Midnight Moon: Black Widow

Chapter 12: Breaking the News

Maria and I sat next to each other on the couch when Rosalie walked inside. I could tell she was going to break down into tears once I broke the news to her. I couldn't stand the idea of not only hurting one Heisenberg woman, but another one as well.

Rosalie eyes feel on us. I couldn't stand the idea of hurting her, but I couldn't avoid eye-contact. She asked, "Mom, dad, what's going on?"

Maria and I uncomfortably glanced at each other. I tried to avoid getting emotional. I answered, "You're mom and I are separating."

She looked as if those words felt like a gunshot wound to the chest, because she clutched her chest, gasping. She asked, "Mom, is that, t-true?"

Maria got up, saying, "Sweetheart, it has nothing to do with you, I promise," she placed her hands on my shoulder. She shuttered. "Your dad and I love each other so much, but we don't work anymore."

Rose drowned out her words, and she shook her head. She breathed, "I have to go. I need to talk to Mercedes." She turned around and walked out the door, quickly.

Maria turned to me and asked, "Will she forgive us?"

I glanced up and answer, "I can't see the future when I'm emotionally distraught. So, I don't know."

"I figured she'd didn't take it well," Ariana said as I arrived in the Heisenberg manor, which was built over ten years ago for my daughter and I.

I sighed, "She'll come around. She has to. Bottom line, she loves me and Maria."

Ariana looked around in the library and said, "I'm still trying to grasp how huge the manor is. How rich are you?"

"I don't think it matters. Just know that money doesn't make you happy. And I have plenty of it," I answered.

"Fair enough. Since I never asked, how was work?"

"You know," she walked closer to me, "You never told me that Mercedes wanted to be a teacher, too. But that's besides the point. Gosh, she's so beautiful. It's different when I'm with her.

"Whenever I see her, I'm reminded of all the good times we had together, every since we were fifteen.

"Nothing's changed, Jeff. I still love her," she insisted.

"Well, if love is real, it'll find a way, " I replied. "Five years. That's nothing. I went sixty years thinking that Maria was dead.

"I'm sure Mercedes loves Rosalie, but I know that she loves you more. And as much as it pains me, Rosalie will get her heart broken my Mercedes. That's inevitable.

"I think that a lot of people are gonna get their hearts broken this year." I was implying myself.

Following our conversation, I went upstairs to my room. I know that my heart is breaking. I left Maria because I found that I was in love with Ariana.

She has no idea. If she loved anyone, it's definitely not me. It's Mercedes. I wanted to tell her that Mercedes had moved on, and it's time for you to move on. But I couldn't hurt her like that.

"If you need anything at all... Just come find me. Even though there are five hundred rooms here," I joked.

She scoffed and a grin etched on get face. Walking closer to me, Ariana wrapped her arms around my waist. She whispered, "I'm afraid of the dark. And I don't like being alone. I have monophobia"

I glared at her skeptically. She insisted, "Jeff, please. I don't like being alone. And you're so warm. "

Still glaring at her skeptically, I asked, "I thought that you liked girls; why do you want to get in bed with me, a man?"

"Jeff," she whispered, "I know that you know who I am. I love Mercedes. Bottom line. And then there's you: Jeff, you're my best friend. That's all you'll ever be to me."
I tried to hide the hurt from hearing her say those words: "Jeff, you're my best friend. That's all you'll ever be to me."

With this, she walked away. I couldn't deny that I was hurt by what she said, but I also couldn't deny a
how sexy she was she said it.

"Who are you texting? Wait..Never mind?" I sighed and added, "Psychic." She sat her phone down on my bed and sat up on the bed, confused.

"What the hell, Jeff?"

"What?"

"You're in your underwear," she whispered, shaking her head, and chuckled softly. She sank her face in her hands. "Jeff, just... Never mind, I'll just sleep on the floor. I-"

"No. Don't . I rarely sleep, anyways. It'll be fine," I interrupted. "Plus, it's a really big bed." Even though I tried to act smooth around Ariana, it just made everything more awkward.

She shifted over on the bed so that I could lie down next to her. I was she sat, slumped over texting Mercedes. I tried not to be upset about it simply because Mercedes is oblivious to Ariana, yet I hear from Rose that she talks about "Michelle" all the time.

That reminded me of something: since Mercedes is gong to find out about who Michelle really is, why not tell her now to get it over with. "Why don't you tell her?" I asked. Ariana's piercing glare made uncomfortable. She glanced back her phone because Mercedes texted her back. "You do realize that she has a girlfriend, right? And that girlfriend is my daughter. You two text all the time now. Rosalie talked to me yesterday about you two.

"You are all what Mercedes is talking about. I-"

"It's not your business. Mercedes is MY wife, okay. Whatever she feels for Rose is absolutely nothing compared to us. I get it-"

"No you don't get it!" I shouted. I sighed afterwards. "I've hurt my daughter SO much that it amazes me that hasn't ran away like she did years ago. I know you and Mercedes love each other; I get that, but what about MY daughter! She's gonna get her broken because Mercedes is clearly falling for someone who isn't honest about who they are.

"Ariana, best believe that five years may seem short, but so much
has happened. Tell her the truth, before it's too late," I assured her.