Jessica has learned that the right choices are often the hardest ones to make. It takes a marriage proposal to know she's made the wrong one.
But before she can look to her future, she'll need to confront her past.
Three brothers. One taught her to...
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Jessica lay in the dark, the only light coming from the alarm clock beside the bed. She listened to the steady breathing beside her while she gripped the covers, tightly wrestling with the turmoil inside. She let out a heavy breath, trying to stave off the crushing feeling in the middle of her chest that made it more difficult to breathe.
She should be happy, she should feel like the happiest woman alive, but she didn't.
The man beside her shifted slightly, still peacefully asleep as his arm curled around her waist, bringing her closer. She didn't move so as not to wake him. He was totally unaware of her inner struggle while she closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears as she swallowed hard, fighting off the need to cry.
There was no more denying it or trying to cover it up. Things weren't working, and there was no way to pretend any longer.
She turned to look at the dark profile of her fiancé beside her. Charlie. She thought back to when they had started their journey together, to grasp the hope she had felt, but now there was none. All that was left over was the lie she was living day in and day out. On the outside she smiled brightly, but inside she was dying with each day.
Slowly, she slipped out of his loose hold. As quietly as she could, she went to the kitchen without turning on any of the lights and found herself sitting at the kitchen table in the darkness. She felt guilty that what she was contemplating was going to hurt the man who had bought her out of the darkest time in her life. He had saved her when no one else had been able to, including herself.
She sat quietly contemplating what she needed to do to right the wrong she had done, even though she knew it wasn't going to be easy. Hurting Charlie was the last thing she wanted to do, even if it was the right thing to do. Maybe if she had known the outcome she would have been stronger and it wouldn't have happened, but there was no point in wishing she had done things differently. She was here now.
Her eyes settled on the ring that weighed on her finger like a ball and chain. Why had Charlie pushed her for this? He had asked over a romantic dinner. She had hid her horror to smile and gasp a yes like she had been expected to, but it was now the point at which she had to face what she had been avoiding for months. Maybe if he hadn't proposed, she would have been able to continue with pretense. She didn't want to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him.
Deep down she knew her heart belonged to another. No amount of distance and years had changed that. She had been too much of a coward to face it before.
Releasing a long breath, she threaded her hands through her hair and hunched over while resting her elbows on the table. The path ahead felt insurmountable and she didn't know if she was strong enough.
Before, she hadn't been. Charlie's strength had gotten her through the worst time in her life. She owed him, and that was why she didn't want to hurt him, but it would be impossible to be true to herself if she stayed. Besides, in the long run it wouldn't be fair to him either—he was a good man who deserved to be loved unconditionally. He deserved that much.
