Chapter 200: Breakup
Brad, half-laughing and half-annoyed, gave my cheek a playful pinch. "Alright, behave yourself. Two months will fly by. Just tell me what you want, and I'll bring it back for you. Mia, you two stick together and watch each other's backs."
"Got it, I'll make sure she eats like royalty," Mia jumped in, eager to please Brad.
Honestly, I could handle myself. Plus, Mia was barely keeping it together; she needed more help than I did. Brad was just giving her something to focus on.
I got it, and I knew Mia did too.
After Brad dropped us off at the apartment, he headed back to his dorm to get ready for his trip the next night.
Once Mia and I had our showers, we cozied up on the big bed and started catching up. It had been ages since we last hung out, and we had a ton to talk about.
To keep Mia's mind off things, I filled her in on Daniel's car accident and his fake illness, plus Emma's nasty curses aimed at Brad and me. Mia got so mad her eyes turned red.
"I knew something was up. You barely reached out, lost so much weight, and looked so down. I can't believe you went through all that alone. It must've been hell."
"Mia, it was rough, really rough. I was lost. But Brad never left my side, never thought of giving up on me or our love. He even had a huge blowout with his family for me, which gave me strength. Now it's all behind us, and things will get better. But what about you? You need to tell me what you're thinking. Benjamin isn't just anyone; he won't just let you go. With his resources, finding you won't be hard. You need to be ready for when he shows up."
At the mention of Benjamin, Mia started crying again.
There was no avoiding it. I didn't try to comfort her, just handed her a pack of tissues.
Some things you just have to let out, or they'll eat you alive.
"I want to break up. We've been tangled up for five years. Five years, Jane. Those were my best years, and I gave him everything. But he never even gave me a promise. The most ridiculous part is, he went with another woman for a prenatal checkup while I was still asking him what soup he wanted for dinner. If it wasn't for Sydney and her mom, I wouldn't have known he was going to be a dad.
Can you imagine being called a homewrecker and slapped in front of over a hundred colleagues? I wanted to die right then. But Benjamin, he saw me getting beaten and cursed at, covered in blood, and didn't even ask me a single question before taking Sydney away. If he had just looked at me, just once, I might have had the courage to keep going.
I still can't believe how I managed to get up, go to the hospital, and stare at my phone all night, only to receive nothing from him. By morning, I had decided to break up with him and leave. The world is huge, and there are plenty of people out there. There must be someone who really loves me. And if not, I'd rather spend my life with someone who doesn't love me but treats me with respect than be tormented by him."
"As long as you've made up your mind, I'm with you. If he comes looking for you, I'll have your back."
"But I feel like he won't let me go so easily," Mia said, worry etched on her face. I was worried too.
If Benjamin was hell-bent on keeping her around, slipping away wouldn't be a walk in the park.
But hey, no matter how slim the odds, we had to give it a shot.
"Don't sweat it. If you're dead set on this and he dares to show up in Regalia to mess with you, Brad, our crew, and I will have your back."
Mia and I chatted about stuff we just can't cover over the phone. We talked until the wee hours, so much so that when we finally woke up, it was almost nine in the morning.
I was thinking about Brad's trip to Silverbrook City and figured I'd go out and grab some food for him.
When I finally got my act together and called Brad, I saw he had blown up my Facebook with messages.
He figured I'd sleep in, so he didn't wake me. His flight got bumped up from the evening to the morning, and he had already boarded at 8:30. He told me not to stress and that he'd be back soon. He also warned me to steer clear of Louis and those creeps always watching me, or he'd deal with me when he got back.
He sent like seven or eight voice messages, each over fifty seconds long, and even transferred a chunk of cash—ten grand for living expenses.
I had already saved nearly a million bucks from my time at the Northern Institute of the Arts. After moving here, I raked in a lot from two competitions and a project with Larry. Ronan and Helen also sent me monthly living expenses.
Brad usually took care of me, so I didn't have many chances to spend money. I had saved almost two million dollars, plus the ongoing project.
Honestly, I didn't need the cash. I thought about sending it back to Brad. But then I figured, since we were getting hitched, no need to be so nitpicky. Plus, if I didn't take it, he'd be pissed. So, I accepted it.
It was his way of showing he cared, and I couldn't turn that down.
But he had left quietly, and the thought of two long months without Brad made me want to cry.
So, I cried while sending him voice messages, asking him to let me know when he landed and to come back soon because I'd miss him. I even joked that if he took too long, I'd let the junior who had written me several letters take care of me.
I wondered how Brad would feel when he heard that. Would he want to chew me out over the phone? But I said it anyway, to give him a sense of urgency.
Since we woke up late, Mia and I skipped breakfast and went straight out for lunch.
In the afternoon, I had classes, and Mia said she wanted to walk around and see if she could find a suitable job. I gave her a key to the apartment and told her to be careful and call me if she needed anything.
Going out was good for her. A change of scenery, a change of mood, and a change in lifestyle.
Even without love, people still needed to eat. And with a job to keep her busy, she might get over it faster and even find someone new.
Around five in the afternoon, Brad video-called me.
I was in my room reading, and I quickly answered. Seeing Brad's handsome face, my fragile emotions made me tear up. I looked at him pitifully, like an abandoned puppy, silently accusing him of leaving me.
Brad felt sorry for me. He reached out as if to hug me, only to realize that we were separated by not just two screens but thousands of miles. He touched the screen with his finger, wiping my tears away, and gently comforted me, telling me to be good and wait for him. He'd be back soon.
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