Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jonathan felt suffocated by the cruel twist of fate unraveling before him. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be him standing next to her, holding her close. But here he was, watching her with someone else, and the jealousy clawed at his insides, threatening to tear him apart.

When Laura finally pulled away from the man, her eyes landed on Jonathan. She smiled—softly, almost politely—but there was something painfully missing. Warmth. It was the kind of smile you'd give a stranger or a distant acquaintance, and it hit him like a punch to the gut.

"Jonathan? Were you waiting for me?" she asked, her voice casual, as if he hadn't just spent the last few minutes drowning in his own misery. Her question made him flinch, but what truly twisted the knife was the sight of the man beside her wrapping an arm around her waist as they both walked toward him.

Jonathan stood frozen, his mind struggling to process the scene unfolding before him. But then, Laura pressed her palms together, her brows furrowing in a show of false concern.

"I'm really sorry," she said, almost insincerely, "but I'm having lunch with my boyfriend."

Her words pierced through him, cold and indifferent, as she lightly patted him on the shoulder before turning to leave with the man. Just like that, she was gone.

For a moment, Jonathan stood in silence, his body rigid, mind blank. And then, without warning, a single tear slid down his cheek. He hadn't meant to cry—it just happened. The tears flowed of their own accord, betraying the storm of emotions building inside him. He didn't even understand why, not fully. But the memories, sharp and cruel, started flooding back.

Suddenly, he was back in those moments—those countless times he had left her behind for someone else. He saw it so clearly now: Laura, sitting alone, probably waiting for him to come back while he was off with another girlfriend, never thinking twice about her. He remembered every time he'd broken her heart, every moment she'd been left alone because of him.

Is this how she felt? The thought tore at him, and he clutched his chest, hoping the pain would fade, but it didn't. It only grew.

"No," he whispered, his voice breaking as he wiped at his tear-streaked face. "I need to talk to her."

Without thinking, Jonathan turned and rushed after her, desperate to say something, anything that might make a difference. He flung open the door, ready to chase her down, but was met with a blinding flash of light. He stumbled, shielding his eyes, and when the light faded, everything had changed.

Slowly, he lowered his arms, blinking to adjust to his surroundings. He wasn't outside anymore. He was in a hospital room. And there, in the center of it, was Laura—lying in a hospital bed, cradling a newborn baby in her arms. For a fleeting second, hope sparked in his chest. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was his second chance, their second chance. But before he could even take a step, another man appeared.

He sat beside Laura on the bed, his presence warm and familiar, and kissed the top of her head tenderly. Jonathan stood frozen, a basket of fruits in his hand, as the reality of the moment came crashing down. It wasn't his child. It wasn't his life.

Laura noticed him standing there and smiled gently.

"Jonathan? You're here with the fruits," Laura said, her voice laced with surprise and concern. "I'm really sorry, I thought my husband didn't get my message. He bought a lot of fruits already. But thank you. I—" She paused, noticing the expression on his face. "Jonathan? Are you okay? What hap—"

Before she could finish, Jonathan bolted out of the hospital room, tears streaming down his face. His fists were clenched tightly, and each breath he took was shallow, like he was fighting for air. The weight of what he had just witnessed crashed over him like a tidal wave, leaving him utterly defenseless. How could she move on so easily? How could she be with another man, holding their child while he stood there empty-handed?

The thoughts flooded his mind and he didn't even want to think about it. But it's all over his head and he couldn't stop the thoughts.

His legs felt weak as he stumbled through the sterile hallway, the world blurring around him. The laughter of nurses and the beeping of machines faded into a muffled background noise. He could barely comprehend the scene he had left behind—Laura cradling a baby that wasn't his, and another man sitting beside her with a look of contentment on his face that should have belonged to Jonathan. While when she found out she was pregnant with his child, she did not hesitate to have it aborted.

As he reached the exit, Jonathan's knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor, gripping the cool tiles as if they were the only thing keeping him anchored to reality. He could feel Laura's lifetime of pain flooding through him, each heartbeat echoing her heartbreak, her silent tears, all the moments he had taken for granted. The agony twisted within him, threatening to crush his chest as if he were bearing the weight of her unrequited love alone.

Desperate to escape the tide of emotions, he crawled, each movement a struggle, dragging himself forward with an intensity that made his muscles scream. It felt as if he was reaching for something just out of grasp, a life that could have been his but now belonged to someone else. All those years of carelessness haunted him, and now he was left to carry the burden of her suffering.

Just as he thought he would never escape the suffocating despair, something shifted. Suddenly, he was standing upright, confusion swirling in his mind. How had he gone from crawling on the floor to being outside the hospital? The sunlight was dimming, and ominous clouds gathered overhead, mirroring the turmoil inside him.

Then it hit him—he was standing in front of Laura's house, an all-too-familiar place that felt like a ghost of what once was. How did I get here? he wondered as the question echoed in his mind. But he knew it didn't matter. None of it made sense anymore.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping Jonathan from his spiraling thoughts. With trembling fingers, he pulled it out, dread pooling in his stomach as he checked the notifications. His heart plummeted as he read his own messages asking where Laura was, especially since today was supposed to be his birthday. But her reply stung like a physical blow: "Happy birthday. Can't go though. My boyfriend is sick, sorry. I'll make it up to you next year."

Jonathan scoffed at the screen while bitter laughter bubbled up as fresh tears streamed down his face, mingling with the falling rain.

"But... it's my birthday..." he mumbled, a hollow ache in his chest growing heavier. The reality of everything he had done to her crashed over him like a tidal wave. All those years of pain, the subtle rejections, the countless times he had chosen someone else over her—it all weighed on him now, suffocating him.

He raised his head, letting the rain pour down on him, soaking him to the bone. The crying skies seemed to mirror his anguish as each droplet reminded him of his failures.

"Look... I get it already, okay?" he shouted to the heavens, his voice breaking under the weight of his emotions. "I've hurt her... too many times... I understand... Please... I'm sorry..." His words crumbled into a sob, and he finally surrendered to his own grief.

He fell to his knees, the cold pavement grounding him in reality as the rain continued to drench him. Each sob wracked his body, raw and unrestrained. He was finally feeling the depth of the pain he had caused her, and it pierced through him with an intensity he had never known before.

"I was so blind," he cried out as the sound became lost in the downpour. "I should have seen how much she cared. I should have been there for her."

As the rain washed over him, Jonathan felt a strange sense of clarity emerging from the chaos. He could no longer hide from the truth. Laura deserved better—better than his indecision, better than the shadows of his past relationships. She had always deserved someone who would see her for the incredible person she was, and now he realized he was not that person. For everything he has 'not' done for her.

He gripped the pavement, tears mingling with the rain, each droplet a release of guilt and regret. "I'm so sorry, Laura," he whispered into the storm, hoping somehow she could hear him. "I hope you find someone who loves you the way you deserve."