7. Broken

From that moment on when I had told Troy the truth I finally thought things would be fine. No more hiding, no more lying. Hopefully that would mean I could finally move on, but of course that wasn't going to happen. Misery sure does love company. It was like I wasn't allowed to be happy and when I finally were I had to pay for it. And this time my price was Troy.

I had promised Troy I wouldn't lie to him again and it really didn't feel like I was. But I knew I was. I was lying to him about Ophie, and I knew it wasn't my place to tell, but I was afraid of his reaction when he found out.

I was holding Ophie in my arms when the doorbell rang. Lena and Jake was in the pool playing water polo. I opened the door and there I saw "Elena?"

Ophie was playing with my ear and my eyes were frozen at her and hers on Ophie. I saw the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Gabby. I'm really sorry." I hugged her with my right arm since I had Ophie in my other. I saw Ophie smiling at her and new tears fell from Elena's eyes.

"Hi baby." Elena said and kissed Ophie's cheek. "You are so big already. Mommy is really sorry."

"He misses you. You know." I told her, even though Jake barely talked about her I knew he missed her. He was just trying to hide his feelings, afraid it would hurt too much.

"He does?" Elena asked surprised it was like she hadn't thought of him until now.

I nodded and she let out a smile. "Is he here?"

"Yes. Let me go get him." I placed Ophie in her chair and went outside to get Jake. He only had a towel over his neck and then his trunks. He picked up Ophie. "Hey baby. So Brie what was it you needed me fo…" He stopped himself as he saw her. Lena came running after. "Yeah Brie what is…" She stopped herself as well.

"Hi." Elena murmured and Jake walked closer to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

Jake walked even closer and Ophie rested her head on his shoulder. "That's not good enough."

Jake said and Lena and me looked confused at each other, I saw this surprised Elena as well.

"I need you. I want you Jake. I want us."

"Why now? Why did you suddenly change your mind now?"

She shrugged. "I didn't realize what I was missing until now."

"You didn't want her."

"And neither did you at first remember."

"I carried her for 9 months, that's gotta count for something."

"And then you left her for what, 7 months. That counts too you know."

Troy walked through the front door. "Hi Elena." He said and hugged her

"Hi Troy." She said and I could hear she was trying to hold back tears.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked concerned for her.

She just shook her head and looked at Jake. "Please Troy. I want to be there for both of you. Please. Can I hold her?" She asked and I walked over to grab Troy.

"We should leave them alone." I dragged him upstairs to my room. He surely was confused. "What's happening down there?"

"I don't know." I lied and he could tell.

"You said no more lying."

"Well Jake's upset because Elena left, and she wants him back, but he can't just do that he's too hurt."

"Well she was hurt too right I mean about the whole adoption thing. They were both hurt so they should just figure it out."

"It's not that easy Troy. She didn't only leave Jake.." I paused and he gave me a suspicious look. "She left Ophie too. Sophia is their daughter. They never put her up for adoption."

"And you cared to mention this when?" I could hear he was mad.

I bit my bottom lip. "It wasn't my place to tell. I promised Jake."

"Wow Gabriella. I thought I could trust you. You promised me no more lies and now this. I'm sorry." He went for the door.

"Where are you going?" I screamed.

"I'm leaving I can't take this anymore. Apparently I can't trust anything you say."

"I hid the other things to protect my family, to protect me! And this I did for Jake. So if that makes me a bad person, then I don't mind being bad!" I screamed at him and I felt tears in my eyes. "It's like all we do is fight and you don't seem to mind, you never trust me!"

"I don't believe I have no reason to."

Tears fall from my eyes. "Then leave! I never hid anything to hurt you! I want you to remember that!"

"That doesn't mean it hurts any less. I'm sorry Brie but I don't trust you anymore!"

I cried badly. "Then why are you still here. I asked you to leave and you staying here hurts me, but remember this is all your fault, because you are doubting me not the other way around."

He left and I felt crumbling to the floor. I felt my heart break in a million pieces, I never meant to hurt him. I never meant to lie. But I was doing it out of love for my family. I needed to protect myself. And with good reason because apparently the truth had done nothing but hurt me even more.

My mom walked in and sat down next to me. "It's okay baby!"

"It hurts mom. Is it really supposed to hurt this bad?"

"Yes sweetie. It's called being in love, we all go through it!"

"I love him." I said and she wrapped her arms around me. "It shouldn't be like this."

"Sometimes when you love someone you need to set them free, and if they come back you know it's meant to be."

"But I don't want to let him go!"

"I know baby, but you got to give him some space. Think about how you would feel if Troy had been hiding the same things from you."

I felt more tears fall and my mom wiped them away. "I would trust him."

She smiled at me. "Just give him some time baby. He'll come around. The way you two are around each other I'm surprised you didn't get together sooner, trust me it's meant to be."

"It sure doesn't feel like that right now."