After walking away from the suite he shared with Jade, Harry went over to the resort lounge, and he sat there, agonizing silently over what had just happened.
He sat there, staring blankly at ornate designs on the wall as he replayed the entire event in his head. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt, and the heavier the weight in his chest.
Everything had been meticulously planned, down to the last detail. But now, it was all in shambles because of a misunderstanding. Jade's reaction had left him reeling, and he couldn't stop the anger and disappointment from bubbling up within him.
How could she think so little of him? How could she look him in the face and say all that to him?
If he had not returned when he did, would she have left just like that and let him return to an empty room?
Did he mean so little to her that he didn't deserve a benefit of doubt regardless of what she had seen or understood from what she had seen?
He was angry that she would pack up to leave that way without even hearing from him and confirming whether or not her suspicions was correct. He was angry that she had called him a liar and a cheat so easily.
Although a part of him was feeling guilty that he shouldn't have left her that way, but he quickly shrugged it off.
He couldn't always pamper her. No, he wouldn't, else she wouldn't learn. If he had hugged her and assured her softly that he had only been planning a surprise engagement, and that all will be well, she would most likely repeat her actions again.
He needed her to know that as much as he understood her insecurities, her actions had consequences and they also had effects on him. He wanted her to know that he was human and his emotions could also be hurt by her words and actions, and he had every right to react to them. Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)
After being there for a while, he decided to retire for the night since he was going to have to call Tom and the others and ask them not to get on the plane in the morning as they had planned.
Instead of going back to the suite which he shared with Jade, he went to the suite which had been reserved for Tom and Lucy, and after he settled down at the balcony, he picked up his phone, dreading the calls he had to make.
With a heavy sigh, he dialed Tom's number, and Tom, who had been in the middle of packing his bag with Lucy, answered on the second ring. "Hey, Harry! What's up? We are just packing our bags now," he said cheerfully.
"It's off, Tom. The engagement is off. Don't bother coming tomorrow," Harry said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
There was a pause on Tom's end, "Wait, let me step out of here," Tom said to Harry, meeting Lucy's gaze, and when she gave him a nod, he walked out of the room to the balcony outside.
Harry waited, as Tom moved to a quieter place. Finally, Tom's voice came through, filled with concern. "Alright, what's going on? Did something happen again?"
Harry took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. "I stepped out briefly to get the ring and Jade's clothes for tomorrow, which I asked the event planner to help me pick up. I got back to find her packing her bags. No, she wasn't packing. She was done packing, and I think if I had not returned when I did, I would have returned to an empty room. You won't believe she packed up to leave me there because she saw a text from the event planner and jumped to conclusions."
Tom let out a low whistle. "Wow. That's... that's rough. So, what did you do? Where are you now? Where is she?"
Jade felt a pang of guilt and shame. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I let my past get the best of me again and I reacted emotionally. I'm ashamed of myself and I'm sorry. I don't want to break up with you. Please, Harry."
Harry crossed his arms, his posture rigid. "I can't get married to someone who thinks so little of me, Jade. I don't want to continue with this relationship."
Tears welled up in Jade's eyes. "Please, Harry. Don't say that. I'm sorry. I will work on myself, I promise. This will be the last time ever that something like this would come up between us. I promise to do better."
He shook his head. "You need to do that first. I made a mistake in trying to rush things. I should have known better than to try to skip the process. I thought loving you would be enough to undo all that trauma but I was wrong. I don't want to keep going back and forth with you over this. We shouldn't see each other anymore until you've gotten help and worked on yourself."
Jade's heart broke at his words. "But you promised to help me through it," she pleaded.
Harry's eyes softened slightly, but his resolve remained. "How am I supposed to help you if you don't even trust me? If you think so little of me? You insulted me, Jade. You called me a liar and a cheat. Nothing I do will be enough until you get rid of all that baggage you're carrying emotionally."
"But you acted suspiciously," she pointed out, her voice trembling. "How was I supposed to know what you were planning? Any normal person would have had the same thoughts as I did."
He sighed, a weary sound. "Maybe. But do you think I would have reacted the same way if the tables were turned? You couldn't even give me the benefit of doubt. You need professional help, Jade. Maybe we can talk about our relationship again after you get it."
Jade felt her world crumbling around her. She had pushed him away with her insecurities and now she was paying the price. She was feeling a rush of emotions—shame, regret, and a deep sense of loss.
"I don't want to lose you, Harry. Please, give me another chance."
Harry looked at her, his expression pained. "You're not losing me, Jade. I love you, but I can't continue this way with you. Not until you've dealt with your issues. I need to protect myself too. Do you have any idea how I felt walking in to see you there with your bags packed?"
"I'm sorry," Jade pleaded as tears ran down her cheeks.
"I was going to propose to you and then wait for you to heal fully before we get married, but I don't want to do that anymore. I do not like to regret things, but right now I regret not sticking to my principles and having sex with you. And I regret planning this surprise engagement and not waiting for six months as I told you. Maybe if I had kept to my words, you'd trust me more and none of these would have happened. I take responsibility for my role in all of this."
The weight of his words crushed her. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I understand. I will get help. I promise."
Harry nodded, a sad smile on his lips. "I hope you do, Jade. For both our sakes."
As Jade turned to leave, and Harry stopped her, "You don't have to worry about losing me, Jade. I will wait for you however long it will take. I need you to focus on feeling better. The earlier you get help, the sooner we can be together again. And maybe after you receive therapy, we can go for couple counseling together," he suggested, and she nodded and forced a smile.
"Thank you," she said, her smile wobbly.
"Let's leave in the morning instead of waiting until Sunday," Harry said, and she gave him a nod once again before walking out of the suite, her heart heavy with the weight of her mistakes.
This wasn't the way she had imagined their vacation to end, but she was relieved at least that Harry was not ending things entirely with her.
She knew she had a long road ahead of her, but she was determined to make things right.