Were you mine?

Chapter 65 My lifeline

Jake's POV

The sun was just beginning to rise as I pulled up to the house on my bike, exhausted from riding all night. The cool morning air did little to calm the turmoil in my mind. I cut the engine and looked around, expecting to see some sign of Lea,my lifeline, but the house was eerily quiet.Was she still sleeping?

I rushed inside and peeked in from the window. She was not on the couch.

“Lea?” I called out, my voice echoing through the empty space. Panic started to bubble up inside me as I realized the helicopter was gone. “Lea!”

I ran inside, my heart pounding. The house felt hollow, devoid of the warmth and life it had held the night before. I frantically checked every room, calling her name, but there was no response. The bed was unmade, the kitchen untouched, and the garage was just as I had left it.Pulling out my phone, I switched it on and saw a barrage of missed calls and messages. My hands trembled as I scrolled through them, hoping for some clue about where Lea could be. There were messages from Phill. I quickly dialed Phill’s number, my heart racing as the phone rang. He picked up almost immediately.

“Jake! Where the hell have you been?” Phill’s voice was a mixture of anger and concern.

“Phill, where’s Lea? She’s not here and the helicopter is gone,” I said, desperation creeping into my voice.Phill sighed heavily on the other end. “She started having false contractions last night because of the stress. I had to ask the pilot to fly her back to the hospital. Jake, she needed you and you weren’t there.I trusted you to take care of her. You knew her condition was critical.What the hell were you thinking?”

Guilt washed over me like a tidal wave. “Phill, I’m sorry. I didn’t...I had to clear my head. Something happened. Rosa called last night and she...she sent me a DNA report. She’s pregnant and it’s mine.”There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end before Phill spoke again.This time his voice cold, devoid of any emotion.“You’ve got to be kidding me, Jake. You left Lea alone to deal with this? After everything?”

“I know, Phill. I know I messed up,” I said, my voice breaking. “I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t think straight.”

“You never think, Jake.Not when it comes to Lea. That’s the problem,” Phill snapped. “Lea needed you, and you ran off. You need to get your act together. She’s going through enough without you adding to her stress.”

“I’m going to the hospital now,” I said, grabbing my keys and heading back to my bike. “I’ll make it right, Phill. I promise.” Just when I was about to head back to the city, my phone rang. It was Phill again. I answered it, urgency clear in my voice. "Phill, I’m on my way back right away..."

"Jake, wait!” he shouted through the phone, his voice sounding urgent. “There’s something you need to know before you go.”

“What now?” I asked, exasperation creeping into my voice. “Can it wait? I need to be with her.”

“No, it can’t wait,” Phill said, his voice heavy. “Lea found out about her family.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I gasped. “What? How?”

Phill sighed. “I thought you had told her, but...she found an old journal. Your aunt’s journal. She read everything. About her parents. About their murder."The world seemed to tilt on its axis as his words sank in. Lea knew the truth, the horrific truth we’d been trying to shield her from. “Oh my God,” I breathed. “She knows?”

Phill nodded. “Yeah, she knows. I’m sorry, Jake. I thought you had told her, but it turns out she found out on her own. I didn’t mean to accuse you.”I rubbed my face, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “This is...I can’t believe this is happening. She must be devastated.”

“She is,” Phill said quietly.

" Does she know who was behind it? Does she know about... " Phill cut me short. " No. She does know the details or any link with our family. But she is desperate. I can see it in her eyes. She will not stop until she finds the end of it. "

I was about to disconnect and hurry on my way back when suddenly something clicked in my head. " Phill hold on. You said something about accusing me. What did you mean? Did you accuse me in front of Lea? "

There was absolute silence on the other end.

" Damn! You accused me in front of her? So she knows that I know about her family but didn't tell her? " Phill didn't say anything. Then he added a very low, " I know I f*cked up with this one. I am genuinely sorry. I didn't mean to... "

" The hell you did! How am I going to face her? What excuse am I going to give her this time? Damn it! Damn it, Phill! I have my doubts you did it on purpose. But mark my words. When she finds out who actually is behind the misery that her family suffered, she won't go easy on you either. You cannot steal her from me by framing me as the villain. " I had no idea how much I was blabbering. The tension along with the sleepless night was rendering my brain useless.

" Jake! I am not trying to steal Lea from you. You can rest assured about that. " And then he hung up. Either my head started to spin or the world was spinning around me. I sat on the porch. I needed all my energy to start my journey. My journey back to Lea.