Unspoken Truths
"How long have you been there?"
Tessa's heart was racing, her head hurt, and she felt like she was in a fog. Jax’s huge confession left her needing time to process. Her heart ached, her chest felt tight—she wanted to close her eyes and pretend this day never happened.
She let out a breath, counted to ten, and wiggled her toes. Shaking out her arms and legs in what might have looked strange, she tried to shed the tension Ash's presence stirred in her.
"Long enough to know about a letter and the sweet departing words said from a lover," Ash said, walking into the living room.
He stared at Jax, curiosity mixed with an unspoken claim of ownership. Ash crossed to Tessa and grabbed her by the nape of her neck, his lips landing on hers in a quick but deliberate kiss. It was a message: Tessa was his.
"Now, my little human, shall you start explaining to me who I need to take care of? Let them know that you are mine."
The intensity of his stare was suffocating. Tessa pushed Ash away, taking another drink to dull her nerves.
"I guess I'm not the only one keeping secrets. I thought he was just a friend, Tessa." Jax’s accusation cut deeply, reopening an unspoken wound from two years ago.
"Jax, please, you have no right—not after everything you just told me."
Tessa paced the room, the bottle of whiskey swinging loosely from her hand.
"Did that night not mean anything to you then?" Jax asked, the glimmer of hope in his eyes breaking her heart further.
Tessa froze, her eyes locking with his. His expression was pleading—a mix of expectation and desperation.
"That night never should have happened," she admitted, her voice breaking. "I was vulnerable, not in my right mind. I had just buried my daughter, my marriage was over, and I had just gotten an apartment on impulse. I know what I did was wrong. I became a cheater. But I also used you to escape, and that's not fair to you, Jax. You deserve someone who will truly love you."
Jax’s smile was tired and defeated.
"So that's it? You weren’t even going to try to see if we worked romantically? Were you ever going to tell me you didn’t want me?"
Tessa’s pacing grew frantic. She glanced at Ash, now perched on the sofa with an unreadable expression. She turned back to Jax, noticing the rise and fall of his chest, his fists clenched on his knees. The internal war raging in him mirrored the one in her heart.
She knelt before him, taking his hands in hers, and leaned in to meet his gaze.
"Jax, I’m so sorry I crossed that line with you. My feelings for you have always been the same—I love you as the best friend you’ve always been to me. I gave in during a moment of weakness, when all I wanted was to forget who I was. I understand if you never want to speak to me again, if you need your space. But please know that I do love you—as the person you are—but romantically, we wouldn’t work. I don’t want to lose you, but I know you need time to heal. For everything, I am truly sorry."
Tessa wept openly, her tears flowing freely as she poured out her heart. She could see the deep pain her words caused Jax, and her heart broke even further.
For what felt like an eternity, the room was silent. Then Jax wiped at his tears, resigned to the truth he had known but fought to deny. He placed his hands gently on either side of her face, tilting her head up to press a kiss to her forehead. He brushed her hair back behind her ears and gazed into her tearful eyes.
This was goodbye.
He stood, walking to the door without a word, and slammed it shut behind him as he left.
Tessa let out the sob she had been holding back, curling up on the floor as her grief consumed her. She cried rivers until strong arms lifted her and carried her to her bed.
She had forgotten Ash was there, watching the unraveling of her years-long friendship with Jax. She knew she would need to explain things to Ash eventually, but her heart and mind were too heavy to face him now.
As Tessa lay in bed, she reflected on her mistakes. She had lost a friendship over a moment of weakness, using Jax to escape the pain of her life. She knew from the moment it happened that it was wrong, but in Jax’s arms that night, she had been someone else entirely.
She wasn’t Tessa Monroe—the wife, the mother, the daughter-in-law to a family full of secrets. That night, she was Tessa Cage. She was a lover, not a cheater. Carefree, not dutiful. Wonton, not respectable.