there, still fresh, but something inside me shifted. Maybe it was the vulnerability in his voice. Maybe it was the fact that he was finally owning up to what he had done. But part of me wanted to believe that he was sincere.

“You don’t have to fix everything right now, Jaden,” I said, my voice softer. “But I need time. I need to figure out if I can trust you again. Because right now, I’m not sure if I can.”

“I understand,” he said quietly. “And I’m not asking for your forgiveness right now. But I’ll give you all the time you need. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

His words broke me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I could hear the sincerity, the regret in his voice, but part of me was still terrified to let him back in.

“Just... don’t disappear again,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Please.”

“I won’t,” he promised, his voice firm with determination. “I’ll be here, whenever you’re ready.”

And with that, the call ended.

I sat there, staring at my phone, unsure of how to feel. Part of me wanted to believe him, wanted to take him back into my life and pretend that everything could go back to normal. But the other part of me—the part that was still raw from the pain he had caused—wasn’t so sure.

All I knew was that I couldn’t keep living in this limbo. I needed to heal, whether that meant moving forward with Jaden or walking away for good. And the hardest part of all was realizing that I couldn’t control what came next.

All I could do was take it one day at a time.