Bring Me To Life

The unspoken Truth...

Jenn's Pov

The phone rang, interrupting my lunch date with Ben. "Hello..?" I answered.

"Hey gorgeous, how are you?" The man on the other end asked. His voice triggered a wave of disgust, evident from the expression on my face.

"Don't call me that. What do you want?" I retorted, irritation lacing my tone.

"I want to have a meeting with you soon, very soon. It's about our businesses," he declared.

"Take that up with Benny or my assistant. Don't call me again," I snapped, cutting the call. I turned to Ben, who wore a concerned expression. "Sorry about that... It was my ex... calling about business. I don't know why he bothered when I had his number blocked," I explained.

"No worries, I understand. But, do you plan on staying in contact with him once everything is settled?" Ben inquired, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Not really. Honestly, no. Staying in contact would only give him leverage to disrupt my life or try to rekindle some business partnership," I replied, taking a sip of my water.

"Alright... Good to know," Ben nodded, visibly relieved. However, his expression shifted as he checked his phone. "Shit," he muttered.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling a twinge of anxiety.

"My ex-wife wants to drop off the kids right now. But I can't take them since you and I are on our date... I just don't know how she found out that I was back in LA already," he explained, texting his ex-wife.

"Well, we can cancel. Your kids come first," I suggested, offering a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure? I feel bad; this was just unexpected," Ben said.

"It's fine, really. I understand," I reassured him.

"Why don't you come meet them?" he proposed.

"Meet your kids right now? I don't think it's appropriate," I replied softly.

"No, of course. I insist. Please?" Ben asked, holding my hand.

"Ben, I really don't think it's a good time. Let's plan it for another day or next week," I suggested.

"Alright," Ben sounded disappointed and texted his ex-wife that he'd be home soon.We bid each other goodbye. "I don't want to leave you," Ben whispered in my ear, holding me close.

"You have priorities. I understand, babe," I said softly, smiling.

"Promise you'll text me when you get home?" he requested. I nodded, and as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips, I reciprocated briefly before pulling away and leaving.

As Ben sighed and headed to his car, I immediately called Leah. "Leah?"

"Well, hello to you too!"

"Sorry, I'm panicking. I was at lunch with Ben, and just now, I got a call from Alex. I think he's up to his games again."

"You didn't tell Ben, did you?"

"What do you mean? How am I supposed to tell him that I have a complicated history with Alex? I somewhat mentioned that Alex was difficult, but in bed, he's so different. I can't find that anywhere else."

"I... I'm in shock, Jen. You can't paint him as an asshole and still be involved with him. You need to stop before Ben finds out the whole truth."

"But how?"

"Babe, you knew what you were doing when you got with Ben. I can't help you with that. The only thing I'll say is that you have to take legal action so he doesn't spill everything to Ben."

"Okay, I'll text my lawyer and Benny."

"Good. Also, as your friend, I promise I won't say a word either."

"Okay... by the way, are you free later tonight? I need some girl time."

"Yes, I'll bring Sof over so she and the twins can hang out."

"Alright, text me when you're coming."

"Got it. Love you!"

"Love you too, Lee."

I hung up and tried to stave off an impending anxiety attack. I couldn't believe I forgot to cut all ties with Alex, and now I was in deep trouble. I sighed and texted my lawyer and Benny about the situation and sought advice on preventing Alex from revealing everything.

To be continued...