New Year Second Chance

Jenna’s cold amber eyes look into mine. “I’ll tell you what I think is best for you and for me. Ending this relationship that should never have started in the first place.”

My eyebrows crease. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” She grabs her suitcase back from me. “Goodbye, Dax.”

She starts to walk off again. I grab her arm again.

“Give me one good reason why we should break up.”

I can’t just accept this. Just last week, we were perfectly happy. The perfect couple. Now we’re breaking up? I need to know why.

Jenna shrugs off my hand and lets out a hollow chuckle. “Oh, there’s a good reason.”

“What?” I ask her.

“Like I said, this should never have started. It’s just one of those things that was wrong from the start.”

I snort. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

Jenna stops and looks at me. “You want reasons? Fine. I’ll give you a few. One, because of you, my reputation is in tatters.”

I frown because that isn’t fair.

“Two, because I’m too busy taking care of a baby to have a relationship right now.”

“Bullshit.”

“Three, because yesterday, you left me behind. Again.”

That I can’t argue with. Unfortunately.

“And lastly, because you’re not the man I thought you were,” Jenna tells me in a voice on the verge of cracking. Her lips tremble. “You know, you keep saying all this shit about your father, but you are your father’s son. You’re just like him.”

My jaw clenches. “I’m not.”

Jenna shakes her head. “And because of that, I can’t love you anymore. I won’t.”

A tear trickles down her cheek. She wipes it off. “Goodbye, Dax.”

“Jenna…”

She holds up her hand. “If you want to get back with someone, save your breath for your dad. You know, you’re lucky he acknowledged you as his son.”

I give her a puzzled look. What does she mean?

“And if you can’t work things out, well, you both can go to hell together for all I care.”

With those parting words, Jenna stomps off. This time, I don’t stop her. I watch her check in her luggage and make her way to the escalator leading to the pre-departure area. Not once does she glance over her shoulder. Rather, she keeps her shoulders square until she disappears from my sight.

I can’t believe she’s making an exit from my life, too.

Victor stands by my side. “You let her go?”

“I had to. It’s what she wanted.”

Even though it’s not what I wanted.

“Are you sure?” Victor asks me.

“She told me so, Victor.”

He shrugs. “I’m just saying maybe Walt told her something. You know him. He can be cruel sometimes even without trying to be. Plus he’s still mad at you.”

I look at Victor. What he said makes sense. Then I walk hastily to the exit.

“Where are you going?”

“To the mansion.”

I need to ask my good-for-nothing father something.

~

“What did you tell Jenna?” I ask Walt moments after I barge into his room, ignoring Chloe’s pleas for me to stop because the nurse is changing his bandages.

I have to admit the staples on his head aren’t the most welcoming sight, but I’m not terrified. I might have just lost the woman I love, and that thought is even more scary.

“Jenna?” Walt gives me a puzzled look. “Oh. You mean that girl with the pixie hair.”

So he did talk to her. My hands clench into fists as I feel anger pump through my veins.

“What did you tell Jenna?” I repeat my question.

And he’d better answer my question carefully. I don’t care if he’s still sick. If he admits to hurting Jenna in any way, I’m going to make sure he never gets out of that bed.

“Nothing,” Walt says.

I don’t believe him.

“Why? Was she your girlfriend?”

I’m confused. Jenna spoke to him but didn’t say she was my girlfriend? What did she tell him? What did they talk about?

“Poor Dax.” Walt clicks his tongue. “I can tell you liked her.”

“I loved her,” I tell him.

And I still do.

Walt snorts. “What do you know about love?”

I narrow my eyes in warning. “Careful, old man. I’m in no mood for your bullshit today.”

He gives another snort. “Well, if you lost your woman, you can’t know much about love, can you?”

My jaw clenches. My nostrils flare.

“What… did you say… to Jenna?” I ask again, this time more slowly and through gritted teeth.

Walt frowns. “I’m not deaf, Dax. I heard you the first time. And I’ll say it again – I told her nothing. Why? What do you think I said to her, hmm?”

“Nothing nice,” I answer.

“Did she tell you I called her names or something?” Walt snorts again. “Women can’t be trusted. That’s why I don’t keep them for long.”

I shake my head. “You know what? Forget it. I should have known I wouldn’t get anything helpful from you.”

“Bollocks!”

I look at my father in shock as his voice thunders through the room. Silence follows it.