Fragile truths

Jalen’s POV

The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of machines. Fiona had been stabilized, but she was still sleeping. Harry and I sat on opposite sides of the room, the silence between us thick and heavy.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Harry,” I said quietly. “We need to talk.”

He looked at me for a long moment, jaw tight, before nodding once.

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.

“I know you hate me right now. And you have every right to. But I need you to hear me out.”

He remained silent, waiting.

“I never loved Marian,” I began. “Not even a little. I met her at a charity dinner my mother dragged me to when she was still alive. Marian was intelligent and ambitious and worked at the University of Arts. At the time, all I wanted was to become a professor. To teach art. You know I always had a passion for it. She seemed like a good match on paper.”

I exhaled slowly.

“My mother was dying. Her last wish was to see me married to Marian. She believed Marian would be good for me. So I did it. I married her to fulfill my mother’s dying wish. That’s the only reason.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed slightly but he still didn’t speak.

“I built a life with her out of duty, and fulfilling mum’s wishes, it was never love, at some point, I hated being with her, I hated the marriage, I hated myself for marrying her,” I continued. “I could have left the school and been on my own, because I have a tech company — Hart Dynamics is mine but it was hidden because mum never wanted me to be tech. It pulls in billions every year and I'm proud of that. I never told Marian because I never wanted her in my real life. That’s why I never planned for us to have children until I discovered she can’t bear children. I kept her at arm’s length the entire time. She was never my partner. She was… simply my mum’s wish.”

I looked down at my hands.

“What I’m about to say might hurt, I know I did the most awful thing to have let myself be with your daughter, i never planned for that to happen, it just did. I saw Fiona.”

The moment I said her name, the atmosphere in the room shifted. I raised my hand midway in the air like I was about to object.

“I tried, Harry. God knows I tried. I used every excuse, every boundary, every harsh word I could think of to push her away. But the more I tried, the more I fell. She’s the first woman who ever made me feel truly alive. The first woman I’ve ever loved. And I know it sounds stupid because…”

“She’s too young, Jalen. She’s my daughter. You’re old enough to be her father.” Harry finally spoke, cutting me off in mid-sentence, his voice low and strained.

“I know,” I said, my voice cracking. “I know that. And I’m sorry. I understand if you can never accept this. I’m ready to walk away if that’s what you want. I just… I don’t want to fight with you anymore. You’ve been my best friend for decades. I hate what this has done to us.”

Harry stared at the floor for a long time. The silence stretched painfully.

Then, softly from the bed, a weak voice called out.

“Jalen…”

Both of us stood up at the same time, shocked.

I reached Fiona first. She looked so fragile — face bruised, lips cracked, eyes barely open. I gently smoothed her hair back with trembling hands.

“Hey, bunny,” I whispered, voice thick with emotion. “How are you feeling?”

She gave a small, weak nod, then turned her head toward her father.

“Dad…”

Harry moved to her other side and took her hand.

“I’m here, princess. I’m right here. I’ll get the doctor,” he said and stood up to leave. Soon, he returned with the doctor behind him.

Tears welled up in Fiona’s eyes as the doctor checked her vitals.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, voice hoarse. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused both of you. For the pain. For everything.”

I squeezed her hand gently. “None of this is your fault, okay?”

Harry leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I should have protected you better. I should have seen what was happening. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

Fiona cried softly as we both held her hands. For the first time in a long while, the three of us felt united in our love for her.

“I’m sorry to ruin the moment. She’s quite stable now, we just need to monitor her for a while before we discharge her fully. I’ll advise you also let her rest well so she can fully recover, excuse me” he said and bowed slightly before walking out.

He had just closed the door when it flung open again.

Jude and Paris walked in.

Paris looked pale and worried, while Jude’s expression was unreadable. The moment they saw Fiona lying in the bed, bruised and broken, Paris gasped and rushed forward.

“Fiona…” she whispered, tears already forming in her eyes.

The room suddenly felt much smaller.