Heartbreak

Jayce

I dialed Megan’s number, and within twenty minutes, she and Daniel were at the hospital. Daniel spotted me and made a beeline in my direction, his face a mask of fury.

“What the hell happened to my sister?”

Megan quickly stepped between us, her face etched with worry. I didn’t bother with a snappy comeback. Instead, I said, “Tuli was in a car accident. I didn’t witness it; I found her after she’d left my place and her car was wrecked. I got her here as fast as I could. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this, you jerk!” Daniel’s voice cracked, his eyes welling up with tears. “Megan, move. I’m going to give this asshole another black eye.”

“Daniel, enough!” Megan’s voice was sharp as she pushed him back. “Fighting isn’t going to help. We need to wait. If either of you start any drama, I swear I’ll drag you outside and kick your asses!”

Daniel and I both fell silent, taking seats. He crossed his arms and glared at me, but didn’t say anything else.

After what felt like an eternity, the doctor finally appeared. I jumped up and rushed over. “How’s Tuli?” I asked, my hands twisting together nervously.

“And you are?” he asked, looking at me with a curious expression.

“I’m her boyfriend. Please, just tell me she’s okay.”

“Well,” he began, “she’s stable. A broken arm, some bruises and scrapes. She could have been much worse off, but she shielded herself when the airbag deployed. The baby is safe, too.”

I let out a sigh of relief, then froze.

“Wait, the baby?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Miss D’Amore is five weeks pregnant. You weren’t aware?”

“No. I wasn’t.”

He shifted uncomfortably just as Daniel stood to speak with him. “Can we see her? I’m her brother.”

“She’s resting at the moment. Once she wakes up, you can go in.”

Daniel nodded and the doctor walked away. I sank back into my seat, my head in my hands. She was pregnant. Had she not known, or had she chosen not to tell me?

“Megan,” I said, looking up at her. She stiffened in her seat. “Did you know she was pregnant?”

“Pregnant?” Daniel’s voice was a low growl, his glare fixed on me.

I ignored him, keeping my gaze on Megan until she sighed. “Tuli found out she was pregnant on Thanksgiving morning. I told her she needed to tell you and she said she would.

“But after the fight you two had, she didn’t think you deserved to know. Not yet, anyway. She was planning to tell you today.”

Her eyes widened suddenly.

“What happened, Jayce? Why are you just finding out now?”

I stiffened in my seat. But I hadn’t done anything wrong; my ex-wife had practically forced herself on me. So I decided to just tell them.

“Look, I haven’t been able to sleep for a week. I swear, it’s not my fault, I just couldn’t sleep. And I was trying to figure out how to make things right. I called Tuli and asked her to come over because I wanted to propose.”

Megan gasped and Daniel’s eyes widened.

“I stayed up late, setting up my backyard for a special proposal, hoping I could show her I’ve changed and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. After I called her, I was so relieved she agreed to see me. I thought I could catch a few hours of sleep.”

I shuddered, the memory still fresh.

“Next thing I knew, I woke up to my ex-wife going down on me and Tuli standing there, horrified. I swear, I had no idea what was happening.”

Megan looked at me, her expression a mix of concern and skepticism. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “I had no idea Brook was so damn unhinged. She's starting to really freak me out.”

Daniel looked furious, his fists clenched, but he didn’t say or do anything, knowing Megan would make good on her threat.

Megan started to speak. “Jayce, I understand it was a misunderstanding, but you have to realize Tuli already has trust issues with you. And she walked in at the worst possible moment. Without knowing the full story, it would look like you were cheating.”

“I know,” I sighed, “but I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to her that I won’t hurt her again. I love her so much, I swear. I can’t imagine my life without her.”

“Really?” Daniel scoffed. “If I remember correctly, you managed just fine for nearly a decade.”

“I know I messed up,” I said simply. “I don’t plan on repeating that mistake.”

“Oh, so I should just take your word for it,” Daniel shot back. “Sure, I believe you.”

I stood, glaring down at him. “You’re really starting to piss me off.”

Daniel stood as well, his face inches from mine. “I’m just telling it like it is. You want to fight? ’Cause I’m ready to kick your ass from here to next Sunday.”

Megan jumped up and stepped between us. “Enough!” she hissed just as a nurse emerged from Tuli’s room. She was the one I’d spoken to earlier.

“She’s awake,” the nurse said, smiling. “You can go in.”

I started toward the room. Daniel moved to follow, but Megan held him back. He stood there, fists clenched at his sides.

I stepped into the room and focused on Tuli, who was looking around.

“Hey,” I murmured, catching her attention. Her eyes, red and swollen, met mine and a wave of guilt washed over me.

“Hi.”

I moved a chair closer and sat down next to her hospital bed. She averted her gaze.

“Tuli,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“What?”

“When were you going to tell me about the baby?”

She turned to look at me. “When did you find out?”

“Just now. The doctor said you’re five weeks along. Megan told me you knew last week. But you didn’t plan on telling me anytime soon, did you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t ready. You lied to me about who you were. And then, when I finally decide to tell you, I find your ex-wife going down on you. When were ~you~ going to tell ~me~ about that?”

My heart clenched. “I didn’t cheat, Tuli. I swear,” I said, my voice filled with sincerity. She scoffed in response. I reached out to hold her hands, but she pulled them away.

“Tuli, I passed out. She took advantage of me. I didn’t even know what was happening until I heard you yelling.”

“You’re a liar, Jayce. A pathological liar.”

“Tuli, I swear, I’m not lying. After everything that happened last week, I don’t want to lie to you ever again. I love you, and only you.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said, turning her face away from me.

I swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump in my throat. I hadn’t cried since my mom passed away. It was strange, but I couldn’t help it.

I was losing her. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I reached into my shirt pocket and pulled out a small case.

“Tuli,” I managed to say. She didn’t respond. “Can you please look at me? Just for a second.”

Reluctantly, she did. “What’s that?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

I gently took her hand, and this time she didn’t pull away.

“Tuli, I love you more than anything in this world. I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to be with anyone else but you. If this is the only way to prove it to you, then I’m going to do it.”

I opened the case and revealed the ring. She gasped as I took it out.

“If you marry me, I’ll quit my job. I’ll find another one and let you finish school in peace. I’ll do everything I can to take care of you and our baby. I love you so much, and I’ll love our child, too. I promise to make you the happiest wife in the world if you’ll be my wife.”

She hesitated, then pulled her hand away and looked away again.

“My answer is no,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

I blinked back tears. “What?”

“No, Jayce. You’ve hurt me too many times. I can’t trust you. I’d rather raise our child alone than risk more heartbreak.”

“Tuli…”

“Please leave,” she said, her voice trembling.

I slowly stood up, still in shock, and stumbled out the door, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

Megan saw me and quickly stood up. “Is she okay? What happened?”

I took a deep breath before answering, “She’s fine. But…she doesn’t want to be with me anymore. It’s over.”

Daniel stood up and walked over. “What?”

I extended my hand for him to shake. “It was good to see you again,” I managed to say. “I wish it could have been under better circumstances.”

He reached out and shook my hand.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused,” I told him and Megan, who was standing frozen in place. “You won’t hear from me again after today.”

Without waiting for a response, I walked out the doors to my car. Once inside, I broke down. Tears streamed down my face.

I had lost her. It was over. Even though it felt like my heart had been shattered into a million pieces, I still found it hard to believe.

I buried my face in my hands and let myself cry over Tuli D’Amore and our unborn child.