In My Rearview Mirror, JACK.HUGHES

FORTY NINE

"I wanted to be the one for you," he continues, his voice heavy with disappointment. "But I can't keep holding on to a love that was never really mine."

"Jack is just a friend. And I made a mistake; we were not together, so I'm not all in the wrong here," I say, desperately trying to explain myself.

"Jack a friend? Fuck me, seriously, you're kidding me. He was your ex, and everyone knew besides me. I invited you to the all-star game; I introduced you as my girl," he says, rising from the bed, his movements filled with frustration. "You even met my mom," he adds, pointing aggressively at his chest.

His accusations hit me like a tidal wave, the realization of my actions crashing over me. "Braden, I never meant for this to happen. Jack and I were over long before you and I started dating. I should've told you about our past, but I thought..."

"But what? That I wouldn't care? That I wouldn't mind being the last to know?" His anger is palpable, and I feel the weight of his disappointment like a physical force.

"No, it's not that. I was scared, scared that it would change how you saw me," I admit, my voice trembling with vulnerability. "But I swear, Jack is just a friend now. I cared about you, and I never meant to hurt you."

He scoffs, a bitter laugh escaping him. "You care about me? You've got a funny way of showing it. You let me believe in something that wasn't real, and now, I feel like a fool."

Tears well up in my eyes as I watch him pull away emotionally.

"You were scared it would change how I saw you? Well, congratulations, Morgan. It did. It changed everything," he says bitterly, his eyes locked on mine.

"I messed up, okay? I should've been upfront about Jack, but my fear got the best of me," I confess, desperate for him to understand.

His gaze hardens, and he takes a step closer. "Fear? You think your fear justifies this betrayal? You let me believe in a lie, Morgan. I thought we were building something real."

Tears well up in my eyes, and I reach out to him, pleading. "We did have something real, Braden. I like you. I never meant for any of this to happen."

He steps back, avoiding my touch. "Like? If this is what liking someone looks like to you, I don't want any part of it. I can't trust you anymore."

His expression remains hardened, skeptical. "And by the way, you never told me that you loved me. After all this time, I should've known. Did you ever love me, Morgan?" His voice is tinged with anxiousness.

I bite the inside of my lips, a painful acknowledgment of the truth. I never did love him, not in the way he deserved.

Shaking my head negatively, I watch as disappointment clouds his features. His shoulders slump, and he reaches for his bag.

"So, you love him," he says, the words hanging in the air like an inevitable conclusion.

I take a deep breath, finally admitting what I couldn't before. "I don't know Braden. I'm lost."

His expression tightens, a mix of pain and betrayal etched across his face. "After everything we had? You love him more than me?"

"I didn't plan for it to happen, but Jack-," I say the honesty stinging as the words leave my lips but he cuts me off making a face of discuss.

Braden's shoulders slump, and he turns away, a bitter laugh escaping him. "I can't believe I gave you everything, and this is what I get in return."

Regret churns in my stomach as I watch him pack the remnants of our shared life. "I never wanted to hurt you, Braden. I just didn't anticipate my feelings changing."

He looks at me, his eyes tired. "You should've been honest from the start. Maybe we could've avoided all this pain."

Braden's eyes, tired and worn, meet mine as I plead, "Braden, please, you're a good friend." I reach out, pulling on his bag as a desperate attempt to make him stay.

He recoils, shaking off my grip. "A good friend? What is wrong with you?" His voice is laced with frustration and hurt. "I don't ever want to see you ever again."

I watch helplessly as he heads straight to the door, the finality in his words echoing through the room. The reality of my actions sinks in, and I'm left alone, realizing that my attempt to salvage a friendship may have only deepened the wounds. 

"I think, that you'll always love Jack no matter how hard you try to denied it." 

What is wrong with me. I know I can be better than this and i have to change. I'm mad at me, this is not who I am. 

Behind every innocent facade lies a hidden wild side, and the devil himself often wears the guise of beauty.