“Come on, Jason, do you think I can just get over you leaving me at the hospital like that? How you reacted to me being pregnant? It’s going to be a while before I can forgive you for walking out like that.”
“I was in shock! How do you expect me to react to something like that?”
“Not like that! That was a slap in the face, Jason. Especially with how you’re treating me like I’m a guilty secret that you don’t want anyone to know about. I can’t do that with children involved.”
Jason grimaced. He had gone overboard with trying to keep his private life away from everyone, and Elena had suffered for it.
He was an idiot.
“Elena…”
“I’m not going to hang around and be seen as a bad thing in your life, Jason. You haven’t got me as a priority, and I need to realize that.” Elena sounded close to tears. “I’m going to stay with Fleur for a while. She’ll look after me.”
“What about your job?”
“Carl says I can come back anytime. But right now, I’m not so sure about that. Not after what happened today and the realization that you will never put me first.”
“That’s not fair!” Jason protested.
“I think it’s very fair. Given everything right now, it’s best to put some distance between us until you get your head out of your ass.”
Jason didn’t want her to go. He wanted to go out and chase after her, but he knew Elena wouldn’t react well to that. She was gone. He slumped against the railing.
“Please stay,” he whispered. “I can’t cope without you.”
Elena snorted. “You can cope just fine. Just focus on your team. Once the season’s over, maybe we’ll talk. I hope you figure things out before then, though, because I’m not going to wait around forever while you decide what you want to do with your life. Business isn’t everything, Jason. You’ve got to know that by now.”
“You think I put business over us?” Jason croaked.
“We both know you do.”
Jason wanted to argue that, but he could tell that Elena had made up her mind. He swallowed.
“When are you coming back?”
Elena was silent for a moment.
“I don’t know.”
“Will I be able to get hold of you?”
“You can. I won’t block you. But I do need some space, Jason. Let me have that, at least.”
“I will. I promise.”
Silence again. Jason could feel tears pricking at his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. When Elena spoke again, she sounded on the verge of tears herself.
“Goodbye, Jason.”
Then she hung up, and Jason was left listening to the dial tone, feeling more alone than he ever had in his life.
CHAPTER22
ELENA
ONE MONTH LATER
“How are things going with you, Jen?” Elena asked as she shifted on the couch, adjusting the blanket around her. She moved the phone to her other ear. “It’s not long now until you have the baby, is it?”