Chapter 5

Alena Koch POV:

His words, rotten and condescending, made my stomach churn. I clapped a hand over my mouth, a wave of nausea washing over me, doubling me over. My dream job. The one that would have secured my future, the one that perfectly aligned with my passion. He had stripped it from me, handed it to Britney like a toy. I remembered asking Britney about it, a casual conversation where she' d denied any knowledge, her eyes wide and innocent. I remembered working a string of dead-end jobs, scraping by, just to keep a roof over my head.

Then Mom got sick. The medical bills, mountains of them, grew higher with each passing day. If I' d had that job, the one Jake stole, Mom would have gotten the best care. She might still be alive. The 'what ifs' were a suffocating shroud, each one a fresh torrent of hate for Jake.

Desperate, utterly desperate, I had driven back to Jake' s facility. I stood at the guard gate, swallowing my pride, the last shred of my dignity. I ignored the stares, the whispers, the mocking pity in the eyes of the other visitors. I pleaded, I begged, my voice raw and broken. "Please," I choked out, tears streaming down my face, "just let me speak to Jake. Just for five minutes. I just need to borrow money. My mom... she' s dying."

The guard, a different one this time, looked at me with weary eyes. "Ma' am, Mr. Rodriguez is unavailable. He' s not taking calls. He specifically said not to be disturbed." He didn't even finish my sentence. My blood ran cold, my ears buzzed, the world around me fading into a dull roar. It was like I was back in that phone booth, the same cold voice, the same impenetrable wall. I lunged forward, a desperate, animalistic cry escaping my lips, but the guard held me back, his strong arms a barrier I couldn't break. "Don' t make a scene, ma' am," he said, his voice laced with disdain. "He has a girlfriend now. A new life. You shouldn' t be here. You' re just a distraction."

I stumbled home, my heart a frozen shard in my chest. Later that day, I saw Britney, waltzing through the same gate I' d been barred from, a triumphant smile on her face. That' s when the sympathetic guard from before found me, his face etched with sorrow. "He' s been sending all his hazard pay to her, Alena," he' d said, his voice barely a whisper. "Every single penny. For her emotional support. Didn' t you know?"

That was the moment. The very last thread of hope, of love, of anything connecting me to Jake, snapped. My heart didn't just break; it imploded.

Jake watched me, his face a mixture of confusion and a peculiar tenderness, as I recovered from my nausea. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. He opened it, revealing a delicate diamond ring, sparkling in the sunlight. He gently placed it in my palm. "Alena, I know I messed up. But I' m here now. I' m back. I' ll make it up to you. I promise. I' ll take care of you, always." He smiled, a confident, self-assured curve of his lips. "I didn' t know your mom passing would affect you like this. But we can still have our future. Our wedding. I' ve come back for you."

Then, he turned to Britney, still standing beside him. "Britney, darling," he said, his voice soft, "Alena and I need to do this. Come, you too. We' ll kneel together and pay our respects to Alena' s mom. It' s the right thing to do."

"No!" I shrieked, the sound tearing from my throat, raw and anguished. The pain of Mom' s loss, the bitterness of Jake' s betrayal, surged through me, fresh and overwhelming. Tears streamed down my face, not for him, but for Mom, for the life she lost, for the disrespect they were showing her memory. "You will not! Get away from her grave! You have no right!" My voice cracked, raw with grief and rage.

Jake' s eyes softened, a flicker of genuine remorse in them. He almost seemed ready to back down. But Britney, quick as a viper, dropped to her knees with a dramatic thud. "Oh, Jake, no! Alena, please! I truly am so sorry! I should have never taken that job! I should have never caused you so much pain!" Her voice was laced with desperate tears, a performance so convincing, Jake' s gaze immediately softened towards her. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and wet. "If I don' t pay my respects, Jake, I' ll feel terrible for the rest of my life. It will haunt me! I just need to say I' m sorry to her mom."

She bowed her head, then, with a heavy, exaggerated thud, she smashed her forehead against the marble, not of the ground, but directly into Mom' s headstone. The stone wobbled, then with a sickening scrape, a corner of the marble chipped, sending a shard flying. The entire monument tilted precariously, threatening to topple.

"You bitch!" I screamed, a guttural sound of pure fury. My hand flew out, connecting with her face, a resounding slap. I launched myself at her then, blind with rage, clawing and pushing. "How dare you?! She' s finally at peace! Can' t you even let her rest?!"