Chapter 70: Chapter 35: The Tragic End

Jamie

~Oh my God, I could just die~, I thought when I looked at myself in the mirror. I was rocking a red dress that was a little below the knee and trying my best to contain my excited emotions.

Dinner with Mason.

I was excited about tonight. I was excited about seeing him after our few days apart. Those days felt like forever.

A part of me was really worried about how this dinner would go. We didn’t exactly leave things on a good note when he left, so I still didn’t know where we stood.

“That dress looks stunning on you. Red is so your color,” Sara grinned. “I think you should accessorize with gold. Those two work really well together.”

“Let’s move on to shoes next then.” I turned and looked in the mirror again.

I hoped he’d like this one. Maybe he’d see me in this dress and realize that he couldn’t live without me.

Bags in hand, Sara and I walked around the shoe department, browsing and loving everything we laid eyes on.

“Thank you for coming with me today. I really needed some girl time, and Carmen and I aren’t exactly friends anymore.”

“Of course, anytime. I’m glad you called. Since Luke and I broke up, I haven’t really been leaving the house, so I really needed to get back out into the world.”

“I hear you.”

I hadn’t wanted to do anything the last couple of days. Being away from Mason had left me a little depressed, especially with everything going on with my mom.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened between you and Luke?” I asked curiously.

“Um, we went through a pretty nasty breakup.” Sara placed a gold platform heel back on the shelf with a sigh.

“After you told me about what Jack did, breaking into your home and everything with the USB, I just couldn’t be around that guy anymore.”

I nodded my head in agreement. Of course, I understood where she was coming from. Jack was a bad guy. Sara shouldn’t have to be a part of his life just because of Luke.

“It was obvious to Luke that something was up, so I didn’t see any other option but to tell him. I told him everything, even about Jack and I sleeping together.”

She whispered the last couple of words so no one would overhear.

“What did he say?” I asked.

“Not very much at first, but Luke is like that. He tends to bottle up his emotions. He went to Jack and confronted him about it, and whatever he said, Luke believed him and not me.

“He moved out the next day.”

I gave her a look of pity. “I’m sorry, Sara. Is there anything that I can do to help? Maybe I could talk to him.”

She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I cheated on him with his best friend. We can’t come back from that. I always knew that if it came down to it, Luke would choose them over me.”

Sara picked up a heel with a smile. “These are perfect. What do you think?”

“I think you’re right. They’re perfect.” My lips curved into a smile, and I took the shoe from her.

It felt good to have a friend to talk to. I mean, a friend that isn’t a guy.

“I need to bring you shopping with me more often. I’ll try these on.”

As I looked at myself in the mirror wearing tonight’s heels, a lot of thoughts were running through me.

Perhaps my expectations were too high. Maybe it was just a casual meal to talk about our daughter, not about our relationship.

Maybe he would say that we were too different and we wanted different things. I guessed I’d been hoping he would change his mind, even though I won’t change mine.

I heard Ethan behind me. “I knew you would be in the shoe section. I called you, but you didn’t pick up.”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear my phone.” I pulled it from my bag to check. It was on silent. “I must’ve put it on silent by accident.”

“Totally typical of you.” Ethan smirked. “So, more shoes. Pretty soon, you’re going to need a bigger house to fit them all.”

“Yes, more shoes.” I chuckled. “These are for my date tonight, if it even is a date. If it’s not a date maybe the shoes and the dress might be a little much.

“Maybe he’s asking me to dinner so he can officially dump me in person.”

“No, of course he’s not,” Sara replied. “You’re showing up in that dress and those heels, and I swear that man’s jaw is going to hit the floor. Please, tell her to wear the dress?” Sara said to Ethan.

“Wear the dress, Jamie,” said Ethan, and Sara chuckled at his lack of persuasion.

He had no interest at all, which is totally Ethan.

“I’m sure Mason will dig the heels and the dress. Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

“Okay, hangry. We’re going to feed you now,” I joked and removed my heels before getting back into my comfy Converses.

“I’m going to go pay for these. Why don’t you two get to know each other while you wait.”

I smirked and walked away, hoping that Ethan would get the hint. I paid for my new shoes, and by the time I got back to them, Ethan was making jokes, and Sara was laughing at them.

~Playing matchmaker; that’s my good deed done for today. Now it’s time to fix my own love life!~

***

Mason

The moment was here, finally.

I glanced down at my watch in anticipation. She was late. Fifteen minutes to be exact. I thought it was so typical of Jamie to keep me waiting, especially on an important night like tonight.

Not that she knew tonight was important. She had no clue, but it was better that way. I asked her to meet me here for dinner, but she didn’t know why.

She doesn’t know that I’ve come to my senses, and I plan on proposing to her. Not here in the restaurant. I want this to be a little more private.

We can eat here and talk things through. After that, I plan on taking her back to the house and popping the question there. The house where we will spend our life together.

I’m not a romantic kind of guy, and Jamie knows this. So, I hired help to make the backyard a romantic setting for the proposal later. Lights and flowers, that kind of thing. I hope it works.

If she even shows up.

“Would you like a wine menu while you wait, sir?” the waiter asked.

“No, not yet. I’ll wait until she gets here,” I replied.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent Jamie a message to find out if she was on her way. Five minutes had gone by, and she hadn’t replied. I was starting to worry.

Maybe she wasn’t coming. Maybe she decided that the relationship wasn’t worth it. Considering I’ve caused her enough pain and heartache over the years, I couldn’t blame her.

Maybe she’d just had enough.

I reached into the pocket of my suit jacket and pulled out the little black box containing the diamond ring. I’d never imagined myself holding one of these and proposing. But here I was.

I was ready for this. I was ready for my life to start.

I put the box back in my pocket and walked out of the restaurant.

~I’m asking her tonight, even if it kills me. Even if I have to walk this city to find her, I’ll do that.~

I dialed Jamie’s number and waited for her to answer. It had been days since I’d seen her, and just as long since I’d heard her voice.

I couldn’t even remember the last thing she’d said to me, but I’m sure it wasn’t good.

The phone finally picked up. “Hi Mason, I’m late. I know.”

Goosebumps prickled my skin just hearing her voice.

“Twenty-five minutes late, actually,” I replied, and she chuckled in return. “I hope you plan on making this up to me. Where are you?”

I couldn’t see her, but I had a suspicion that she was rolling her eyes at my comment. “I’m actually close by the restaurant. I can see you. Why are you standing outside in the cold?”

I looked around until I finally spotted her. She was some distance away, but I could tell it was her. Her dyed-blonde hair shimmered, and her red dress turned the heads of every man that set eyes on her.

“You’re wearing red. Don’t you look stunning?”

“Oh, so you do see me. I thought I’d dress up for our dinner—well, for you. Though I don’t quite know what your intentions are. So, what are your intentions?”

I smirked. “Impatient. Well, I think—”

“Oh, hold on. I’ve just got a text, Mason.” She was still walking toward me while reading the text on her phone. I was holding mine to my ear and watching her at a distance.

“Oh, no!” she said faintly.

“What’s going on, Jamie?” I asked her.

I guessed that the “oh, no” had to do with the text that she received.

I turned my head as a couple walked out of the restaurant, cuddled up and laughing their way up the sidewalk. I turned back around.

~Jack.~

I wasn’t expecting to see his face.

He sat in a car right in front of the restaurant, pointing a gun in my face. I was frozen on the spot, with no time to react or say anything.

~Fuck! He’s going to fucking kill me!~

He pulled the trigger.

I expected to feel unimaginable pain, for my body to crumple to the ground, but it didn’t. The fucking gun jammed, and I thought to myself, ~I’m the luckiest man alive. He’s the unluckiest.~

I looked up and noticed the look on his face. Terror was written all over him now that he realized his plan had failed, and I was fucking coming for him.

But he sped away from the restaurant before I had my chance.

“Mason!” Jamie shouted as she walked quickly down the sidewalk to the other side of the road. She knew that something had happened, so I’m guessing she saw Jack speeding by.

“I’m fine. I’m okay,” I shouted, no longer using my phone.

I was trying to contain the anger within me. I walked toward her as she was crossing the road.

“It was Jack. That bastard pulled a fucking—”

I never got to finish my sentence. He did a U-turn and came back, not for me but for her.

“Jamie!” My voice trembled, and my body did too, seeing his car hit her at that speed and her body fly through the air.

It was a scene from a nightmare that had come true. There was blood everywhere, and people were screaming.

Jack’s car sped away as quickly as it had come, and her body was lying in the middle of the road. People were screaming, and I was in utter shock.

A balding man made it to Jamie’s side just before I did and checked her over. “Someone call an ambulance,” he shouted at the pedestrians standing around in horror.

I was kneeling down beside her, my pants soaking up her blood.

Jamie’s face and body were cut up and bloody, parts of her dyed-blonde hair now blood red.

“Jamie,” I whispered, “stay with me. You’re going to be okay. Just keep your eyes open.”

I noticed her phone on the ground beside her. The screen was broken, but the message was clear. It was from Brent.

~Carmen is in hospital—she’s losing the baby.~

“I don’t feel good,” Jamie replied, and a tear rolled down my cheek.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” I was trying to convince not only her but myself that she was going to be okay.

I gently moved her hair back from her face and rubbed my teary eyes. “I came to my senses. That’s why I asked you to dinner. I was going to ask you to marry me.”

I looked over at the balding guy that was kneeling beside us. “Where’s the fucking ambulance?”

“They’re coming. Two minutes away,” he replied.

We didn’t have two minutes.

“Ask me,” Jamie whispered. “Ask me now.”

My hands were trembling as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box with the ring inside. I held her hand in mine and looked at her, my eyes filled with tears.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes, of course.”

I slipped the ring onto her blood-smeared finger. She smiled and looked at it like this proposal had made all the bad go away. I wished it would.

Suddenly, the smile was gone, and she started to cough, blood sputtering from her mouth.

“Jamie, are you okay?” I asked in a panic.

I was holding her body to stop her from choking, but it wasn’t enough. “She can’t breathe. They need to get here now!” I shouted.

I heard the sound of the ambulance siren in the distance, but I feared it was already too late. She was dying right in front of me, just like my mother did. There was nothing I could do.

Her eyes were rolling back, and she couldn’t catch her breath. “Stay with me. Please.” I started to perform CPR, not that I really knew how, but I had to try.

They ran from the ambulance and to her side. “Please, sir, move back.”

They pushed in front of me, moving me away from her. I knew they were there to help, but my mind was uneasy at not being right by her side.

One of the paramedics was asking me questions about what happened while the other was working on Jamie. I heard none of it.

The only thing I was focused on was her body that was completely still, her skin as pale as milk, and the viscous pool of blood that surrounded her head.

They were too late. I knew it. This was my fault.

***

Jack

I rushed into my apartment, my face white as a sheet, and my whole body trembling with both adrenaline for what I had done and fear of what I had to do next.

I went straight for my suitcase standing in the bedroom, and I grabbed it, in a hurry to get the fuck out of here. The zipper was open, and everything I had packed fell out onto the floor.

“FUCK!” I shouted in anger. ~I need to get the hell out of here now. I can’t fucking believe this. ~I knelt to grab everything and chucked it all into the suitcase in a hurry.

“Jack.”

I heard the voice from behind me, and I turned my head. Gavin and Luke were standing at my door.

~Fuck!~

“You left your door open, man,” Gavin said.

“Really? I didn’t notice. I was in too much of a rush, I guess. What are you guys doing here?” I replied. “We don’t have plans today. I would’ve remembered.”

“We wanted to see if you were up for a drink. You didn’t pick up the phone, so we figured we would stop in.” Luke noticed the suitcase on the floor. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Actually, I decided to take a vacation.” I crouched down and picked up the rest of the things and put them into the suitcase.

“It’s a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was planning on texting you on the way to the airport.”

“Holiday.” Gavin smiled, buying into every word I said.

Of course, he would.

“Nice for some. Maybe next time, give us some notice, and we’ll join you. We could use some time away too.”

“Yeah, sure. Next time,” I lied. There will be no next time. I don’t plan on seeing them again. Once I’m out of here, I’m not making the mistake of coming back.

“All right. Have a good time for us too. Get some fresh pussy while you’re there.” Gavin winked at me and walked out of my apartment and into the hallway.

Luke was lingering by the door, watching me and perhaps figuring out that something was up. “Is everything okay with you? You’re looking a little pasty.”

“I’m fine. You know how I get when I’m about to fly. I’ll call you guys when I land, okay?”

He shrugged his shoulders at my excuse. “We’ll see you when you get back.” I watched him as he left my apartment, all the while praying that he wouldn’t question me more.

I rushed into the living room and grabbed all my documents off the console table—my passport and my ticket away from here, away from this hell of a life.

The people that surrounded me had no clue. They were under the impression that my life was perfect. But it was far from it.

I have secrets. I’ve racked up a couple more today. Jamie…

I found myself getting wound up and angry to the point where I punched the living room wall.

“How could I have been so stupid?”

My phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out and looked at the screen.

It was him! My heart was pounding in my chest, and I debated whether to answer. ~Maybe I can get rid of it on my way.~

Finally, it stopped ringing, but a text message came through seconds later. It was him.

~Answer your fucking phone.~

Fuck! I had no choice. I had to answer.

My phone rang again, and I released a sigh before answering. “Yeah?”

“I asked you to do one thing. One thing, and you couldn’t do that,” he shouted. “I wanted him dead, but you killed her instead. That woman is dead because of your stupidity.”

“I wasn’t thinking straight. The gun you gave me jammed, and I didn’t know what to do, so I sped away. I saw Jamie crossing the road to see him, and I got angry.”

He released a sigh of exasperation. “This is what happens when I trust someone else. I should’ve done this alone. You better pray that I don’t find you before the police do.”

“I’m leaving town. I won’t be coming back.” I put my papers in my pocket and walked down the hallway to grab my suitcase.

“At least you have some sense. Make sure to get rid of your car and your phone before you leave.

“And, Jack, if the police get hold of you, you’re a dead man. I can get to you no matter where you are. Remember that.”

He hung up. I was standing in my hallway with my bags packed and ready to go. My heart was pounding in my chest.

~I need to leave. Now! Before the police find me or, worse, he does.~

~A woman is dead. A child is without a mother.~

~I’ve made a mistake, and now I need to run.~

^End of Book Two!^

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