One Wild Night

Chapter 896  Let’s Break Up

Harry laughed when Jade tickled his foot and he tried to pull his leg away, but Jade held on to his leg.

"Why are you doing that?" Harry asked, and Jade grinned.

"Because I like to hear you laugh," she said, and Harry laughed as he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him so they lay on the bed, side by side.

The past three weeks had been a whirlwind, a much-needed vacation that had started  a little rocky, because of Harry's workaholic tendencies, but gradually smoothed out after their heartfelt conversation.

Now, their three-week vacation was coming to an end, and the weekend loomed like an impending shadow of reality.

Jade sighed, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on Harry's chest. "Can you believe it's almost over?" she asked, her voice tinged with sadness.

Harry turned his head to look at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Time flies, doesn't it? I'm ready to get back to work, though. I've got a lot to catch up on."

Jade bit her lip, her heart sinking. "Can you try not to look so happy about it?" She asked, and Harry looked at her.

"Why do you look so sad? It's not like you're not going to see me again. We are only leaving this place with us. We have made more than enough memories here," he said softly and she nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But... I just wish we could stay here a little longer. It's been nice, hasn't it?"

Harry nodded, his eyes softening. "It has. I have to admit I needed this break and this time with you more than I realized."

"Don't you need more break?" She asked, batting her lashes at him playfully and he laughed.

"I've had more than enough," he said, and she sighed.

"So, what happens when we get back? I move back to Tom's and we see at the office daily and maybe hangout over the weekends?" She asked, and Harry raised a brow.

"Is that what you want?" He asked, and she let out a deep breath and shrugged.

"I don't know. You tell me," she said, and  Harry smiled, but before he could say a word, his phone vibrated with a text notification and he picked it up.

Jade watched as he moved his body ever so slightly away from her as he read the text, and then he quickly typed something before looking at her again.

He hesitated for a moment, "Why don't we continue this conversation later. I need to freshen up and step out for a minute," Harry said and Jade's brows pulled together.

"Where are you going to?" She asked and Harry considered lying to her.

"I need to check something out really quick. I will be back…"

"What are you checking out? Can I come too?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"No, you can't come. Think of it as a surprise. Trust me, okay?" He said, and she sighed as she watched him get up and walk into the bathroom.

Lately, he had been more secretive, carrying his phone everywhere, even hiding to take calls when he thought she wasn't looking. It was unlike him, and it had sparked a tiny flame of doubt in her mind again. She pushed the thought away, trying to trust him, but the nagging suspicion lingered.

Jade lay on the bed, wanting to sleep so she wouldn't dwell on any negative thoughts, but just as she closed her eyes, Harry's phone vibrated again, and she realized he had not taken the phone with him into the bathroom.

Her heart pounded in her chest as curiosity got the better of her. She reached over and picked it up.

Her brows pulled together when she saw a text displayed on the screen from an unsaved number.

[I forgot to tell you, I didn't know which dress you'd prefer so I got two. A red and a black.]

Jade's breath hitched when she read the message, and since she knew Harry's password, she unlocked his phone and checked his message history with that number.

The last message there was from Harry: [I will be there in ten minutes.]

Her frown deepened when she checked the time the message was sent, and saw that it was a couple of minutes ago. It meant Harry had deleted the lady's text.

Why did he do that if he had nothing to hide?

She quickly checked his call history and saw numerous calls to the same number since their arrival. Her stomach churned with a mix of fear and anger.

Who was this person? She mused as she quickly picked up her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she copied the number onto her phone.

Just as the bathroom door opened, Jade quickly put Harry's phone back and composed herself, trying to appear nonchalant.

Harry walked over, toweling his hair dry. "I will be back in about thirty minutes or less. Don't miss me too much," he said, leaning down to kiss her.

"Take your time," she replied, managing a smile.

As soon as the door closed behind him, she dialed the number with shaking hands, her heart racing.

A feminine voice, bright and cheerful answered, "Hello?"

Jade didn't speak. The carefully constructed image of nonchalance she'd presented to Harry shattered into a million pieces. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The phone pressed against Jade's ear felt like a live wire, buzzing with the electricity of betrayal.

Harry's playful goodbye echoed in her head, a cruel mockery of the truth she now held in her trembling hand.

"Hello? Who's this?" The feminine voice on the phone, laced with confusion, finally cut through the fog.

Jade's breath hitched, a choked gasp that devolved into a series of ragged breaths. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the world around her.

Jade clenched her jaw, and squeezed her eyes shut, willing back the tears that threatened to spill over. A primal scream clawed at her throat, begging to be released.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" The voice, oblivious to the storm raging within Jade, persisted.

Without saying a word, Jade hung up the call. A stunned silence followed, broken only by Jade's ragged breaths. Shame washed over her again, a wave of self-loathing for trusting so blindly.

A strangled sob escaped her lips, hot and wet, as the weight of reality settled on her chest, suffocating her.

The room which was once a haven of stolen moments and whispered promises, morphed into a suffocating cage.

Shame burned through her. How could she have been so blind? The nagging doubts she'd pushed aside, the secretive phone calls, all came rushing back, forming a horrifying picture of betrayal. Anger, hot and molten, bubbled up alongside the hurt.

She couldn't believe that she had trusted Harry only to be betrayed this way. She had no doubt about the identity of the lady on the phone, since she had watched Harry talk to her on different occasions.

How stupid she must have looked to them both, Jade thoight as tears streamed down her face.

Harry had been deceiving her. The thought of him lying, betraying her trust, was unbearable. She felt a surge of anger and sadness, the emotions overwhelming her.

There was no way she could remain here. She couldn't bear to look into Harry's face again or listen to any more of his lies. She had to get away and escape the pain that threatened to consume her.

Without giving it another thought, she rose from the bed and walked over to the closet. Although her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions but her hands moved with purpose as she began packing her bags.

As she stuffed clothes into her suitcase, memories of their vacation flashed before her eyes; the laughter, the tender moments, the promises whispered to each other.

How could it all have been a lie? How could Harry have deceived her this way for so long? How could he have brought another lady with him on their vacation?

Tears blurred Jade's vision and she took a break from packing and sat on the edge of the bed as she wept.

She felt a hollow ache in her chest, a deep sense of betrayal. How could Harry do this to her? Had everything between them been a facade? She mused as she wept.

Just as she finished packing her bags a few minutes later, the sound of the door opening jolted her from her thoughts and Harry walked in, a casual smile on his face. "Hey, I'm back," he announced, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her.

Harry took one look at her face and the packed bags, and he frowned, "What's wrong? Did something happen?" He asked, sounding both confused and concerned.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "I'm done with this relationship, Harry. I don't want to keep doing this with you. You can go to her."

Harry's frown deepened, "Go to who? What are you talking about?"

"I was expecting that. I knew you were going to lie to me again. But save it, Harry. Save your lies. I don't want to hear them. I checked your phone. I saw the text she sent you about the dress you prefer. I know you went out just now to meet her. I know you've been communicating with her over the phone since we got here," she said, her voice rising. "You've been lying to me, and I can't stay here anymore. I'm leaving."

"Jade, listen," Harry reached out, but she stepped back, her eyes filled with hurt and anger.

"I trusted you," she said, her voice breaking. "And you betrayed me. I opened up to you about everything, Harry. I told you everything about my last relationship but you just turned out to be the same as Todd. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to do it."

"For Christ's sake, will you just shut the fuck up and listen to me?" Harry yelled at her, losing his temper, and she jumped back in surprise, since she had never seen him mad.

"What is wrong with you? What the hell is wrong with you? I get it that you are still very much affected by your past, but for how long are you going to have such an emotional reaction to everything? If we were married, would you walk out of our marriage this way because of mere suspicions? Don't you think I might also be dealing with trust issues myself seeing as I was abandoned by my own mother and my father was betrayed by the only woman he ever loved? Have I ever allowed that affect our relationship?" Harry asked angrily while Jade watched in confusion, wondering why he was mad when she was the one supposed to be mad.

Was he trying to act like Todd and turn the tables on her so she would feel guilty and apologize? She mused.

Harry flung two shopping bags on the bed which she had not seen him holding, and a jewelry box fell out from one of the bags.

"Yes, I went to see her only because I wanted to get the stuff I asked her to help me get for YOU! The lady you claim I'm having an affair with, is an event planner. She was planning my surprise engagement to you, and that is the reason I was being so secretive about it. Those are the dresses I was going to ask you to choose from for our last date here tomorrow," Harry said, and Jade's heart skipped a beat as she looked from the bags and jewelry box to Harry.

"You want to leave? You don't want to see me again? Fine! Let's break up," Harry said, and without another word to her, he turned around and walked out of the suite, leaving her standing where she was.

Jade's tears flowed freely as she walked over to the bed and opened both bags. Sure enough, the dresses inside were a red and black with a pair of high heeled gold strappy sandals.

She opened the jewelry box, and raised a hand to her lips to stifle a sob when she saw the most beautiful diamond engagement ring, she had ever seen, seated pretty in the box.