Broken Road »» Rick Grimes (TWD)

Chapter 83

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"Ma'am, are you sure you don't want to wait inside the walls?" The guard asked, standing beside me.

"I'm sure." I replied.

I gripped my pistol in my hand, watching as headlights pulled up to White Oak's front entrance. I walked up to Daryl's truck and quickly opened the back door before setting Magnolia's seat inside.

"What happened?" Negan asked, getting out of the truck.

"I thought you was Daryl." I sighed.

"Daryl was on the shitter, I figured by the tone of your voice you didn't have time to wait." He stated, his eyes scanning over me.

"Of course he was." I mumbled as he turned the truck around.

"I mean, I can make you wait and go back and get him." He joked.

"Jess!" Rick yelled to me.

"Jess, stop avoiding me." Rick snapped as I shut the back door.

"We're supposed to be a family." Rick stated, his eyes bloodshot as I turned to face him.

"Don't put that guilt on me. Don't you dare." I sneered as I shoved him away as I climbed into the truck.

"Leave her alone." Negan ordered, his eyes on Rick.

"This isn't your fucking business." Rick spat.

"She made it my business." Negan stated.

"I saved your life." Rick stated, looking at me.

"Do you regret it? Do you wish you hadn't?" I asked, feeling tears threaten to spill.

"No. I don't regret it. Why would you say that?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Just leave it be. Go cry to Lana some more. I'm sure she'd love to comfort you right now. You know, she's the only one who's made you feel special or feel at all." I quoted, bitterly.

"I love you, damnit. I don't want her. I don't want anything to do with her. Haven't I made that clear to you?" Rick yelled.

"No! For fucks sake, you haven't! Ever!" I yelled back, slamming the passenger door.

"Jess, get in the truck." Negan ordered, stepping between me and Rick.

"I'm not losing you." Rick stated.

"You already did." I spat, wanting to find the most hurtful words to spew at him.

"I love you, Jess." He continued, still looking at me as Negan reopened the truck door.

"I thought love was just a feeling, but it's not. At the end of the day, it's also a choice. I chose to love you despite everything. I'm not choosing that anymore. I can't. I won't. You want to see your daughter? You know where to find her. I won't have any dealings with you anymore as long as I live." I replied, watching as his jaw tightened and tears fell from his eyes.

Maybe that was too harsh.

Did I mean it?
Not all of it.

I want to be harsh. I want him to feel hurt.

"Don't say anything else you're gonna regret." Negan ordered me.

I gripped the door with my hand before glancing up at the night sky to inhale a deep breath.

"You never want things to work. If there's a slight problem, you run. You don't try to solve it, you run and you hide." He stated, backing away from the truck.