Torn 🤎 (Completed)

Chapter 26: Revelations: Part One

Zane ♠️

I got into my Jeep and drove off from Mia's house with so much on my mind. First things first, I couldn't believe that we went from having one of the most amazing nights together, too us ending a relationship before it even had a chance to begin. I wanted Mia so fucking bad but based off what she was saying earlier, I don't think she realized how I really felt about her. Mia is constantly on my mind. Every time I try to push the thought of her to the back of my head, somehow she resurfaced to the forefront. The woman was driving me insane!

I exhaled and swiped my hand down my face frustratingly because on the other hand, I understood why Mia was so hesitant towards giving me a chance. I hated knowing that my toxic relationship with Tanisha was the cause of all of this. Tanisha has always been that one constant in my life that I couldn't shake and she's always been a major reason why most of my relationships didn't pan out. I understood that Mia was only trying to safeguard her heart but knowing that didn't lessen my frustrations at how our situation ended.

Since leaving Mia's house, I drove around indefinitely as a way to clear my head before heading home.

I thought back to the moment I made it very clear to Mia that this was her final chance with me. If she rejected me now, we were done for good. I said this before, but this time I had to stick to my promise.

In the past, I'd made this same decision to distance myself from women countless of times. I would easily cut any woman off that I felt was playing mind games with me. And every single one of those times, I'd never second guessed my decision to end it. But with Mia, it was different. I wanted her so fucking bad that it hurt to think about it sometimes.

So, the decision to leave her alone had my heart sinking into the pit of my stomach. I hated this feeling; I hated having to make this decision in the first place.

Secondly, I thought about the panic-attack Mia had right before I left. Seeing her so helpless and barely able to breathe ripped me to shreds. My natural inclination was to reach out, wrap her into my large arms, and console her. However, realizing that she didn't want that consolation from me, had my heart aching. It was devastating to see her in so much anguish over what was happening with her brother yet, I stood there not being able to do a damn thing about it.

I absolutely did not believe that Joshua did what Harper alleged. And I knew Mia didn't believe it either. If you had half a brain-cell and you knew Harper, you wouldn't believe her either.

Knowing that Joshua was most likely innocent was the hardest part to reconcile in my mind because the man obviously didn't deserve to be going through this or be in jail right now. Because of Harper, Joshua's bright future hung on a thin line which wasn't fair at all.

Even if he's found innocent, Harper was ruining this mans reputation which would follow him for the rest of his life. Every time Joshua went for a new job, the job application will ask him if he'd ever been charged or convicted of a felony. And every single time, Joshua would have to say yes. For the rest of his life, Joshua would have to rehash and explain this painful event so that his employers understood that it was a false allegation. It was a hard pill too swallow and it was hard to imagine how Mia and her family were feeling right now.

Naturally, I felt inclined to reach out to Mia. But by the way she automatically pushed me away, I knew I would only make things worse for her. So, I did the only other thing I could think of that would lessen her anxiety, I left like she wanted me too.

The thoughts swimming in my head had me punching my steering wheel hard. It was the only way I could immediately think of to help me let out some of my frustrations. Why did everything have to be so complicated in life?