SIX

My hands shook as I sat in the cafe waiting. I turned on my phone to check the time. It was 8:15AM, Jaylen promised to be here by 8, he was fifteen minutes late.

What if he didn't want to see me? What if he changed his mind and decided this meeting was useless.

I reached forward and took a sip of coffee, it tasted bland and I felt the need to spit it out, but I gulped it down instead.

My nerves were frayed. My mind was running wild and my heart was pounding recklessly.

The chair in front of me pulled back, the metal legs scraped the wooden floor and drew my attention. I lifted my eyes to see Jaylen, smiling down at me.

He looked different… He was taller, his shoulder was broader and he'd grown to be handsome, breathtakingly handsome.

“Jaylen…” I gaped, there were no words in my mouth

He paused and his smile faded, a million thoughts were going through my head. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to remember if I had combed it this morning.

He left the chair and walked over to me, we were standing so close that I could smell his cologne.

He brought his thumb to my bottom lips and with slow motions, he ran his fingers over it. .

I was held in a trance and I was sent to another world where just the both of us existed. I was breathing him in, his essence, his warmth.

“You're so beautiful…” he whispered and on his lips was a smile I spent many nights trying to forget, now he was standing in front of me and he was undoing all the pains and trauma of the past years. The years I spent without him.

And all of a sudden, It felt like I never left him.

“I've missed you so much.” he whispered and He pulled me into a tight hug, I closed my eyes and begged the tears not to come.

After a while, I pulled out of the hug, because I was beginning to remember Neah and the happiness she brought to me.

I don't deserve to be happy while she's laying in the grave.

“Sorry I was late,” He said, breaking the awkward silence between the both of us. “I kind of panicked and… It's good to see you again, thank you for coming.”

“Thank you too. You've grown a beard… You look so different. Your muscles are massive, what the hell?”

He smiled, I watched his dimples sink in.

“You're staring at me like you want to run away from me.” he said with a teasing smile.

“You won't even imagine. You know the picture of those Greek gods that–”

“So this is what you've been doing behind my back? So you've been cheating on me?”

I turn around in shock and I find Nathan walking towards me, his features are contorted in a frown.

I take a step back and my body meets the solid structure that is Jaylen. For a second, I'm not afraid.

“Nathan…” I forced out “What the hell are you doing here, did you follow me?”

“I decided to follow my wife and look at what I found… HowHow long have you been cheating on me? How long has this been going on!”

“She's not your wife.”

The voice cuts through the air like obsidian blades. It's firm and deep and unapologetically cold.

Nathan weighs Jaylen, I watch uncertainty and fear cross his eyes but anger wins and he steps forward.

“And who the fuck do you think you are?!”

I turn to Jaylen and place my hand on his arm. I know what this must seem like to Nathan but people are watching us, the last thing I want is to cause a scene and drag Jaylen's reputation to the front of an entertainment magazine.

He deserves better.

“Please, I'm so sorry for this. Can we reschedule?”

Jaylen places his hands gently on my cheeks but there is nothing gentle in his eyes when he turns to Nathan.

“No, I'm not going anywhere without getting you away from this bastard first…”

Nathan's brows came together in a frown, I had never seen him this angry.

Jaylen was taller and obviously more stronger than Nathan, that might be the only reason why Nathan hadn't attacked him yet.

“What did you just call me?”

“You heard me, you little bastard. If I was there I'm sure Neah would still be alive. You should consider yourself lucky that I am choosing not to beat the shit out of you for the pain you've caused Diana. You should be thanking your gods!”

I was too shocked to speak, too cold…

“Where is Neah?” Nathan asked all of a sudden, his brows had dropped and now anger was replaced with confusion and a little bit of fear.

A chuckle erupted from deep within my chest. Not from amusement, it was from hate, pain and anger.

“Oh finally, you're realizing that she's really gone?” I ask Nathan.

He froze and stood there, staring into the distance.

“Let's go.” Jaylen whispered and I let him lead me out of the cafe and into the parking space.

“This is your car right? I watched you pull up…. Diana? Diana, are you okay?”

I opened the door of my at and the first thing my eyes landed on was the urn, holding Neah's ashes.

“I need to get these clothes to the orphanage, I'm giving them out… Do you know any orphanages around here?”

“Diana, you need to sit.”

“I'm fine.”

“Where is Neah!” the familiar voice yells.

He's angry again.

“Get into the car, I'll handle him.”

“Where is our daughter!”

“You left her the rain! I called you and reminded you to pick her up from school, you know she had myocarditis, she wasn't even allowed to shower with cold water but she was soaked in the rain. While you were petting the dog and laughing with Camille, Neah was dying! She died and you killed her. She had a chance to survive but you wouldn't pick up the phone, you cut our credit card and left me with no resources…”

I was crying, I could not see Nathan but I wanted him to see his reaction to the truth. I wanted to see the pain in his eyes. With the back of my hand, I wiped my eyes and I met his empty eyes staring back at me.

“This is very childish of you, Diana. First you follow me to the hospital, then you fake Neah's sickness, then you pretend you want a divorce and you're cheating? Gosh, how did I end up with this bitch?”

My world slipped from under my feet.

“Get in the car, we're going home and you're taking me to Neah.”

“Are you scared of the truth?” I hear Jaylen ask and I know he's talking to Nathan. “You think so low of Diana, how can a mother curse her child with death?”

“Neah is dead. That urn in the passenger seat, guess what it is?” Jaylen says

Nathan spots the urn, he shakes his head.

“Get in the car Diana, we're going home!” Nathan yells and he turns away.