One Wild Night

Tyler's admission hung in the air like a dark cloud, suffocating Mia with its implications.

Mia's breath caught in her throat, her mind reeling with the implications of Tyler's words. If her husband knew she was alive, if he knew where to find her, there was no telling what he might do. The thought sent a bolt of terror coursing through her veins, paralyzing her with fear.

She felt a wave of nausea wash over her as she realized the gravity of the situation, the very real danger that now threatened to engulf her.

Her thoughts spiraled out of control, each one more terrifying than the last. What if her abusive husband had found her? What if he was already on his way to Ludus, his anger and violence simmering just beneath the surface? The mere thought sent a wave of panic crashing over her, her heart hammering in her chest like a jackhammer.

"I need to leave. I need to go away. He is going to find me. He is going to find me. I need to run far away," Mia said as she rose, her eyes shining dull with fear.

"Mia, stop," Sonia said, reaching out a hand to stop her, but Mia shook her head.

She could hear Sonia, but in that moment she couldn't see Sonia. Her mind was consumed with visions of the nightmare she had fought so hard to leave behind.

Sonia's hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present, grounding her in the reality of the moment. "Mia, listen to me. We'll figure this out. We'll keep you safe, I promise," Sonia said in a calm and steady voice.

"I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to cause any problems for you," Tyler said apologetically but his voice sounded distant, his words lost in the whirlwind of Mia's thoughts.

Mia couldn't find it in herself to respond, her throat constricted with a knot of fear that threatened to choke her. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run, to flee to safety before it was too late. But where could she go?

Mia's chest tightened with every breath, her heart pounding in her ears like a drumbeat of dread. The walls seemed to close in around her, suffocating her with the weight of her fear. She couldn't shake the image of her abusive husband's face, twisted with rage and fueled by a thirst for vengeance.

Unable to stay in the room anymore, Mia blindly stumbled out of it, while Sonia watched her helplessly.

Tyler wanted to go after her but Sonia stopped him, "Let her be, Ty. I believe you've done enough," Sonia said, sounding harsher than she had planned.

"It wasn't intentional, Sony. I didn't mean to cause any trouble…."

"But you did. Tell me something, Ty, is she a wanted criminal?" Sonia asked and Tyler shook his head.

"No, she isn't."

"Then why couldn't you let her be? What do you think could be the reason a grown up lady like herself would be hiding?" She asked and Tyler shook his head.

"I have no idea. From what little I know about her, she is from a very influential family and her husband is a wonderful man…."

"She is married?" Sonia cut in, surprised by that piece of information and Tyler nodded.

"If he is as wonderful as you claim, do you think she will be here away from him? What woman would run away from a wonderful husband? Did you see her reaction just now? That was fear, Tyler. She was terrified. What does that tell you?" She asked and Tyler looked at her for a moment.

"You don't think her husband was hitting her, do you?" He asked, horrified at the thought that he might just have exposed her to the abusive husband she was hiding from.

"Fix it. Give your colleague a call and let him or her know that you were wrong about the lady you saw, and she is Bryan's fiancée's sister…."

"You both don't answer the same surname," Tyler pointed out.

"Then make it half sister…."

"That won't work, Sony. You had an interview and talked about your family. You didn't mention a sister then," Tyler pointed out.

"Then find a way to fix this mess, Tyler! I can't deal with it right now. So, fix it!" Sonia snapped at him, unable to hide her irritation.

"Hey, goddess," Harry greeted as he stopped beside her.

"Hi! You're here," she said with a stiff smile and the person she had been talking to turned to talk to someone else's .

"You okay?" he asked softly, reaching out to gently touch her arm.

Jade forced a smile onto her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, her voice tight with forced cheerfulness.

But Harry wasn't convinced. He could see through her facade. "You don't seem fine to me," he pressed, his voice gentle yet firm.

"What's wrong, esquire?" He asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

He knew he had not done anything wrong. They had ended their phone call earlier that morning on a cheerful note with her telling him how much she missed him and couldn't wait for the wedding to be over so that Lucy could return to Tom and she would have him all to herself again.

So, where was the attitude coming from?

Jade hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering away from his. "It's nothing, really," she murmured, but Harry could hear the tremor in her voice.

Harry's heart clenched at the sight of her struggling to keep up her façade. He knew Jade well enough to recognize when something was bothering her, and he wasn't about to let her brush it off so easily.

Knowing that this was going to be a private conversation, Harry took her hand firmly and led her into the house, "Lead the way to your bedroom," he said and Jade took him there.

Harry ignored everyone else as he followed her inside, making a mental note to go say hello to her parents and Lucy's parents after they were done.

The moment they shut the door behind them, Harry faces her, "Now tell me what the problem is. Did someone get you upset?" He asked, his voice soft with concern, but Jade said nothing as her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her dress.

"Tell me, else we are not leaving here. You're going to miss your brother's wedding," Harry said firmly.

Jade hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. She knew she couldn't keep up the pretense.

Finally, she let out a shaky breath, her walls crumbling under Harry's unwavering gaze. "Okay, fine," she relented, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I'm trying to give you some space. I feel like I'm too jealous, too clingy."

Harry's heart ached at her confession, a pang of guilt washing over him. He had never wanted Jade to feel this way in their relationship, and the thought that he might have inadvertently contributed to her distress weighed heavily on his conscience.

"Too jealous? Clingy? What put the idea in your head? Did I say or do anything to make you feel that way?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

"No. It's not you. I was just thinking about us. You might not feel that way or complain now but eventually you might be irritated by it," Jade said, not wanting to mention anything about her conversation with Andy and Candace.

"Esquire, listen to me," Harry said firmly, cupping her face in his hands and forcing her to meet his gaze.

"You are not too clingy, and you have absolutely nothing to be jealous about. I love you just the way you are, and I wouldn't change a single thing about you."

Jade's eyes welled with tears at his words, her heart overflowing with emotion. "But Harry, I just... I don't want to be like this," she admitted, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

"You don't want to be like what?"

"Too clingy. I want to be able to give you space and let you have fun. I want us both to be able to exist separately. I don't want to feel insecure or jealous," she said and Harry's heart broke at the raw honesty in her words.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Look at me, sugar," he murmured, his voice filled with love and sincerity.

"You are a work in progress. Remember we talked about your feeling of insecurity before we started our relationship. I told you then and I will remind you now that you are more than enough for me. You are everything I've ever wanted and more. I love you, not in spite of your clinginess, but because of it. It shows me how much you care and how deeply you love me, and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. I understand that you would rather spend all of your time with me, and I assure you I feel the same way too. But we can work on being able to spend some time apart if it will help you feel better about yourself. For now, let's go attend the wedding, we can talk more about it later," Harry said as he kissed the top of her nose.

In that moment, Jade felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and a sense of relief washed over her as she realized once again that she didn't have to be perfect, and that Harry loved her flaws and all.