HIS GREATEST BETRAYAL

Chapter 25

After dinner , l accompanied Claudius to his car. He barely said a word throughout the entire dinner. I knew he still felt betrayed and cheated. Ferracco had managed to create a rift between us for the second time and it was all my fault.

I regretted not telling him in the first place. Claudius was a competent lawyer ,surely he would have known what to do in the situation.

We stopped besides his car parked in front of my apartment. A brief moment of awkward silence settled over us. I avoided looking at his face. Instead l stared at my shoes as they dug into the dirt. I felt embarrassed to meet his eyes after what l did.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

I looked up when he spoke for the first time. My heart swelled in pain and guilty as l stared at the pained look on his face. Claudius had been nothing but caring towards me yet l always let him down.

I blinked back as l felt hot tears prickling my eyes.

"I didn't want to make you unhappy. I know you still think l am obsessing over Ferracco," l whispered over the lump in my throat.

"We are a couple , Jane! And couples tell each other some things," he said in an accusing tone.

"Do you even realise what you have done to us. I don't know if l will be able to trust you again," he added in a cold voice.

I drew in an uneven breath as l stared at his hardened face. The tears that l had been hiding flowed shamelessly down my cheeks. I drew closer to him.

" Claudius.. l am ..sorry," l stammered as l tried to hug him.

Claudius held my hands away from him shaking his head.

"I need a break , Jane. I will contact you first," he said and l felt a million glass shards pierce my heart.

Claudius was breaking up with me before we even started.

More tears spilled down my face at the realisation that l had allowed Ferracco to ruin my life even further.

"Don't allow him to continue hurting you !"

I recalled Aunt Amira's words and l cried even harder.

Claudius seeing my tearstained face ,let out a helpless sigh before taking me in his arms . At the feel of his comforting embrace , l sobbed even harder on his shoulder,wetting his shirt front.

He silently patted my hair as l cried out my eyes.

Why am l so unlucky!

After my sobs subsided , he let go of me and cupped my pale face between his large hands. His soft eyes stared into my puffy ones.

"If he brings custody, l will help you. I will not let you lose your daughter," he assured before releasing me and walking back to his car.

He got into his car and drove away. I was left standing on the pavement staring at his disappearing headlights with a feeling of  immense guilty.

I didn't want to lose him!

                                                 ****

NO ONE'S POV