One Wild Night

Chapter 897  I Will Get Help

Everything had been meticulously planned, down to the last detail. But now, it was all in shambles because of a misunderstanding. Jade's reaction had left him reeling, and he couldn't stop the anger and disappointment from bubbling up within him.

How could she think so little of him? How could she look him in the face and say all that to him?

If he had not returned when he did, would she have left just like that and let him return to an empty room?

Did he mean so little to her that he didn't deserve a benefit of doubt regardless of what she had seen or understood from what she had seen?

He was angry that she would pack up to leave that way without even hearing from him and confirming whether or not her suspicions was correct. He was angry that she had called him a liar and a cheat so easily.

Although a part of him was feeling guilty that he shouldn't have left her that way, but he quickly shrugged it off.

He couldn't always pamper her. No, he wouldn't, else she wouldn't learn. If he had hugged her and assured her softly that he had only been planning a surprise engagement, and that all will be well, she would most likely repeat her actions again.

He needed her to know that as much as he understood her insecurities, her actions had consequences and they also had effects on him. He wanted her to know that he was human and his emotions could also be hurt by her words and actions, and he had every right to react to them.

After being there for a while, he decided to retire for the night since he was going to have to call Tom and the others and ask them not to get on the plane in the morning as they had planned.

Instead of going back to the suite which he shared with Jade, he went to the suite which had been reserved for Tom and Lucy, and after he settled down at the balcony, he picked up his phone, dreading the calls he had to make.

With a heavy sigh, he dialed Tom's number, and Tom, who had been in the middle of packing his bag with Lucy, answered on the second ring. "Hey, Harry! What's up? We are just packing our bags now," he said cheerfully.

"It's off, Tom. The engagement is off. Don't bother coming tomorrow," Harry said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

There was a pause on Tom's end, "Wait, let me step out of here," Tom said to Harry, meeting Lucy's gaze, and when she gave him a nod, he walked out of the room to the balcony outside.

Harry waited, as Tom moved to a quieter place. Finally, Tom's voice came through, filled with concern. "Alright, what's going on? Did something happen again?"

Harry took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. "I stepped out briefly to get the ring and Jade's clothes for tomorrow, which I asked the event planner to help me pick up. I got back to find  her packing her bags. No, she wasn't packing. She was done packing, and I think if I had not returned when I did, I would have returned to an empty room. You won't believe she packed up to leave me there because she saw a text from the event planner and jumped to conclusions."

Tom let out a low whistle. "Wow. That's... that's rough. So, what did you do? Where are you now? Where is she?"

"I was really upset so I left her in the suite. I'm at your reserved suite. I told her we should break up," Harry said, and Tom sighed.

"Are you really breaking up with her?"

Harry shook his head, even though Tom couldn't see him. "No," Harry replied, his voice firm.

"I don't plan to break up with her. I love Jade. But I need her to see how her past is affecting us. I need her to get over the trust issues she has. I can't move forward with her until she deals with that. I just need her to realize that she can't go on like this. I feel insulted that she would think so little of me and accuse me of doing something so disgusting."

"I get it, Harry. I really do," Tom said softly. "Take it easy, okay? Give her some time to process everything. I will speak with her and get her a therapist so she can start getting help the moment she returns," Tom said and Harry sighed deeply.

"Thanks, Tom. I already looked up a couple of therapists. I will send you the number of one of them so you can give it to her," Harry said and after talking some more for a minute, they hung up the call.

 Harry leaned back in the chair, running a hand through his hair as he dialed Candace's number next.

Candace answered almost immediately, her voice cheerful. "Hey! How's it going over there?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Candace, the engagement is off. Don't bother flying down anymore," Harry said, going straight to the point.

Candace was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why? What is wrong? Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just I changed my mind. I think it's still too soon," Harry said, not wanting to give Candace the details.

Although Candace could tell that there was more to the change of plans than he was letting on, since she didn't see Harry as the type to do anything without giving it some thought, she chose not to press.

"That's such a shame. Andy and I were looking forward to this weekend getaway. Give my love to Jade then. And be good," Candace said easily.

"Sure. Thanks. I will call you when we return," Harry said before hanging up.

He dropped the phone on the table and buried his face in his hands. The suite felt unbearably quiet, the ticking of the clock echoing in the stillness. His thoughts were a chaotic jumble, frustration and hurt warring within him.

He raised his head when he heard a knock on the door, and he rose to go see who was at the door. When he opened it and saw Jade standing there, he turned and walked back into the suite without a word,  leaving the door open for her to follow.

Jade stepped inside, her heart pounding as she shut the door behind her and followed him.

Once they got to the living room, Harry turned to face her, and although his heart ached for her when he saw her swollen eyes and red nose, he didn't  let it show, "What are you doing here, Jade?" He asked with a blank expression.

She took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry I misunderstood the situation. I know I messed up, but you didn't have to pay for another suite just to stay away from me."

Harry's expression didn't change. "This suite was supposed to be for Tom and Lucy, and the next  one for Candace and Andy. They were supposed to fly in for the engagement tomorrow."

Jade felt a pang of guilt and shame. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I let my past get the best of me again and I reacted emotionally. I'm ashamed of myself and I'm sorry. I don't want to break up with you. Please, Harry."

Harry crossed his arms, his posture rigid. "I can't get married to someone who thinks so little of me, Jade. I don't want to continue with this relationship."

Tears welled up in Jade's eyes. "Please, Harry. Don't say that. I'm sorry. I will work on myself, I promise. This will be the last time ever that something like this would come up between us. I promise to do better."

He shook his head. "You need to do that first. I made a mistake in trying to rush things. I should have known better than to try to skip the process. I thought loving you would be enough to undo all that trauma but I was wrong. I don't want to keep going back and forth with you over this. We shouldn't see each other anymore until you've gotten help and worked on yourself."

Jade's heart broke at his words. "But you promised to help me through it," she pleaded.

Harry's eyes softened slightly, but his resolve remained. "How am I supposed to help you if you don't even trust me? If you think so little of me? You insulted me, Jade. You called me a liar and a cheat. Nothing I do will be enough until you get rid of all that baggage you're carrying emotionally."

"But you acted suspiciously," she pointed out, her voice trembling. "How was I supposed to know what you were planning? Any normal person would have had the same thoughts as I did."

He sighed, a weary sound. "Maybe. But do you think I would have reacted the same way if the tables were turned? You couldn't even give me the benefit of doubt. You need professional help, Jade. Maybe we can talk about our relationship again after you get it."

Jade felt her world crumbling around her. She had pushed him away with her insecurities and now she was paying the price. She was feeling a rush of emotions—shame, regret, and a deep sense of loss.

"I don't want to lose you, Harry. Please, give me another chance."

Harry looked at her, his expression pained. "You're not losing me, Jade. I love you, but I can't continue this way with you. Not until you've dealt with your issues. I need to protect myself too. Do you have any idea how I felt walking in to see you there with your bags packed?"

"I'm sorry," Jade pleaded as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I was going to propose to you and then wait for you to heal fully before we get married, but I don't want to do that anymore. I do not like to regret things, but right now I regret not sticking to my principles and having sex with you. And I regret planning this surprise engagement and not waiting for six months as I told you. Maybe if I had kept to my words, you'd trust me more and none of these would have happened. I take responsibility for my role in all of this."

The weight of his words crushed her. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I understand. I will get help. I promise."

Harry nodded, a sad smile on his lips. "I hope you do, Jade. For both our sakes." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As Jade turned to leave, and Harry stopped her, "You don't have to worry about losing me, Jade. I will wait for you however long it will take. I need you to focus on feeling better. The earlier you get help, the sooner we can be together again. And maybe after you receive therapy, we can go for couple counseling together," he suggested, and she nodded and forced a smile.

"Thank you," she said, her smile wobbly.

"Let's leave in the morning instead of waiting until Sunday," Harry said, and she gave him a nod once again before walking out of the suite, her heart heavy with the weight of her mistakes.

This wasn't the way she had imagined their vacation to end, but she was relieved at least that Harry was not ending things entirely with her.

She knew she had a long road ahead of her, but she was determined to make things right.