Chapter 4
He wasn’t in a suit like usual. No tie, no polished shoes. Just a simple jacket over a sweater, dark jeans, and tired eyes. His hair was tousled and he had bags under his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
He looked… human.
They were looking at each other for a moment.
Jennifer feel the air hang weirdly heavy between them with unuttered things.
“Jennifer,” he said softly, sounding surprised. “Hey.”
She didn’t reply because her heart was too loud for her to think straight.
He brought his gaze down to the coffee cup in his hand and then back to her. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
She stepped back, her voice flat. “I didn’t expect to see you either.”
Devlin offered a tiny, almost shy smile. “You look great,” he said.
She did not reciprocate. “What do you want?”
“I’m not here for a fight.”
“Then why talk?”
She started to go around him, but he stopped her with his voice.
“Can we just talk? For a second.”
Jennifer turned slowly, jaw tightening. “Why all of a sudden, Devlin? Out of nowhere after all this time you want to talk?”
He faltered. “Because I made mistakes. And now, I see it.”
She gave a short laugh. “You see it now? After all the affairs, all the lies and even after ruining our marriage, you suddenly realize you’ve made a mistake?”
Devlin had his eyes on the coffee cup. “I deserve it.”
No, you deserve much more than that.”
“I know.”
There was a long silence. Cars passed behind them, the city moving on, unaware her world had shifted.
Jennifer took a breath. “So what are you really doing here?”
Devlin looked at her. His eyes were sad. “I miss you.”
Her chest ached, but she wouldn’t let it show.
“You miss what you had,” she said. “Not me.”
“No,” he said quickly. “I miss you. The way you used to look at me. The way you used to believe in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
“You killed that,” she snapped. “You don’t get to remember the good parts without owning the bad.”
His eyes softened. “I do own it. Every single day.”
She shook her head and started walking away.
“Jennifer, wait.”
But she never turned back.
She continued to walk.
Her legs moved on auto-pilot; her heart thrashed like a tambourine.
She didn’t know how she made it to the bookstore, but when she stepped inside, the warm scent of old paper and pine candles blanketed her. She pressed her palm against her chest, desperate to breathe.
It really hit her by surprise that the memories would unearth so hard.
Flashback – Quite some time ago
They were happy over breakfast. Devlin had made pancakes in the shape of hearts, and Jennifer had joked about how he burnt them a little.
“Well, you tried,” she announced and bit into the pancake.
“I more than tried,” he smirked. “That’s love.”
She leaned across the table and kissed him on the nose. “Then I’m full of love.”
He had wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her gently. “Don’t ever leave me, Jen.”
“Never,” she whispered.
There was real conviction behind those words.
Flashback – Eight Months Prior
Jennifer sat shivering in the living room couch. Dev stood in front of her, arms crossed, face cold.
“You checked my phone?” he barked.
“Because I knew something’s wrong!” she screamed.
“And what did you discover? What did you want?”
Her eyes were brimming with tears. “Why her, Devlin? Why anyone?”
He didn’t respond. He merely looked away.
And that silence was louder than any confession.
Present Day
Jennifer blinked, pushing back the memories. Her hand trembled as she reached out for a copy of Women Who Run with the Wolves from the shelf.
It figures, she thought bitterly to herself. A moment later, she turned it over in her palm and someone stepped beside her.
“Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Her heart leapt on Byron.
His voice came delightful and soft, a total contrast to the storm raging within her.
She looked up at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I come here sometimes,” he said. “It’s quiet. Good for thinking.”
Jennifer nodded. “I needed that too.”
Byron studied her. “You okay?”
“No.” He didn’t pressure her.
She walked over to a nearby bench and sat. After some time, Byron followed.
“I saw Devlin,” she said finally.
Byron’s jaw tensed. “Where?”
“On the street. We happened to pass each other.”
“Did he say anything?”
“He said he missed me.” Byron let out a soft sigh. “Of course he did.”
Jennifer’s gaze fell upon her hands. “Why do they always come back when it’s too late?”
“Because they think they still have power over you,” Byron replied, “They are mistaking regret for love.”
Jennifer looked at him then, really looked at him. “You always say the right things.”
He smiled gently. “Not always. Only at the moments that count.”
For a moment, she had been thinking of leaning into him. Of telling him everything. About the pregnancy. About fear. About the truth.
But just then, the silence shattered with the buzzing of her phone.
She lifted it.
Blocked Number: “You shouldn’t have kept this from me.”
Her hands trembled.
“Jennifer?” Byron asked, watching the color drain from her face.
She read the text again.
Another ping.
Blocked Number: “If it’s mine, I have a right to be involved.” Her lips parted. Byron reached for her phone. “What’s wrong?”
But she couldn’t find her voice.
Because it was in that moment that she understood something far more frightening than the thought of Devlin knowing about her pregnancy.
He would try to take the baby.
Jennifer sat on the edge of her bed the day after the weird text messages, still seated with the phone in her hand. She did not sleep. Her mind kept having racing thoughts about the words spoken over and over.
“You shouldn’t have kept this from me.”
“If it is mine, I have a right to know.”
But she hadn’t replied. She didn’t even know if it was Devlin for sure but it sounded like the timing, the words, and the nerve. Just thinking about it made her stomach churn.
And yet, she hadn’t told anyone.
