Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three
THE CHOICE

JACK'S POV

The second the door slammed behind me, I felt like the whole world had cracked open.

My feet hit the floor hard as I stormed down the hallway, my fists clenched so tight my nails tore into my palms. The words wouldn’t stop ringing in my head.

She’s pregnant.

Pregnant. With his child.

The air felt sharp in my chest, like every breath was trying to kill me from the inside. I wanted to hit something. I wanted to break something. Hell, I wanted to tear this whole damn house apart.

But instead, I kept walking, fast and angrily toward the front door. Away from her.

"Jack!"

Her voice chased after me. It was light and weak and… too soft.

I ignored it. I couldn’t look at her. Not now. Not when it felt like everything in my world was falling apart. 

"Jack, please! Please—wait!"

I felt her fingers grab the back of my shirt, pulling hard at it. I could hear the desperation in her voice and in her movement. I stopped. My body went stiff, my mind fighting between running and staying.

"Let me explain," she whispered, her breath sharp and broken behind me.

Explain? Explain what? What the hell could she possibly want to explain that I didn't already understand?

I spun around so fast and abruptly that she stumbled back a step, her eyes wide and shining with tears.

"Explain?" My voice came out low and sharp, like a blade. "What the hell is there to explain, Gabriella?"

She flinched when I said her name. Good. Let it sink in. Let her fucking feel my rage. 

"You should’ve told me!" I snapped, stepping forward. "You stood there, lying, letting me believe there was still a chance!” My voice cracked before I could finish. I clenched my jaw tight, looking away from her. 

Her lips trembled. "I didn’t know how," she whispered.

"You didn’t know how?" I let out a bitter laugh. "You didn’t know how to tell me the truth? You let me stand there like a fool."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, but I didn’t care. Not this time. The pain was too deep, too sharp. She was going to feel a tiny bit of the pain that I was feeling. 

She stepped forward, reaching for me again, but I caught her wrist midair, my grip firm but not cruel. I yanked her toward me so fast her body crashed into mine. I looked into her eyes, our breaths mingling.

"You don't get to cry," I hissed, leaning down, my forehead pressed against hers, closing my eyes, savoring the feeling of her being so close to me. "You don’t get to look at me like that."

She tried to pull away, her hand pressing against my chest, struggling to break free, but I held her still.

"You have two choices," I said, my voice lowering, every word soaked in anger and hurt. "Tell him. Tell Jax today that you want me, or tell me now that you never loved me, that I was just a game."

There had been nothing too serious or deep between us, but that bond was there and it drew us closer than we can even ever get the chance to be. I know my question and request was selfish, considering she and Jax had been there together before I had arrived and found out she was my mate, but still, I don't care. I've never cared about anything else. 

She shook her head, her voice shaking. "Jack, don’t do this—"

"Choose." I growled, my grip on her waist tightening as I pulled her flush against me. "Now."

But she couldn’t. She stayed quiet. Silent. And her silence answered everything.

Rage swirled in my chest. The feeling had me seeing nothing but darkness around my vision. I didn’t think, I just moved.

I crashed my lips against hers.

She gasped, her hands pushing against me, trying to fight the kiss, but I didn’t let her. My hand slid up the back of her neck, holding her still as I deepened it, pouring every bit of hurt, anger, and love into her.

She hit my chest, but her hits were weak and desperate, her fists barely making a sound against my chest. She turned her face, breaking the kiss for half a second.

"Jack—stop!" she breathed, her voice breaking.

But I didn’t.

I dragged her back to me, kissing her harder. Her protests melted into broken sounds, her hands gripping my shirt like she couldn’t decide whether to push me away or pull me closer.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet.

It was punishment.

For the lies. For the silence. For the fact that her heart was never mine to begin with and also the fact that I had to deal with it.

Gabriella was also mine. I was not just going to deal with it. I was going to have Gabriella too. 

When I finally pulled back, her lips were red, swollen, her chest heaving with breath. Her tear-filled eyes stared up at me, full of confusion and something else I couldn’t name.

"You never should’ve lied to me," I whispered against her lips. "But you did."

I let go of her slowly, her body swaying on weak legs. I stepped back, feeling like I had just ripped myself apart.

I couldn’t even look at her anymore.

Writer’s POV

Unseen by either of them, a shadow shifted near the stairs. A figure stood hidden, their back pressed to the wall, their lips curled into a wide, sharp grin.

The person’s phone was raised, camera pointed right at the two of them. The flash was off intentionally so that they would do the act without being detected, and the click of the picture was still quiet enough to go unnoticed. 

The screen glowed with the image: Gabriella in Jack’s arms, her lips in his as they both kissed, her face a mess of tears.

The figure lowered the phone, looking at the photo with a glint of cruel satisfaction. They let out a soft chuckle, spinning the phone between their fingers.

"Oh, Jax is going to love this," they whispered, their voice thick with amusement.

A dark, satisfied smile spread across their face as they slipped away into the shadows, tucking the phone safely into their pocket.