Bittersweet (15 page)

After thanking Sam, Jenna was out the door. They obviously had company, and she was about to find out who it was. When she reached their house, she got out of the car and walked around to the back door, rummaging through her purse for her keys. Her gut instincts told her that she needed to enter undetected.

As she quietly made her way through the back door and into the kitchen, the house seemed empty.
Tyler, come out come out wherever you are.

He was definitely home. His car was parked in the driveway, and he never left home without it. As she approached the hallway, she could hear the television on at a low volume in the living room, and then someone giggled and exhaled loudly. It became quiet for a moment, followed by more heavy breathing. It was definitely not coming from her. Jenna had begun to see spots before realizing she was holding her breath.

Jenna’s entire face burned with anger at what greeted her. Tyler had been a dumbass all right. He actually was that stupid, and in that very moment he threw everything they had away as though it was trash.

Alex saw Jenna coming and played it to her advantage. Her shirt had been ripped open, leaving her bra visible, and her skirt was hiked up to her waist. Grinding her hips, she rode him harder at the sight of Jenna and kissed him aggressively to prove a point.
“Game over, bitch,”
she was saying,
“Tyler is mine now.”
The message was displayed loud and clear.

Tyler’s pants were down to his ankles, and his hands were wrapped around the other woman’s waist. With his face in Alex’s chest, he moved with her as she rode him up and down, setting the pace.

Jenna stood there feeling like an absolute fool.

Tyler had been a busy boy all right, and he didn’t notice her entrance until she dropped her keys and purse on the floor in disgust.

Chapter Eighteen

Alex smiled as Tyler looked up and panicked. “Jenna…I…”

“You son of a bitch. On my couch, Tyler? In our house? Get out! Get out now!” She’d known all along that something was going on. She was just shocked that he disrespected her enough to do this in their home.

“Jenna, it’s not what it looks like. It doesn’t mean anything to me.” He got up and shoved Alex to the floor.

Jenna laughed humorlessly at the disgusting image he displayed before her. His pants were at his ankles, and his semierect cock was in full view, covered in Alex’s juices. Jenna’s throat felt thick, and her eyes burned with building tears, but she refused to let him see her cry.

“Not what it looks like?” She couldn’t believe his lame explanation. “It sure looks like something to me. You know what? I don’t want to hear it. You disgust me, and while you’re at it, be respectful enough to at least pull up your pants.”

Seeing as how they ignored her demand to get out, she decided it was time for her to leave before she did something she may later regret.

Alex was definitely enjoying the drama unfolding in the living room. Getting up off the floor and dusting herself off, she said, “Tyler, it’s about time that Jenna finds out, don’t you think? And it was definitely what it looked like.”

She chuckled, the evil bitch, and Jenna had the urge to strangle her.

“Shut up!” he yelled and pushed Alex away again. “She’s my wife; she’s my whole life. What was I thinking?” He covered his face with his hands and moaned, “I’ve ruined everything.”

A traitorous tear slipped down Jenna’s cheek, but she wasn’t about to give either of them the satisfaction of seeing it. She’d heard enough, and it was time to ask Sam for another favor—a place to stay for a while. She made it safely out the back door before Tyler caught up with her.

“Jenna, please don’t go,” he pleaded and grabbed her by the arm, clearly hoping to stop her.

“I’m done, Tyler.” She pulled away. “Just leave me alone.” She should have done something when she’d first suspected his affair, but love had blinded her, and she was angry at everyone in that moment, especially herself.

The neighbors watched the scene being played out on their front lawn. It was humiliating, and she could only imagine what they were thinking. Jenna was almost at a run trying to get away while crying, and Tyler kept reaching for her to stop and pleading with her while wearing nothing but his pants.

“Stop following me,” she hissed. “Everybody’s starring.”

“I don’t care.”

“I can see that,” she snapped. “Now let go of me.” A wave of nausea hit her. “Tyler, I need to calm down, and I can’t do that with you here right now.” She held her belly out of habit, but Tyler took it the wrong way.

“The baby? Is there something wrong?”

She snorted. Of course there was, just not in the way he thought. “The baby is fine, Tyler. You can go back to her now, and I’ll make arrangements to get my things another time.”

It pained her to see Sam and Jayden watching as a part of the crowd. She slowed down a little and tried to calm herself and wipe her face dry before going to Jayden. He looked confused and scared from the commotion.

What she hadn’t expected was Tyler’s next move when she went to go to their son.

“Jenna, wait!” Tyler yelled, but she ignored him. Jayden was watching, and she had to get to him. Tyler leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her legs to beg her to stay with him, but it backfired.

“Tyler, nooo,” she cried.

The ground was heading straight for her face, and it was as if everything was in slow motion. Her visions overlapped and came back in a flash.

Standing with Brady, their hands overlapping as they caressed her visibly pregnant belly in front of the mirror. The cramps and a glimpse of herself crying out in agony. Tyler running after her down the stairs. Blood gushing from between her legs.

That was the last thing Jenna remembered before her eyes rolled back and she gave in to the blackness.

***

“Sam?” Groggy, Jenna tried to sit up, feeling as though she’d been run down by a truck, and it took a minute before everything came flooding back. “Oh my God!”

“I’m so sorry, Jenna. They couldn’t save it, honey. The baby didn’t make it.”

“No,” she moaned, in a state of shock and too disoriented to absorb the news.

Sam hugged her as Jenna tried to gather her bearings, to remember what had happened, and why she was in the hospital again, and then it all came rushing back.
Baby, cramps, trying to get to Jayden, Tyler!

“No,” she screamed as she pushed her friend away and rolled herself into a ball with her knees up to her chest and hands hugging them tight. It was just one nightmare after another.
Why?

Her parents came into the room with cups of coffee in their hands. “Oh, Jenna, honey.” Her mother rushed to her side. Pushing Jenna’s hair from her face, she kissed her forehead.

As if right on cue, Tyler walked in the hospital room looking remorseful, but seeing him brought a spark back into her. “I need everyone to leave. Tyler, you stay.” It was time to confront him.

“All right, Jenna, we’ll be close by.” Sam glared at Tyler with an “if looks could kill” stare before leaving.

“Could somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?” Her mother looked between Jenna and Tyler, obviously confused by her daughter’s hostility.

“Mom, please.”

Persuading her parents to leave wasn’t easy. When she and Tyler were finally alone, it was too quiet, as though he was afraid to speak and was waiting for her to start. There was too much to say, and it was hard to think about, let alone voice. She’d spent a good part of her existence with this man, and he’d ruined it in an instant.

“Where’s Jayden?” she asked.

“With my parents.”

“How is he?” she whispered. God, even talking hurt.

Tyler sighed heavily and combed his fingers through his hair. “He took it hard. He’s scared again that he’s going to lose you because you’re back in the hospital.”

“Oh, God,” she cried. Her nerves were shot, and she couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t take it and wondered what horrible thing she could have done to deserve this anguish. One of her babies was dead and the other terrified. Rolling onto her back, she covered her face and sobbed.

“What do you want, Jenna?” He sat on the bed beside her. “I’ll do anything to make this right. Please.”

“Why?” she demanded. Hurt turned to anger again, and she wanted to be done with feeling sorry for herself, because right then everything was all his fault. “What I want is to know why you threw everything away. Are you happy now that you’ve accomplished that goal? I feel like a piece of garbage that you’ve discarded. I gave you several opportunities to tell me the truth. You knew I suspected. Hell, I even asked on several occasions, and you lied right to my face,
every single time
.
How long have you been doing this? Have there been others? God, Tyler, just give me the truth this time.”

He wouldn’t look at her as she finished speaking. He seemed as though he was concentrating hard to think of the proper thing to say, but nothing he said could make the situation any worse. “You don’t really want to know. Trust me.”

“Trust you,” she repeated, sending him a murderous glare. “I don’t think so. Now tell me, damn it.”

“When you were in the hospital after the accident, it was hard on me. I blamed myself, Jenna. Don’t you understand? You’d taken a turn for the worse when the infection developed. I wasn’t eating or sleeping. I just sat there talking to myself, holding your hand, hoping you’d pull through and come back to me.” A mix of emotions played across his face as he spoke, hurt and then hope that his explanation would suffice. “I hadn’t showered or changed clothes in days, and your mother got fed up, insisting that I take a few hours to myself. I was a mess. I went home to clean up, and then I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I needed a distraction, so I went to the office.

“When I got there, everyone could see the condition I was in and insisted I go home. But I just couldn’t. I needed something to help me escape. Alex walked in my office and said if I wanted a distraction, she was swamped and could use the extra help, even if it was only for a couple hours. Before I knew it, the time flew and we were alone. We worked through dinner and ordered some takeout. She reached her hand out in comfort and told me she was there for me if I needed it. She gave me a hug, and then I honestly don’t know how it all happened. One minute we were hugging, and the next…”

He swallowed loudly as his glossy eyes turned widely innocent. His expression was a lot like Jayden’s just before a good cry.

She tried to hold back the bile in her throat. But that all-too-clear image had already burned itself into her head, thanks to her first dream of them together. “I knew it,” she whispered. “I could tell you were keeping something from me as soon as you mentioned her the first time, and then I saw it—twice.”

“What?”

“I’ve been having visions since the accident, Tyler, and they keep coming true. Premonitions of the future, and I don’t care if you think I’m crazy, because I know I’m not. I saw you having sex with her on your desk at work. That’s where it happened that first time, isn’t it? Why do you think I asked you about her when we were at the park? I know, Tyler, because I saw it, and let me guess, you did it again the day of Jayden’s recital. She was the reason you let us down and stood us up, and you probably would have again the day I showed you our baby’s first ultrasound picture. My baby,” she clarified, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked away from him. “I had a vision at the mall of her car and knew something was up. That’s why I left Jayden at Sam’s and walked in alone. Thank God I walked in alone.” She shivered. “So how far off am I?”

“I’m sorry, Jenna.” He had a pleading look on his face, as if he hoped for mercy. “My biggest regret by far, is doing what I did. Please, just give me a chance to prove to you that I will never make that mistake twice. Give me the rest of my life to prove this to you, please.”

“Not making the same mistake twice? Are you kidding me?” She couldn’t believe his nerve. “From my count, you’ve made that mistake more than twice. You did every time you slept with her and God knows who else. The trust is gone, and if you don’t have that, you have nothing. Satisfied?

“Dear God, Jayden is at home terrified that he’s going to lose me, because here I am in the hospital, yet again. It wasn’t your fault the first time, Tyler, but it is your fault this time. Your little stunt murdered our baby. You killed our baby, and you’ve destroyed me. I hope it was worth it.”

“Jenna, no.” He began to sob. “Please, Jenna. I’m so sorry, please.”

She cried harder, refusing to acknowledge her shock at seeing his tears, and his begging made her heart shattered even more. Loving Tyler hurt too much. She hadn’t stopped despite it all, but she was too tired to fight. There was nothing left for them, and she knew then exactly what she wanted. This was one betrayal she couldn’t get past and would never be able to forgive.

“I love you, Tyler,” she said softly, too emotional to raise her voice. “And I probably always will despite everything. You’re Jaden’s father, and we’ve had a lot of years together, but I know what I want now, what I have to do.”

She pulled him closer, kissed him fully on the mouth, and cried out in anguish when she pushed him away.

“Anything, Jenna.”

She looked into his eyes and saw a flicker of hope inside them. The sight made her wince, so she finally came out with what she had to say. “I want a divorce.”

She could think of no other option. His infidelity had ruined everything, taking away half of her life in the process. She owed it to herself to move forward, and although doing it would be hard, she had to if she ever wanted a chance at happiness again.

“No, anything but that, Jenna, please, just not that.”

It was pointless arguing over it, her mind was made up. He was in denial and refused to believe what she was telling him. With constant pleading, he joined her on the bed, cuddling close while he cried. In a few minutes, her parents and Sam returned and gasped at the sight of them. She’d assumed they’d never seen Tyler so emotional, and, in truth, neither had she.

“What’s going on here?” Sam asked.

“She’s leaving me,” Tyler whispered. “She wants a divorce.”

The sight of him and the sounds of his pleas were making Jenna nauseous. “Dad, I need Tyler to leave,” she said. “Could you please help me out with that?”

“Come on, son,” her father said as he took Tyler’s arm. “Let’s give Jenna some time.”

Tyler reluctantly followed him out. “Jenna, please,” he pleaded one last time before her father escorted him out of sight. “I’ll do anything. I’m begging you.”

Her mother and Sam rushed to comfort her. Tired of talking, she leaped forward as soon as her mother was close enough to reach, feeling as if she were five again. Hugging her close, Jenna sobbed, trying to let it all out.