“Mari, I’m done with you. Lose my number, or there’s gonna be problems, I promise you,” Jaden said. He stormed out the house they bought together. What have I done? I don’t want to lose him, Mari thought. The knot in her throat took control and she could barely breathe. Choking up, she spit the hot saliva out into the kitchen sink. Mari looked around; the crispy white paint seemed to have rot into a stinky yellow glow. When the door opened and closed, it let in an unwelcomed breeze, the kitchen turned into a refrigerator. But somehow, Mari and Jaden were standing in the middle of a bloody battlefield, a desert, on opposite sides of the front door. Minutes tick-tocked across the atmosphere, and felt like hours, causing sharp daggers to stab at her stomach and rip everything apart. Stepping out into the snipping winds, Jaden stared back at the door. No, I can’t go back to her this time, he thought, and quickly strode toward the car. He paused, feeling a headache pounding through his skull. Go back Jaden, maybe she’ll learn this time. NO! Get in the car because she’s never going to change her ways. Jaden climbed in the car and slammed the door, fuming. His phone rang.
“What?” Jaden answered.
“We need to talk it out, please. Come back so we can talk it out,” Mari pleaded, shivering.
“Nah, I’m not yours anymore. You can’t control me. Feel free to move on,” Jaden replied.
“NO! I…please, just don’t leave,” Mari said. But it was too late. Jaden had already hung up. Holding back steamy tears, she felt a cold sweat break down her back. Five years ago, life was a paradise. But sometime along the way, Jaden stopped caring. Mari knew he was tired of the fights, but still didn’t understand why he wouldn’t keep trying. No matter how much his words killed her to hear, she stood by him. She was his rock.
Mari stood in the kitchen in disbelief. Jaden was gone. What’s gonna happen if I hold on? Is he gonna go out and find someone new now? After all this time, and he’s able to walk away so easily, Mari thought. She shook her head like a baby’s rattle. Clouds hovered in the sky, while warm tears sped down her face. Her throat clogged up like a rusty pipe, and she felt an instant pull from inside her stomach. She ran to the bathroom and dropped hard on her knees. Mari watched the lumpy pale guts pour out of her, into the toilet. Her sickness was released; her intense throbbing departed her stomach. She cleaned herself up and made her way to the computer. She looked through old photos of them before they moved in together, and reread old conversations she had stored. Mari’s breathing became heavy as she typed in Jaden’s email address, pressed the “forward” button and hit “send”. The deed was done, and she sat in confusion, wondering what she’d get from it. A man’s voice stopped her heartbeat with a loud “you’ve got mail”. Mari looked up, “Santo Dios, Ayúdame por favor. Tu amor me hace bien. Te necesito ahorita. Ayúdame,” she whispered. Slowly moving the mouse, she finally clicked the returning message from Jaden. It read:
I hope you feel some type of way. I was all for you. But you were all for drama. I would have done ANYTHING FOR YOU IN A HEARTBEAT. But you were never as grateful, you claimed you loved me and did other shit. I was writing shit like this to you on a DAILY basis. And you were out doing Jaden dirty. That's not cool. What are your intentions? Why are you sending me all this? I have all this documented already. I would have bowed down at your command. You lost me to your games. I can't go any longer with you. However, I won’t completely let you go. You’ve been my everything for too long. But you fucked shit up. So bye. Don’t send me anything again.
At the last word, Mari couldn’t help but sob. Not knowing what to do, she shut down her computer and threw herself on the floor. Rubbing herself along the carpet, her hair frizzed up, her sweat trickled to the rug, and her breaths became short. Within a second, Mari couldn’t breathe. Gasping for air, she started to shake out of control; she tried to call out to Jaden, but it didn’t work. Her fists clenched and her body tightened, she used her arms to drag her along to the bathroom door. It was as if a ghost was chasing her, and grabbed her by the neck. Darkness was closing in, Mari lost all her senses. Blackout.
At Morristown Medical Hospital, Jaden rushed through the maroon double doors.
“Where is she??” he asked.
“Are you Mr. Seclude?” the doctor asked.
“Yes yes! Jaden Seclude, the patient’s boyfriend. Tell me everything,” Jaden demanded.
“Well… Mr. Seclude…Mari had a stress-induced anxiety attack, followed by a heart attack. Sir, this young woman was pregnant with your baby,” the doctor replied, gulping.
“What?? A…a baby?! Is she okay now? How’s her heart? We had a fight, doctor and I know it hurt her. But oh my goodness! A baby! I know I’ve made a mistake,” Jaden chanted.
“Mr. Seclude, I’m so sorry. Mari… didn’t make it,” the doctor said. He patted Jaden on the shoulder, looking into his small watered eyes, and once again mouthed “I’m sorry”. Jaden took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the doctor walked away, giving him the space he needed. He stumbled over to the seat close by, feeling dizzy. Jaden shielded his face with his hands and began to whimper. Mari…I love you, he thought.
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