chapter 24

Brushing aside an odd sensation of uneasiness, Vary gets down from the taxi as it comes to a stop in front of the hospital.The nervousness grows within her as she walks in, as she wonders what Keenan might say to her when he sees her. She wonders if Keenan would even want to see her, knowing she was the one who left him days ago.Rejection is the last thing she can take right now, and she fears that’s what she’s going to get. She immediately turns back to leave, only to collide with a young man who is also running up the hospital stairs. Vary loses her balance and almost falls to the ground, but for the young man’s brawny arms. Their eyes meet and Vary notices his brownish blonde hair having a side-blown style, his blue eyes and from what she sees, she can tell he’s in his early twenties, but his pencil beard makes it hard to tell the exact age.He helps her back to her feet and she blushes in embarrassment as he gives her a careful look and asks, “Are you okay?”She nods and then immediately shakes her head, making the young man frown down at her in confusion. “I don’t know if I should be here, to begin with.” She mumbles, stepping aside and letting a doctor coming her way pass by. “I came to see my husband, I just don’t know if he’ll want to see me.” Her voice is weary and unsure at its delivery.Though it’s none of his business, he feels inclined to ask, “Well, did you two fight?”“Not really, I left the house and now I’m regretting my action.” She reveals sadly. She doesn’t know why she’s pouring out her heart to a stranger, but for an absurd reason, she feels like she can trust him with what she tells him.He stuffs his hands into his pocket and does a brief stretch. “Well, same here. Well, I came to apologise to my wife for being a jerk to her. I got jealous and said some things I shouldn't, I have never done that before. I just lost it.” He explains in much regret, “I hope she forgives me though.”“She will if you’re genuine and promise not to do it again,” she replies, based on what she’ll do if Keenan came to her with an apology.He nods, feeling encouraged by her words. They climb up together, and then he speaks again. “My name is Jack, by the way.” he offers her his hand and she shakes it.She offers him a small smile, “I’m Varisha.”..Keenan sits, staring at Vary’s contact number on his phone and he contemplates whether to call her. He hasn’t heard a thing from her in four days straight and he knows it’s unlike Vary not to call; he knows she loves him and can barely control herself around him. But she’s proved that she can live without him in her life and he doesn’t think he likes that one bit. He has to admit that he missed her. He misses the shy smile on her face; also he misses the smack tone she possesses sometimes; he misses how nervous she seems to be around him. He misses how she bites her lips when she doesn’t know what to say.He wants her as well and only tortures himself by not reaching out to her and as he almost presses the dial pad; he sees Phoebe slowly walking over towards him.Since the disagreement with Jack, Keenan has avoided Phoebe and anything that involved her and Phoebe notices this as well, but she just wanted to tell him thank you for everything.Keenan gets up quickly from his seat, but before he can exit the room, Phoebe speaks up. “I just want to say thank you for what you did for Rory.”He pauses and replies, “It’s nothing,” to her words and he walks on towards the door.“You don’t have to avoid me, you know. Jack hasn’t come around in two days, so your guards do not have to be up.” She says, half bitter and half sad. She doesn’t want to blame herself for her husband's sudden change of heart. Maybe she pushed him to snap, but she didn’t think it was a big deal but Jack made it into one and here they are.“I’m avoiding problems.” Is his simple response.Her face drops sadly and her voice comes out weak from pain. “You think I’m the problem?”“No. I don’t want what repeated itself.” Keenan shakes his head as he turns to look at her for the first time in two days. “I don’t want you falling out with Jack on my account. I don’t want him snapping at you because of me.”“Because you think it’s your fault?”He shakes his head and takes a step closer towards her. “Because I care about you a lot. Phoebe and Jack are right. Maybe I need to learn to stay away from other people’s women.”She shakes her head, stepping up to where he is. “You don’t have to always be the one sacrificing. You don’t have to make yourself unhappy just to satisfy someone else.”“Phoebe—” he trails off, but she cuts him off“Rory told me everything,” she says, taking another step closer and then gently touching his face with her hand. “You don’t have to always be the bad guy.”Hearing her say those words makes him think back to how his life would have gone if he didn’t swear to stay away from Phoebe, maybe he would still be with her, maybe he would have been married to her instead, maybe she would have been pregnant for him and not Jack.Keenan’s hands come up to touch Phoebe's hand that is touching his cheeks, and he pulls her closer and kisses her lips deeply and hungrily. And her lips still taste the same in Keenan’s mouth even after many years, but this time almost perfect. She kisses back and wraps her arms around his neck for support as the kiss heat. Jack opens the door and stops in his tracks as he sees Phoebe pressed against the wall and passionately kissing Keenan. Keenan holds her close against his body, and Jack’s heart almost stops beating at the sight of Phoebe giving herself completely to another man, which is his greatest fear becomes a reality before his very eyes.“That is my wife,” Jack tries to convince himself as reality unfolds before his eyes.“That is my husband.” Vary says at the same time with horror in her voice as she watches Keenan passionately and fiercely kiss Phoebe.Jack’s hands ball into a fist and his face grows red as he watches the two make out before his eyes.Keenan's hands are rough and exploring all over Phoebe’s body, from her neck to her ass, claiming her body as though it belongs to him.Every moment Jack spends watching the two rips his heart out, the more he knows this isn’t another dream he can just wake from. This is reality and he had expected anything but this.Vary watches the other woman in horror as Keenan passionately kisses her. This was part of what she expected, but she didn’t think he would go after another man’s wife. It hurts more because she’s not sure if she has a right to even be sad or angry.“That is my wife, you fucking asshole!” Jack shouts and launches towards them with his hand already balled into a hard fist.Phoebe and Keenan pull apart immediately at the sound and Phoebe gasp at the sight of Jack, who looks murderous as he storms toward them. Jack throws a punch at Keenan and before Keenan can prepare for it or make a move, Jack's fist lands on his face and he stumbles backwards, losing his foot to the ground.“Phoebe is my wife and you fucking shove your tongue down her throat?!” Jack roars out angrily and wildly.Phoebe is shocked because he isn’t the Jack she uses to know he is angry and she has never seen this side of him ever. She’s even more shocked at herself for what she was doing with Keenan before Jack walked in on them.Jack grabs Keenan by his shirt and delivers multiple punches to his face. And then shoves a hard kick into his stomach.Vary watches as Keenan falls to the ground and groans out in pain and she can’t help feeling sorry for him even though her heart feels broken in a thousand-piece, on account of what she had seen on her arrival. She runs over to him and kneels beside him, bringing out a tissue from her small purse and wiping the bloodstain from his mouth and cheeks.“He may be your husband, but he’s a piece of shit!” Jack spit out and, casting a hard glare at Phoebe, he leaves the room.Phoebe runs after him, “Jack, wait please, I beg of you wait.” Some doctors standing by get disturbed by the noise and it shows on their faces, but Phoebe can’t stop. It seems like her life now depends on it.Jack halts and turns to her. “What is it you want to tell me?” His eyes look broken and hurt and angry all at the same time.She opens her mouth, but her brain doesn’t find any words to bring up, and Jack scoffs painfully and shakes his head. “That’s what I thought.”Her lips quiver and guilt plague her heart, “I don’t have any excuse, but I’m sorry, Jack.”Jack’s eye grows glassy as he tries to keep himself from shattering before her. All he ever wanted was to make a home with Phoebe, although that seems like it would never happen after they had miscarried two of their unborn babies. Losing their second pregnancy almost cost them their marriage. He kept having faith and believing, but he realised along how he was the only one believing and every day he's reminded of that fact.“I loved you, I did everything to make you happy, I put you first before everything, hell I came here to apologize for being a dick and what do I get? You two fooling around in my fucking face!” He screams at her.“Jack–”“I’ve been a faithful husband, Phoebe, I’ve kept my promises to you and our marriage and I’ve kept all our vows these past four years irrespective of what the media says, but you were ready to drop yours once you found something that threw my into the second place.” Tears run down his face and he shakes his head, “you know I prayed for God to save our marriage before coming here and now I think I know what his will is.” He wipes his tears off and, turning away, he walks down the stairs.“Jack, please, don’t go.” She calls to him, following him as tears run down her face. She kissed Keenan out of foolishness, an old flame she thought still existed, but she knows better now that the old flame was gone between them and she didn’t want Jack to leave her, not now.He looks back at her. “Isn’t Keenan what you have always wanted? The man of your dreams? Well, he’s still in there so you can go to him and you two can continue from where I rudely interrupted. Good thing I didn’t knock him out like I initially wanted, so if you hurry, you might still find him before his wife takes him home ‘cause I’m done with being the second best, and hell I’m done with you.” He climbs down the stairs and walks out of the hospital..Â