My Girlfriend’s Dad: Part 9

Chase POV

I didn't know how to respond. An icy cold dagger had just punctured my heart and lungs. I couldn't breathe. Tears had welled up in my eyes, and I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't breathe.

I started to hyperventilate. I couldn't catch my breath. The tears had started falling.

"Chase! Chase! It's okay. You're okay! Hey look at me okay?", Jackie spoke.

Switching to Third Person POV

——

Jackie held his face with each hand on both sides of his cheeks. She verbalized each breath by taking a deep breath slowly but loudly. Chase began to slow his breathing watching her. She then pulled him in for a hug "You're okay Chase, you're okay!", she rubbed his back. He finally became quiet and slowly pulled away from her sitting in the passenger seat. Jackie started the car,buckling her seat belt, she reached over and buckled Chase up. Jackie had pulled out of parking lot and merged onto the highway silent with the only sounds present not of their voices but of the engine and wind. Chase sat in the passenger seat of Jackie's car, his heart heavy with disappointment and longing. Lior's absence weighed on him like a leaden anchor, dragging him down into a pit of despair. He had counted on Lior to be his rock, his beacon of hope in the darkness of rehab, but now that hope had been shattered.

"So, uh, Jackie," Chase began tentatively, his voice tinged with sadness. "You said your parents are back together?"

He wiped his tears as they still slowly streamed down his face.

Jackie nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy as she glanced at Chase. "Yeah," she replied softly. "It's complicated, but they're giving it another shot."

Chase felt a wave of despair wash over him. He had hoped that his time in rehab would give him a chance to rebuild his relationship with Lior, but now it seemed like everything had changed. "And… what about Lior?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jackie sighed, her gaze filled with sadness. "He's trying, Chase," she said quietly. "But it's not easy for him."Chase's heart sank even further. He knew that Liorwas struggling with his own demons, but he couldn't help but feel abandoned and alone. "What does that mean for us?" he asked, his voice heavy with despair.

Jackie reached out and gently squeezed Chase's hand, her touch offering a small measure of comfort. "I don't know, Chase," she admitted, she gave him a slight smile. "But I do know that I care about you. A lot."

Chase forced a weak smile, grateful for Jackie's kindness but unable to shake the ache in his heart. "I care about you too, Jackie," he said softly. "But I don't think I can be with you."

Jackie's expression suddenly hardened, she had sat quiet for a few minutes then finally her frustration boiled over. "She snapped, her voice tinged with anger. "You can't just walk away like this, Chase. We've been through so much together."

She sounded hurt almost as if she were about to cry. Chase recoiled at Jackie's sudden outburst, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't expected her to react this way, but he also couldn't deny the truth of her words. "I know, Jackie," he said softly, his voice filled with regret. "But I can't keep pretending that everything is okay when it's not."

The car was silent for another ten minutes and then he spoke "How could you still trust me after I slept with your father? Jackie you deserve someone better…", he spoke with a hint of anger in his voice.

Jackie finally made eye contact with him, her expression a mix of betrayal, disgust, and anger. "I trusted my father," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I trusted my father and I wanted him to be happy so I was prepared to let him be happy, I was prepared to let him have you Chase… but he knew better." But you knew better too."

Chase's heart sank as her words hit him with the weight of their truth. "Jackie, I…"

"Don't," she interrupted sharply, her tone cutting through the air like a knife. "Don't say anything. You've said enough."

Chase felt a knot tighten in his chest, overwhelmed by the hurt he had caused. "I'm sorry," he managed to whisper, the words barely audible over the hum of the engine.

"You're sorry?" Jackie's voice rose with anger. "Do you even understand what you've done? How could you do this to me, to us?"

Chase struggled to find the right words, guilt and shame washing over him. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he said weakly, his own voice thick with emotion.

Jackie shook her head, her anger palpable. "But you did and I forgave you," she said bitterly. "You hurt me in ways I can't even begin to explain."

The car fell into silence again, the tension between them thick and suffocating. Jackie focused on the road ahead, her jaw clenched tightly. Chase stared out of the window, unable to meet Jackie's gaze, consumed by remorse.

As they drove on, the only sounds in the car were the engine's steady hum and the faint rush of wind. Jackie's heart ached with a mixture of pain and anger, struggling to make sense of the betrayal she felt. She loved Chase deeply, but she couldn't ignore the hurt he had caused. But, struggled to deny she was happy her father was no longer with Chase.