Chapter 12: A Clean Break, Separate Paths
1035 Words
Ava looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "So, will you marry me?"
Jack reached out, caressing her cheek. "Of course, I will, darling, but I need to talk to my parents first. Can you give me a little time?" His hand moved to her jaw, tilting her face towards him. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently.
Ava was initially startled, and then she frowned. Although it wasn't their first kiss, all she could think about was Oliver's possessive, forceful, and passionate kisses.
She was crazy! How could she crave his kisses?
There was no spark, no butterflies, no blushing. She just wanted it to end. After a moment, Jack pulled back, his eyes full of desire, a smile playing on his lips. "Ava, can I have you tonight?"
Ava froze. She didn't respond for a moment, feeling a wave of shame and guilt. Jack assumed she was just being shy, and would eventually give in to his desires. Ava frantically pushed him away. “Jack, I’m sorry, I'm not ready yet!" Her hands trembled as she unbuckled her seatbelt and fled the car. She couldn’t pretend that nothing had happened, that she was okay with Jack's betrayal.
Jack, upset and frustrated, drove straight to Eve’s place.
He’d been sneaking around with Eve for over a year, but he only liked her in bed. He still preferred the sweet, innocent, and gentle Ava.
Eve, upon hearing he was thinking of marrying Ava, told him about Ava sleeping with another man. She also showed him the STD test results.
Jack flew into a rage. How could she betray him after two years?
The next day, Jack asked to meet her, to confront her.
"Ava, did you sleep with someone else?" Jack glared at her, his eyes hard.
She clenched her fists, her eyes filling with fear and tears.
She looked down, her voice breaking, struggling to control her emotions, “Jack, I didn’t mean for it to happen… I was drunk, I went to the wrong room… I’m so sorry!”
Jack’s face darkened as he heard her confession. He clenched his fists, his voice dropping low as he gritted his teeth, “You… you cheated on me! Why? I’ve been with you for two years. You wouldn’t even let me touch you, and you go and sleep with some other man! How could you do this to me, Ava?”
Ava bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry, Jack, I messed up!”
Jack sighed, rubbing his temples. "You disgust me! You have the nerve to ask me for a million for your wedding? You're just a two-faced slut!” He didn’t say the last word, but she could see it in his eyes.
He couldn't accept that he’d waited for so long, only for some other guy to have her.
Jack went on, “I knew you’d suddenly mention marriage. You wanted to make me the sucker. You think I don't see through you? You’re disgusting!”
Ava was shaking with anger. “And what about you? You were with another woman at the hotel! Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Jack’s eyes widened. “So you were following me?”
Ava shot back, “I wasn’t following you! It was a coincidence!”
If she hadn’t seen him at the hotel, she would’ve felt guilty forever! Now that the truth was out, she didn't have to pretend anymore.
He laughed bitterly. "A coincidence? You were probably hooking up with that other guy at the same hotel. I waited patiently for two years to marry you, and this is how you treat me? Who was that man? Who was he?"
He completely ignored his own actions and focused only on her betrayal.
Jack grabbed her arm, shaking her.
He didn’t know that it was his uncle she was with.
Ava definitely wasn’t going to tell him!
And of course, Ava didn’t know that Eve had planned it all, or that Jack and Eve had been seeing each other for a year. Jack continued, “A woman like you… anyone would be better. You're just trying to find a rich man, aren't you? You play innocent with me, but you're just a gold digger. At least with me, you got to go to fancy places; otherwise, someone like you wouldn't even get through the door..."
Ava yanked her arm away, pulled off the necklace he'd given her, and threw it at him. “Enough! We're done! We don’t owe each other anything!"
Ava walked away, her tears flowing freely. It still hurt after all this time.
...
After a while, she managed to calm herself down.
The STD results. Only Eve knew about that. She’d promised she wouldn't tell anyone. Why did she do that? “Eve, why did you tell Jack about what happened to me?”
Eve started crying, claiming responsibility. "Ava, I’m so sorry. I messed up. We had a party at work, I drank too much. It was an accident. It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry.”
Ava couldn't deal with Eve’s fake remorse. “It’s fine…”
It was for the best. At least now, she didn’t have to explain herself to him.
After that meeting, Oliver completely trashed their proposal. The team was working overtime to come up with a new one. Ava barely had time to deal with her heartbreak. And to make matters worse, she was about to become the main contact for the King’s Jewellery project, which meant she had to communicate with Jack.
And Barbara was still calling about the money for her dad’s surgery. She couldn't quit her job!
"Ava, the new proposal is done. You're presenting it with Sarah tomorrow." Sarah handed her the outline.
They arrived at the King’s Jewellery conference room on time.
Only a few members of Jack’s department were present, including Jack. After Sarah presented the proposal, Jack began picking holes in it. He was clearly doing it to get to Ava.
Sarah thought their connection would help, but Jack made things extremely difficult.
Ava quietly made notes, not wanting to argue with him in front of everyone.
- Writer
