Darkness

Wait... no. No, no, no," Ray muttered, shaking his head hard.

"Wha.........what .........are you saying, Jess?" He asked looking me straight in the eye but I couldn't say a word.

"Hey Jess. I'm talking to you" he said and when I didn't respond he shook me so hard I felt dizzy. "Will you just talk. Is talking so hard?" He shouted but a hand stopped him. I knew it was Don without looking.

"You're hurting her Ray" Don snapped at him but he was still looking at me. Ray took his arms off me. His expression hurt. I hated myself for that. I didn't want to see him that way. I didn't want to be the cause of his pain. But there's nothing I could do to change things.

"Tell me this isn’t what I think it is, Jess. Tell me this isn’t....." Ray couldn't even continue. His face contorted in horror.

"Why didn't you tell me about it? Jess….... tell me it’s not what I think it is.” he added and I could tell he was struggling inside.

Tears welled in my eyes. “Ray....... I.......I'm sorry" was all I could get out. "I'm sorry" I added.

He stumbled back as if I had struck him. His breathing turned ragged, his hands shaking at his sides.

"Who is it? He yelled causing me to flinch. Tears continued to drop.

"I'm asking you Jess." He yelled again but all I could do was turn my gaze to Don, sobbing loudly this time around.

"I'm sor.....I'm sorry" I was saying in between sobs I couldn't say more than that. His gaze then snapped to Don.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" He asked, laughing bitterly. "What a fool I am. How could I not notice" he added

"Since she can't talk, you can atleast tell me right, Don?" He added but Don gave no response. The room went silent.

"I'm sorry" Don said after a long silence.

"Wait....why are you sorry, Don? Ray snapped at Don looking confused. He looked fromDon and then to me and realization struck. I could tell. I couldn't stop my tears from falling at that point. There was absolutely no going back.

“You.........Wait you........" He couldn't even continue.

"It's.........It’s not you, is it?” he asked in a whispery voice. As if trying hard not to say the words.

"Right Don. Tell me it's not you" he yelled.

"I'm sorry" Don said again.

"No.... No. This can't be true" he said shaking his head as if trying to force himself to wake up.

"It cannot be you Don. It cannot. Tell me it's not you Don" he yelled

"I'm sorry" Don said again. He opened his mouth again but Ray was already moving before he could say anything. He lunged at him, shoving him hard against the wall. “You bastard!” he yelled. Then he began throwing punches which Don did nothing to block.

“Ray..... Ray please stop!” I cried rushing towards them, grabbing his arm, but he shook me off.

The commotion drew attention. We weren't particularly quite since I was yelling at Ray to stop but he was beyond reasoning at that point. He kept throwing punches at Don who was now on the floor. I could only scream at him to stop but he wasn't stopping. The door burst open again, and suddenly, the room was full. Jared was the first to intervene, dragging Ray away from Don. He didn't make a move to stand. He just kept the blank expression. Tee ran to me, her eyes showing that she knew what was going on. All I could do was sob.

My mother, my father, Jared, Don's parents, Tee.... everyone was there. Their faces filled with confusion and growing horror. Tee's especially.

“What’s going on here?” Mom was the first to ask. Demanding an answer after Jared held Ray, stopping him from hitting Don, her voice sharp but none of us responded.

"Will someone say something?" Don's mum asked after the silence.

Ray laughed, but it was hollow and broken. He turned to my parents, pointing at Don and me. “Ask them. Ask Jess and Don what they have been hiding.” he said in a completely hurting voice. Mum turned to me in confusion.

"What's he talking about, Jess?" She asked and I couldn't help but sob more. I didn't want to answer that.

"She can't say it. How can she possibly say it out," Ray said bitterly and I could see the realization dawning in mum's eyes. My mother’s hand flew to her mouth and Jared’s jaw clenched. Tee looked at me, her expression torn between fear and sadness.

And then, my father’s voice, heavy with disappointment “Jessica. What is he talking about?” he asked

The room spun around me, a blur of faces and bright lights. My world was falling apart, piece by piece, and I couldn’t stop it. My carefully built world was shattering, each piece of my life falling apart and leaving cracks in my heart. I tried to speak, to cry out and explain the turmoil inside me, but no sound escaped. My throat felt parched, every breath felt painful and a reminder of my despair. My hands trembled uncontrollably.

I opened my mouth again to speak, to explain, but no words came.

Then, like a knife through the silence, Ray’s voice sliced through.

“She’s pregnant,” he spat, his voice filled with pain. “And it’s not mine.”

His words struck like a thunderbolt. Gasps echoed through the room like a shockwave. My mother clutched her chest, her face pale. My father’s eyes darkened, his disbelief turning into something worse, disappointment. The raw pain in the room was almost too much to bear.

And then...

The silence shattered.

Eyes burned into me. The weight of shame and heartbreak crashed over me like a tidal wave. I suddenly felt crushed under a wave of shame and betrayal. I felt like I was drowning in sorrow as every heartbeat pounded with unbearable regret. The overwhelming weight of everything pressed down on me, leaving me feeling small, lost, and utterly broken.

The night wasn’t about joy anymore. It wasn't. It was about lies, betrayal and the end of everything I had tried to hold together.

My head swam. My vision blurred and my knees buckled beneath the crushing pressure of despair. The bright lights began to fade until they were swallowed whole.

Then..... darkness.

I was falling.

And I didn’t feel a thing.

I gave in to the darkness. I fainted, falling into a deep void where all I could hear was my fast beating heart.

A quiet sign of a night full of broken dreams and deep loss.

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