One Wild Night

Chapter 805 Flaws And All

She felt a wave of nausea wash over her as she realized the gravity of the situation, the very real danger that now threatened to engulf her.

Her thoughts spiraled out of control, each one more terrifying than the last. What if her abusive husband had found her? What if he was already on his way to Ludus, his anger and violence simmering just beneath the surface? The mere thought sent a wave of panic crashing over her, her heart hammering in her chest like a jackhammer.

"I need to leave. I need to go away. He is going to find me. He is going to find me. I need to run far away," Mia said as she rose, her eyes shining dull with fear.

"Mia, stop," Sonia said, reaching out a hand to stop her, but Mia shook her head.

She could hear Sonia, but in that moment she couldn't see Sonia. Her mind was consumed with visions of the nightmare she had fought so hard to leave behind.

Sonia's hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present, grounding her in the reality of the moment. "Mia, listen to me. We'll figure this out. We'll keep you safe, I promise," Sonia said in a calm and steady voice.

"I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to cause any problems for you," Tyler said apologetically but his voice sounded distant, his words lost in the whirlwind of Mia's thoughts.

Mia couldn't find it in herself to respond, her throat constricted with a knot of fear that threatened to choke her. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run, to flee to safety before it was too late. But where could she go?

Mia's chest tightened with every breath, her heart pounding in her ears like a drumbeat of dread. The walls seemed to close in around her, suffocating her with the weight of her fear. She couldn't shake the image of her abusive husband's face, twisted with rage and fueled by a thirst for vengeance.

Unable to stay in the room anymore, Mia blindly stumbled out of it, while Sonia watched her helplessly.

Tyler wanted to go after her but Sonia stopped him, "Let her be, Ty. I believe you've done enough," Sonia said, sounding harsher than she had planned.

"It wasn't intentional, Sony. I didn't mean to cause any trouble…."

"But you did. Tell me something, Ty, is she a wanted criminal?" Sonia asked and Tyler shook his head.

"No, she isn't."

"Then why couldn't you let her be? What do you think could be the reason a grown up lady like herself would be hiding?" She asked and Tyler shook his head.

"I have no idea. From what little I know about her, she is from a very influential family and her husband is a wonderful man…."

"She is married?" Sonia cut in, surprised by that piece of information and Tyler nodded.

"If he is as wonderful as you claim, do you think she will be here away from him? What woman would run away from a wonderful husband? Did you see her reaction just now? That was fear, Tyler. She was terrified. What does that tell you?" She asked and Tyler looked at her for a moment.

"You don't think her husband was hitting her, do you?" He asked, horrified at the thought that he might just have exposed her to the abusive husband she was hiding from.

"Fix it. Give your colleague a call and let him or her know that you were wrong about the lady you saw, and she is Bryan's fiancée's sister…."

"You both don't answer the same surname," Tyler pointed out.

"Then make it half sister…."

"That won't work, Sony. You had an interview and talked about your family. You didn't mention a sister then," Tyler pointed out.

"Then find a way to fix this mess, Tyler! I can't deal with it right now. So, fix it!" Sonia snapped at him, unable to hide her irritation.

Away from there, Jeff who had just stepped out of Bryan's bedroom, quickly ran to Mia when he saw her staggering down the hallway.

"Mia? Are you okay?" He asked when he noticed that she was gasping for air, and he placed an arm around her shoulder and led her to the patio, away from the bustle of the wedding.

Jeff couldn't help but notice that her entire body was trembling violently as he held her and he couldn't help but wonder what could have triggered such a reaction.

After he made her sit, he squatted in front of her so he could look into her face, "Breathe, Mia. Breathe slowly. In and out," Jeff urged softly, holding her hand and massaging her palm gently.

Mia was silent for sometime, her chest heaving as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. She clutched Jeff's hand tightly, drawing strength from his reassuring presence as she fought against the tide of panic threatening to overwhelm her.

Mia forced herself to focus on the rhythm of her breath, inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling slowly through her mouth. Gradually, the tightness in her chest began to loosen, the rapid beat of her heart slowing to a more manageable pace.

"Everything is going to be alright. You're going to be just fine. I'm right here. I will make sure of it," Jeff murmured softly, his soothing words washing over her.

As she settled down, she realized she was holding on to Jeff's hand and she slowly let go of it as she focused her gaze on his face.

"Do you want to leave before the wedding starts? I can take you back home," Jeff offered and tears gathered in Mia's eyes at the gentleness in his tone and the kindness she could see in his eyes.

She shook her head, "I have to be here for Sonia," she said in a cracked voice and then cleared her throat.

"Thanks. I'm fine now," she said, and Jeff gave her a nod despite the worry in his eyes.

Jeff straightened and took the seat opposite her, "Did Tyler say anything to you?" He asked in concern.

Mia said nothing and neither did she look at him, knowing that there was no way she could tell him what Tyler had said without having to give him some personal details of her life.

Sensing that she didn't want to talk about it, Jeff sighed, "I spoke with Tyler last night. I know who he thinks you are," he said, wanting to let her know that he wasn't totally oblivious to what was going on with her.

Mia's head snapped up as she looked at him. Just how many people did Tyler talk to about her? Mia mused, feeling a surge of anger rise within her, hot and fierce, but she pushed it down, knowing that now was not the time for that.

"Let's talk about it later. I have to go back inside. The wedding is about to start," she said and Jeff gave her a nod as he watched her walk away.

He had been thinking about it all morning and had been contemplating whether or not to tell Bryan what he now knew, since Bryan was their employer, but he had decided not to do it.

He had figured that if Bryan was going to hear about it from anyone, it was best he heard it directly from Mia.

Away from there, as Harry arrived at Bryan's house for the wedding, he couldn't help but notice how the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement, guests milling about in their finest attire, laughter and chatter filling the air.

Although the bachelor bachelorette party had been an intimate affair, the wedding wasn't entirely so. Some of Bryan's colleagues in the entertainment industry and a couple of his old time friends graced the occasion as well as some friends of Evelyn and Desmond, and Sonia's editor.

Amidst the celebration, Harry's eyes searched for one person in particular: Jade.

Spotting her across the garden talking to someone, Harry smiled, but as he approached her, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

He was very much aware that Jade had seen him, but she had acted like she didn't. And her usual vibrant demeanor was replaced by a tense expression, her eyes downcast, her movements guarded.

Concern gnawed at Harry's insides as he drew closer to her. He had been worried about her during his drive down when it occurred to him that she had failed to call to nag him about missing him and hurrying him to be on his way.

He had figured that maybe she was too busy with the preparations hence she didn't call him, but seeing her like this now, he realized that something was wrong.

Harry made his way over to Jade, determination shining in his eyes. He needed to know what was wrong, needed to make sure she was okay.

Jade, who had seen Harry arrive earlier but had carried on with her conversation with one of Bryan's old friends, tried not to look in Harry's direction as he made his way to her.

"Hey, goddess," Harry greeted as he stopped beside her.

"Hi! You're here," she said with a stiff smile and the person she had been talking to turned to talk to someone else's .

"You okay?" he asked softly, reaching out to gently touch her arm.

Jade forced a smile onto her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, her voice tight with forced cheerfulness.

But Harry wasn't convinced. He could see through her facade. "You don't seem fine to me," he pressed, his voice gentle yet firm.

"What's wrong, esquire?" He asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

He knew he had not done anything wrong. They had ended their phone call earlier that morning on a cheerful note with her telling him how much she missed him and couldn't wait for the wedding to be over so that Lucy could return to Tom and she would have him all to herself again.

So, where was the attitude coming from?

Jade hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering away from his. "It's nothing, really," she murmured, but Harry could hear the tremor in her voice.

Harry's heart clenched at the sight of her struggling to keep up her fa?ade. He knew Jade well enough to recognize when something was bothering her, and he wasn't about to let her brush it off so easily.

Knowing that this was going to be a private conversation, Harry took her hand firmly and led her into the house, "Lead the way to your bedroom," he said and Jade took him there.

Harry ignored everyone else as he followed her inside, making a mental note to go say hello to her parents and Lucy's parents after they were done.

The moment they shut the door behind them, Harry faces her, "Now tell me what the problem is. Did someone get you upset?" He asked, his voice soft with concern, but Jade said nothing as her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her dress.

"Tell me, else we are not leaving here. You're going to miss your brother's wedding," Harry said firmly.

Jade hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. She knew she couldn't keep up the pretense.

Finally, she let out a shaky breath, her walls crumbling under Harry's unwavering gaze. "Okay, fine," she relented, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I'm trying to give you some space. I feel like I'm too jealous, too clingy."

Harry's heart ached at her confession, a pang of guilt washing over him. He had never wanted Jade to feel this way in their relationship, and the thought that he might have inadvertently contributed to her distress weighed heavily on his conscience.

"Too jealous? Clingy? What put the idea in your head? Did I say or do anything to make you feel that way?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

"No. It's not you. I was just thinking about us. You might not feel that way or complain now but eventually you might be irritated by it," Jade said, not wanting to mention anything about her conversation with Andy and Candace.

"Esquire, listen to me," Harry said firmly, cupping her face in his hands and forcing her to meet his gaze.

"You are not too clingy, and you have absolutely nothing to be jealous about. I love you just the way you are, and I wouldn't change a single thing about you."

Jade's eyes welled with tears at his words, her heart overflowing with emotion. "But Harry, I just... I don't want to be like this," she admitted, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

"You don't want to be like what?"

"Too clingy. I want to be able to give you space and let you have fun. I want us both to be able to exist separately. I don't want to feel insecure or jealous," she said and Harry's heart broke at the raw honesty in her words.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Look at me, sugar," he murmured, his voice filled with love and sincerity.

"You are a work in progress. Remember we talked about your feeling of insecurity before we started our relationship. I told you then and I will remind you now that you are more than enough for me. You are everything I've ever wanted and more. I love you, not in spite of your clinginess, but because of it. It shows me how much you care and how deeply you love me, and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. I understand that you would rather spend all of your time with me, and I assure you I feel the same way too. But we can work on being able to spend some time apart if it will help you feel better about yourself. For now, let's go attend the wedding, we can talk more about it later," Harry said as he kissed the top of her nose.

In that moment, Jade felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and a sense of relief washed over her as she realized once again that she didn't have to be perfect, and that Harry loved her flaws and all.