Chasing His Rejected Wife
Chapter 72 -

Aiden

For several minutes, I stood outside Jessica's door, unable to bring myself to walk away and leave her in that state. Through the door, I could hear the muffled sounds, faint through the solid barrier, but unmistakable sounds of her sobs. Each sound hit me in the gut, the pain radiating up towards the back of my skull with the force of an executioner's ax, my ears ringing from the impact.

Resting my head against the door, I shut my eyes with a sigh, only to be hit immediately with mental images of the despair and misery in Jessica's eyes as she looked at me, begging me to assure her that everything I had told her was just some sort of joke. At that moment, I would have given up everything to do exactly as she asked; to laugh it off and set her mind at ease.

Instead, I had effectively shattered the already broken pieces of her heart and I would forever be haunted by the look on her face at that moment.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," I whispered, the words coming out broken. "I wish I could take your pain and make it mine. I'm sorry. God! I'm so sorry, Jess, please don't cry."

The words that still sounded so ineffective as a form of penance for all I had done to her but needed to be said nonetheless. I stayed in that position for several minutes, until the sobs lessened and the apartment fell into complete silence. Finally, I dragged myself away. I didn't want to change her Jess opened the door to replace me standing there like a creep. With steps heavy with weariness and sadness, I walked away, not knowing if this would be the last time I would ever be allowed to set foot in her space, uncertain if there was a way for us to get past this. I touched my cheek, the one she had hit, and let out a sigh. It was highly unlikely Jess would be willing to spare me the time of day after this. The thought was accompanied by a sense of crushing defeat, settling hard and heavy on my shoulders.

I was so preoccupied with dreary thoughts that I didn't realize I'd reached the lobby until I was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Good morning, Sir." Fletcher rose from his seat, peering at me through his glasses.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked puzzled for a second, then said softly, "You....er... asked me to meet you here this morning."

I blinked at him for a moment, my mind drawing a blank then let out a deep breath as it came back to me. "Oh, yeah, I did."

Truly, I had to admit that I was exhausted from the events of the past few days, running on little to no sleep plus the whole shitload of trouble. Right now, I was running on the coffee I'd bought alongside Jessica's smoothie, but even that shot of caffeine was starting to wear off.

"Are you alright, sir?" Fletcher asked, concern evident in his voice. I caught him giving me an assessing look. Whatever he saw, made his mouth turn down in silent disapproval and he slid his phone from his pocket, fingers darting over the screen as he sent a text to god knew whom.

"I'm good," I replied shortly, briefly wondering who he was texting then, dismissing it from my mind as a more important thought cropped up.

Jessica shouldn't be alone right now. The doctor had ordered her to be on bed rest, with as little stress as possible and I had gone and opened my big, fucking mouth and stressed her out even more. I kicked myself mentally for not thinking about that sooner. Damn, I was such a bastard.

Cursing under my breath, I pulled out my phone and checked my contact list for a number, swearing loudly when I realized I didn't have it. In quick strides, I hurried towards where Martin was already waiting, aware of Fletcher dogging my heels.

I nodded brusquely at Martin's cheerful greeting and slid into the back seat, my mind racing.

"Where to sir?" Martin asked, watching me from the rear mirror. Fletcher was in the passenger seat, still busy with his phone but he looked up when I answered.

I caught the questioning look and arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You're supposed to be meeting with Colestar at ten a.m." He said, glancing at the time on the dashboard. "It's almost nine, sir."

Shit! I'd forgotten about that too and this wasn't a meeting I wanted or could afford to miss. Still, I had over an hour, which was cutting it close, but not impossible. I grimaced and said with a shrug. "There's still time."

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!

Again, Fletcher gave me the once over and I sighed."What now?"

"You should take some time to freshen up before the meeting." He replied mildly, adjusting his glasses. "I'm sure Colestar will appreciate it if you didn't turn up in a soiled shirt at least."

I glanced down at my shirt and sure enough, it was stained with the sauce I'd spilled earlier.

Shit.

********

Taking the stairs that ran down the back of the building, I paused in front of a black door and knocked, bracing myself for the confrontation that was sure to come once she answered the door. I could only hope that I didn't get my head blown off before I could explain what I needed.

Five minutes and a couple of firmer knocks later, the door was flung open and the tiny fireball of a woman stood there glaring at me balefully. Her eyes widened in surprise to see me there, then narrowed in suspicion.

"The fuck are you doing here?" Anna demanded sharply. She gave me a onceover, soiled shirt and all, and scowled, her already sour expression becoming even more unfriendly.

I decided then that it would be a good idea to dispense with the niceties and went right to the point. "I need your help. Jessica needs your help."

She drew in a deep breath at that. "What? Is she okay?" She stepped outside and glanced around, then looked back at me. "Where is she? Is it the babies?"

"She's -" I struggled to replace the right description because 'okay' or 'fine' were inadequate. "She's been put on bed rest for a few days, just as a precaution to avoid undue stress in her condition, but we...I did something to upset her and I think you're the best person to help calm her down."

Anna listened to my explanation, giving me a sharp look when I mentioned upsetting Jess. She made a face and gave me a reproachful glare. "Of course, you upset her. That's all you do, isn't it? Makes her feel like the worst sort of human being every single time. Where is she? At the hospital?"

"No, she's at her apartment. Can you come to stay with her for a while? I know you must be busy, but my car is waiting to take you -"

Anna held up a hand to silence me. "No need. I can make my way there, I don't need to be chauffered about. I'll be there once I'm changed." With another glare, she stepped back and slammed the door in my face. I winced at the sound, feeling it rattle around my skull.

Well, at least she had agreed to help. I turned away and was about to head down the stairs when the door opened again and Anna poked her head out. "Whatever you did to my friend, you better pray it doesn't jeopardize her health in any way, or I'll fucking gut you. And stay the hell away from her, you're too toxic for her good."

The door slammed shut again and I stood there for a moment, head bowed in remorse before I headed back to the car. Fletcher was waiting, looking like he wanted to tell me something. However, he took one look at my face and fell silent, opening the door for me instead.

I heard him telling Martin to head for the house to pick some freshly laundered clothes, but I paid little attention, absorbed with Anna's parting words.

You're too toxic for her. The accusation repeated over and over in my head, each time bringing its form of pain because she was right. I was toxic, constantly hurting Jess over and over again, throwing her love and affection in her face with my thoughtless deeds. The sins I had committed against her were far too many to be easily swept under the rug and would always be a red flag between us.

The only way to ensure that Jess was able to replace some way to heal was to let her go-to free her from the clutches of my family.

And me.

I shut my eyes and tried to envision a future without Jess, and as always, it was bleak and lonely. It would be hell without her, but it was a hell I had to endure to ensure she was happy. It would be best for her and our kids' safety. It would kill me to watch someone else love her the way she should be loved and I would be forever haunted by the mistakes I made.

I should have cherished her when she was mine.