Chapter Twenty Two

THE TRUTH BETWEEN US

GABRIELLA'S POV

The soft morning light creeped through the curtains that were left partially open, giving the room a soft light.  I blinked against the brightness, trying to let my eyes adjust to the light.

I rolled onto my side, stretching my body,  then my hands as I tried to reach for him, expecting to find Jax lying next to me but all I felt was cold, empty sheets.

The bed and the room were quiet. Jax wasn't here. He was gone.

A strange feeling settled in my chest but it was not panic, or fear  but it felt like something pressed against my ribs, and it was heavy and uncomfortable. I sat up slowly, rubbing on my  eyes, trying to breathe in to fight the tightness in my throat.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet touching the cold wooden floor. But before I could even stand, a sharp twist of shot through my stomach. It was sudden,and sharp and so strong it made me unable to breathe for that moment.

My hand flew to my mouth as another wave hit me, harder this time.

I rushed to the bathroom, and I had barely even made it to the toilet in time. My knees sink to the floor with a soft thud, and I held onto the cold edges of the toilet seater, coughing and gagging as my stomach emptied itself.

It felt endless. My chest heaved, tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and when it finally stopped, all I could do was sit there. I was shaking and my body felt weak.

When I had tried to move, the world around me felt like it was dancing. My head spun, the walls swayed, and I rested my forehead against the cool surface of the bathroom tiles, trying to stop the dizziness.

I sat there, unable to move at that moment, my breathing coming out slowly, as I tried to calm the strange weakness that crawled through my bones. My heart thumped too fast, my hands felt clammy, and I knew deep down that something had changed.

Could it be–

A soft knock echoed from the door, interrupting me from my thoughts.

"Gabriella?"

Jack's voice I'd what I heard.

I stayed silent, pressing a hand to my chest, hoping he would just go away. But I wasn’t fast enough. The sound of me gagging again must have reached his sharp ears.

The door handle clicked. The door swung open.

Jack stood there, tall and strong, but his face was pale, his eyes wide with panic.

"Gabriella," he said, walking in fast, dropping down to his knees in front of me. "What’s wrong? Tell me."

I shook my head, trying to sit up straighter, wiping at my mouth with trembling fingers.

"I’m fine," I whispered, voice too soft to sound convincing. "It’s nothing."

But Jack didn’t believe me.

He cupped my face in his hands, his warm palms cradling my cold cheeks. His thumbs brushed under my eyes as if he could wipe away the weakness sitting there.

"You don’t look fine," he said, voice low but firm. His eyes searched mine like he was trying to solve a puzzle. "You look pale. Sick."

I tried to give him a small smile, but even that felt like too much work. My head still spun. My stomach still felt tight and sour.

Jack stood up quickly, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"I’m calling the healer. Right now."

I sat up straighter, panic blooming in my chest for a different reason. I reached out, grabbing his wrist, trying to pull the phone away.

"Jack, stop," I said, a little louder, my voice shaking. "You don’t have to."

But he didn’t stop. His thumb hovered over the screen, ready to press the call button.

"You need help," he said, voice sharp but full of fear. "I can’t just stand here and watch you like this."

"Jack, listen to me," I said, swallowing hard. My heart pounded against my ribs. I could see the fear written all over his face. It twisted something inside me.

"It’s not something the healer can fix," I whispered.

He frowned, lowering the phone just a little.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I closed my eyes for a second, letting out a slow breath. There was no running from it anymore. The truth was too big, too heavy to hide.

"I’m pregnant."

Silence.

The air grew still, so still that I could hear the soft ticking of the clock on the wall and the distant sound of birds outside the window. Jack didn’t move. His face stayed frozen, his mouth slightly open, his eyes wide.

The words hung between us, sharp and heavy.

Jack slowly lowered the phone, his arm falling to his side. His chest rose and fell, but no sound came out. His eyes looked like they were trying to make sense of the world, like everything had been flipped upside down.

Pregnant.

His jaw tensed, lips pressing into a thin line. Then his gaze dropped lower. I saw the exact moment his eyes landed on the faint mark between my shoulders, his eyes fixed on the silver mate mark, Jax’s mark.

Everything about him changed.

His face lost all color. His hands curled into tight fists at his sides. His whole body stiffened, like he’d been hit by something heavy.

"You’re…" he started, but the words got stuck in his throat. He swallowed hard, blinking slowly. "You’re pregnant... with his child."

It wasn’t a question.

It was the truth, standing there between us, sharp and cruel.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Jack stepped back, like he needed space just to breathe.

"You should’ve told me," he whispered, voice small and broken. "You should’ve told me the truth."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat closed up, tight with guilt.

Jack didn’t wait for an answer.

His face hardened, eyes dark with something I couldn’t name because it was not just hurt, but betrayal. His hands shook slightly, his chest rising and falling faster. And then he turned on his heel, walking out of the room without looking back.

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the house.

I sat there, frozen on the bathroom floor, the silence louder than any scream.

My heart ached. My chest felt empty, hollow, like all the air had been sucked out of me.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I pushed myself to my feet. My legs felt weak, my whole body still shaky, but I moved toward the door, grabbing the frame for support.

"Jack," I called, my voice barely more than a whisper. "Please. Wait."

My body carried me before I could think, as I ran after him.