One Wild Night

Chapter 903  Self-help

The flight back to Ludus was uneventful, but it felt like the longest flight of Harry's life. Every time he glanced at Jade, she was either looking out the window or had her eyes closed, her face set in an expression of quiet determination.

When they finally landed and disembarked, Harry felt a sense of relief mixed with sadness since this wasn't the way he had envisioned their return to be.

They collected their bags and as they made their way to the exit, Jade sighted Tom and Bryan, and she couldn't help feeling an overwhelming flood of relieve, glad that she didn't need to be in Harry's presence any longer.

She watched Tom say something to Bryan as they met them halfway, and Bryan nodded before looking her way and flashing her a smile, "Hey, baby! I missed you," Bryan said, holding out his arms to her, and Jade walked into his arms and sighed deeply as she embraced him.

"Ready to go home?" He asked, and she bobbed her head, unable to say anything, and Bryan took her luggage.

Tom on the other hand shook hands with Harry, "Your car is parked here, right? How about I drive you?" He offered, but Harry shook his head and instead of responding, he turned to look at Jade who was about to leave with Bryan.

"Take care of yourself, Jade," he called softly, and Jade who had been avoiding looking at him, looked at him, and forced a smile. "You too," she said, before walking away.

"Go with her. I'm fine," Harry said and Tom shook his head.

"You're not. Besides, Bryan, Sonia, and Lucy will be home with her. I'm sure this is not how you planned your return trip," Tom said and Harry sighed deeply.

"I really want to be alone. At least for today. Maybe we can talk tomorrow. For now, I just want to be alone," Harry said, and Tom looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

They both followed Bryan and Jade silently, neither of them saying a word, and when they got outside, Harry watched as Jade climbed into the car along with Tom and Bryan.

He stood there for a moment, watching as the car pulled away, feeling as though a piece of his heart was being carried away with it.

As Harry walked to his car, he couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that had settled over him. He knew that this break was necessary, but it didn't make it any easier.

He could only hope that, in time, they would both find the clarity they needed to find their way back to each other.

The drive home was a blur. Harry's mind kept replaying the events of the previous day over and over again. He wondered what Jade was thinking and how she was feeling.

As he pulled up to his apartment building and made his way to his apartment with his bags, he sighed deeply. The familiar surroundings now felt strangely foreign. Everything reminded him of Jade, of the life they had shared, and of the uncertainty that now lay ahead.

Once again he felt the unwelcome claw of regret nip at him. He wished he had not jumped the process. He wished he had remained logical and not allowed himself to be too blinded by his emotions. He wished he had gotten her help that night after their discussion about her insecurities, before going ahead to date her. He wished he had kept to his principles about not living together and not having sex before marriage.

As much as he enjoyed all the time he had spent with her, he wished he believed that if he had done things the right way, something like this would never have happened, and they wouldn't have to deal with these feelings of hurt right now.

The moment he walked into his apartment, he dropped his bags by the door and collapsed onto the couch, feeling utterly drained. He closed his eyes, letting the silence of the apartment wash over him.

For the first time in a long while, he was alone in his apartment, and the reality of the situation hit him hard.

Not wanting to be idle, he rose and got busy with unpacking his bags, trying to keep his mind occupied. He found the ring and the gowns Jade had packed, and his heart ached at the sight. He placed the ring in a drawer and hung the gowns in the closet, hoping that some time in the future, he would see her in them.

Away from there, all through the drive to Tom's house, Jade remained silent in the backseat, and at first Bryan had wanted to engage her in a discussion, but when she kept nodding and grunting and not saying anything, he decided to let her be.

The moment they arrived at Tom's house, Jade got out of the car, and headed inside, and Tom and Bryan exchanged a look.

"I thought you wanted to go with Harry?" Bryan asked, and Tom sighed.

"He said he wants to be alone," Tom said and Bryan shook his head.

"Jade won't say anything, and Harry wants to be alone. They didn't even break up and they are both being like this. What happens if they break up? I'm so glad I'm not you right now," Bryan said with a shake of his head.

Inside the house, Lucy and Sonia who were at balcony headed downstairs the moment one of the domestic staff informed them that Tom and Bryan were back.

As they walked down the stairs, they met Jade coming up, "Hey, Jade," Sonia greeted while Lucy stood back cautiously, looking at Jade.

"Hey, Sonia. Hello, Lucy," Jade greeted, forcing a smile.

"How are you doing? We heard about what happened. We are here for you and if you're up for it, we can have a booze party…"

"You are pregnant," Lucy reminded Sonia, and then looked at Jade, "We can have a sleepover. Let's chat, watch movies or do whatever you want all night," Lucy offered and Jade shook her head.

"No one died. And we didn't even break up. You both don't need to do any of that. And I'm not feeling up for it either. So, thanks. But I just really want to be alone," Jade said, and both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a look.

"We know that no one died and you didn't break up. But we also know that you're sad and we just want to help you feel better however we can. Is there something we can do?" Lucy asked and this time Jade's smile was more genuine.

"Thanks for worrying about me, but it will help if you all don't look at me and treat me so pitifully. It will only make me feel worse. Carry on with all you do as usual. I just need to be alone and figure out some stuff. I will be fine. I didn't die when my ex boyfriend died or when I found out he was cheating and planning to get married to someone else without my knowledge. I'm not going to die now," Jade said, and both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a glance before giving her a nod.

"Okay. But if you change you mind and you want to talk, let us know," Sonia said, and Jade gave her a nod before walking past them and continuing upstairs to her bedroom.

"She is right. Maybe we are all overreacting. Let's let her be," Sonia said and Lucy nodded.

"If I were in her shoes I'd most likely want to be left alone too," Lucy said and they both walked outside to meet Tom and Bryan who were walking in.

"Have you seen her?" Tom asked them, and they nodded.

"Yeah. She wants to be left alone. She will be fine. Let's let her be," Sonia said and Bryan frowned.

"We left her alone when that bastard died. We let her be, and where did that get her? I'm not letting her be," Bryan said but before he could walk away, Sonia held his hand.

"The situation is different this time. They are taking a break, and we all know it's for good reason. I'm sure she knows it too. Jade is smart. Let's give her time to clear her head," Sonia said calmly.

Bryan looked at Tom, and Tom gave him a nod, "If she wants to be alone, let's let her be. At least she knows she doesn't have to be alone and we are all here. It's not the same as when she was in Varis all alone and we couldn't really be there for her," Tom said and Bryan sighed.

"Don't worry too much. She will be okay," Lucy said softly.

"I will take her bags to her," Bryan said before walking away.

Inside Jade's bedroom, the moment she walked in, she got on her bed and curled up in it.

All through the duration of the flight, she had been unable to think because she had been painfully aware of his presence next to her and all she had been able to do was to keep herself from crying or reaching for his hand.

But all through the drive home from the airport, she had been deep in thought about the whole situation. As much as her heart ached, she was trying to be logical about what was going on.

She knew that this break was painful, but she also knew that it was necessary. She needed time to heal, to overcome her insecurities and fears.

She believed that the time apart would help her grow, and she would find the strength to face her problems and come out stronger on the other side. And most of all, she hoped that one day, they would be able to look back on this time and see it as a turning point, a moment when they chose to fight for their love rather than let it slip away through the cracks of insecurity.

For now, she would take things one day at a time, focusing on her own healing and growth. She knew that Harry loved her and she believed that he would be waiting for her, and that thought gave him a small measure of comfort.

She was strong, and she would get through this, no matter how difficult it might be, taking a deep sigh, Jade sat up and picked up her phone.

If she was going to heal, she needed to start working on herself now so she wouldn't keep Harry waiting for too long.

She went on the internet and googled self-help books. A couple of them popped up and just as she was reading the reviews on them, Bryan knocked on her door, announcing that he was with her bag.

"Come in," Jade called out, and Bryan walked in.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyes brimming with concern.

"Trying to be," she said, and he nodded as he kept her bags beside the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What are you doing right now?" Bryan asked curiously.

"Shopping for self help books," she said, and he nodded with approval.

"You know, I didn't like books much until Sonia. I'd rather watch a self help movie," he said, and she smiled.

"I don't think that's a thing," she said, and seeing how she was responding he decided to talk to her some more.

"You know, I wasn't really cool with the idea of you and Harry at first," he started, and Jade shook her head.

"Harry didn't do anything wrong. It was me…"

"I'm not trying to blame him. What I'm saying is, at first I didn't like the idea of someone I know being with you. You're my precious little sister after all and I didn't think anyone I know is good enough for you. That was until Tom assured me that Harry was cool. I saw it for myself too. Harry is a great guy. If Mom, Dad and Tom thinks so, I believe it too. You're a great lady too. One of the smartest and most beautiful lady I know. Second only to my Sony of course, and third to my daughter if our Ryso is a girl," he joked, and Jade laughed softly to his relief.

"What I'm trying to say is that you both deserve to be in love and to be happy together. Quit letting your bastard ex get in the way of your happiness. Stop letting him interfere in your life else I'm going to go dig up his grave and give his corpse a good beating," Bryan said and Jade laughed again.

"And just so you know, you're so lucky to have a brother like me," Bryan said and Jade raised an eyebrow.

"Am I?"

"Yes. You should be thankful I'm not vengeful. I'd love to yell at you right now and snap at you like you did to me when I had issues with Sony (chapter 484) but I'm too sweet and love you too much," he said and she laughed.

"I guess I'm lucky," she said and Bryan smiled.

"You are. You'll be fine, Jady," Bryan said as he rose to leave, "I will let you get back to your books. Everyone said I should leave you alone."

"Thanks," she said, and Bryan gave her a thumbs up before walking away.