Hiding Me in the Name of Love Chapter 06
The next morning, I was jolted awake by the commotion downstairs.
Mom was speaking quietly outside the front door, her voice colder than usual. “Tasha doesn’t want to see you. Leave, now.”
I felt my chest tighten. I put on a coat and walked to the window.
Jared was standing downstairs, still wearing the shirt from that night. It was horribly wrinkled. The moment he looked up and caught sight of me, his eyes lit up instantly. It was as if he had found his last lifeline.
“Babe, please come down and talk to me,” he pleaded.
I stayed right where I stood.
He stared up at me, his voice painfully hoarse. “I took the earliest flight here. I didn’t even bring my luggage. Tasha, I know I messed up. Please don’t leave me.”
There was a time when I absolutely hated seeing him look like this. Whenever he called me “babe” with red- rimmed eyes, I would always give in. I would think about how hard those seven years had been and completely bury all the hurt I had endured.
But now, looking down at him, he felt like a total stranger to me.
The neighbors were beginning to poke their heads out to watch the scene. Not wanting to humiliate me, Mom turned to close the door.
But Jared suddenly dropped to his knees and said, “Mr. and Mrs. Wagner, I let Tasha down. I was a jerk! Please let me see her. I’ll explain everything to her.”
Dad’s face darkened with anger. “What’s there to explain? About how you were dating my daughter while celebrating your third anniversary with someone else?”
Jared’s face paled instantly. He clearly hadn’t expected me to tell my parents the whole truth.
For seven years, I had always covered for him. When he stood us up, I told them work was too demanding. When he claimed it wasn’t a good time to meet my family, I told them his career wasn’t stable yet. When he insisted on keeping us a secret “to protect me”, I told them he was just a private person.
I had been the most loyal accomplice to his lies. But I refused to cover for him anymore.
When I finally went downstairs, Mom immediately took hold of my hand, as if she was afraid I would run back to him.
The moment Jared saw me, his eyes welled up with tears.
“Tasha, I’ve already made things clear with Yvette,” he said..
I looked at him calmly. “What exactly did you make clear?”
“I told her I want to marry you. I’ll make it up to her, but I won’t keep making the same mistake,” he replied.
Then, he stepped forward hurriedly. “I’ve already booked our flights. We’ll go back today and set a wedding date.
“Haven’t you always wanted to meet my mom? I’ll take you to see her right away.”
I let out a sudden, empty laugh.
So the milestone I had spent seven years begging for only became accessible once he was terrified of losing me. Meeting his parents, setting a wedding date, and making our relationship public. Time and again, I had carefully brought those things up, only to be met with a frown and a dismissive, “Just wait a little longer.”
Yet now, he could hand them over so readily.
It wasn’t because he had finally learned to cherish me. He simply realized I didn’t want any of it anymore.
“Jared, it’s too late.”
Panic flashed across his face. He reached for me and said, “It’s not too late. As long as you’re willing to come back, it’s never too late. We’ve been together for seven years. You can’t just throw all those years away!”
I stepped back and avoided his hand. “When you were with Yvette for the last three years, did you ever stop to think about our seven years together?” I asked.
His hand froze in midair.
Right then, my phone rang. Zoe’s name flashed on the screen. I stared at it for a second, then answered and switched it to speakerphone.
Zoe’s voice came through thick with tears. “Tasha, something happened to Yvette. She deleted all her posts and said she was going to look for Jared. Can you please convince him to go back and comfort her first?”
I stared at Jared.
A flicker of concern crossed his face, and he almost instinctively reached for his phone.
That was the very moment I finally came to my senses. He kept swearing I was the one he loved the most. He claimed he would marry me and not make the same mistakes again.
But the moment Yvette cried, his instincts still belonged to her.
I hung up and said quietly, “See? I’m not the only person you can’t let go of.”
Jared opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
I placed the ring he gave me on the stone steps by the door. It rolled once before stopping at his feet. Sunlight hit it, making it shine painfully bright.
“Jared, we’re over.”
