THE HONOURABLE MAN

Episode 22

Bryce walks out of his friend’s house and heads to Kiana’s place, it doesn’t take him more than ten minutes to get there he pulls up the car away from the gate. Although he has been drinking he is nervous as hell and his eyes are teary like those of a grieving person. Today he was supposed to be having dinner with people who were expected to be his future in laws. How is he going to face tomorrow without Kiana by his side and with the guilt of breaking her heart?

Kiana is unable to fall asleep no matter how hard she tries she lays in bed starring at the ceiling while a thousand questions run through her mind. Today didn’t go as planned and Bryce has been acting out of character, he has never ignored her calls or messages before. She fears something bad may have befell him and worrying about him is driving her insane and she can’t take it anymore. If she had a car she would have drove to his place after dinner, she would give anything to know what’s going on with him.

Not knowing is the worst feeling ever thus she needs to know for her own sanity.

When her phone suddenly vibrates, she instantly jumps off the bed to grab it from the side table, noting Bryce’s name on her screen she breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh babe you have no idea how worried sick I have been, what’s going on are you okay?” Bryce remains silent as he cannot bring himself to move his lips.

“Bryce, are you there? Hello. . .” “Come outside,” he finally manages to speak. She doesn’t need to be told twice, she grabs her jacket and sneaks out of the house.

She finds it a bit odd that he isn’t waiting for her outside the car like he usually does. When she is five steps away from the car, he pushes the door open for her to get in. The first thing she does is throw her arms around him.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see that you are okay, I have been so worried. Can you please tell me what’s going on?” Bryce realises he has no idea what to say to her, he doesn’t know where to begin, he even thinks he made a mistake by coming. He cannot even bring himself to look at her, he is afraid staring at her sweet and adorable face would only cause him to break down into tears. It hurts him badly that he cannot be with her again, he cannot be the one to make her smile and he can’t bear the thought of another man being with her.

“Bryce please talk to me, what’s going on?” She begins to cry as she senses that something is very wrong. “Kiana I came here to tell you that we can’t be together anymore,” he blurts leaving her bewildered. “Why are you saying that, are you breaking up with me?” “Yes” he curtly responds trying very hard to keep his voice calm and to fight off the tears that are threatening to fall. “Why? Did I do something wrong?” she blubbers.

“No it has nothing to do with you, it’s me. I can’t be with you and I can’t explain much so please just leave and go back inside.” “No! You cannot propose to me, take my virginity and then break up with me without explaining yourself, you owe me an explanation Bryce Adams and I am not leaving here until I get it,” she yells.

“Well I don’t have one,” he snaps. This isn’t the Bryce she knows, he would never be so cold to her or dare to raise his voice at her like that or maybe he has been pretending all along and now he has decided to show her his true colours.

“Are you telling me everything we had and everything you promised me was all a lie just to get me in your bed and now that you have got what you wanted you want nothing to do with me?” “Kiana I didn’t have to do anything to get you in my bed, you threw yourself at me the very first week we met and don’t forget that I’m the one who kept turning you down so why bother mentioning it now when I was only giving you what you wanted all along.”

Kiana is enraged and she retaliates by slapping him on the face, “how dare you talk to me like that?” she sputters but Bryce seems unfazed.

“Here is the thing Barbie there is someone in my life and she is moving in with me because we are expecting a baby in a few months to come so I guess it’s time for me to be a family man and stop fooling around with teenage girls.”

Kiana’s heart pounds forcefully and faster than ever and she feels like she is about to have a heart attack, tears fall down her cheeks like rain drops he has successfully ripped her heart from her chest. What a fool she has been to think what they had was real, how could she allow herself to be used like that?

“You are heartless, I hate you, screw you!” she screams as she punches him all over he lets her hit him for a while because he believes he deserves it and she needs to do whatever will make her feel better. “That’s enough,” he thunders as he grabs her hands stopping her from punching him any further. She glares at him before getting out of the car and slamming the door shut and running back inside the house in pain and tears. “I’m so sorry Kiana,” Bryce sorrowfully whispers to himself and breaks down into tears.

He didn’t mean any of the nasty and mean things he said to her, he only said them in attempt to get her to hate him and give up on him hoping that way she would get over him quickly and not keep coming back to him asking to work things out.

He despises himself for the pain he has caused the only female he has ever truly loved, the thought of her hating him doesn’t sit well with him but if it will help her heal and move on then he will accept it.

Kiana is beyond devastated, there is too much pain in her heart that she feels like she will die from it, how excited she had been about the future that now seems very blur. At least she hadn’t told her parents about Bryce and now she never has to. She vows not to let him be the end of her life and hence she becomes even more determined to focus on her school work as her final exams are just around the corner, once she passes her exams she will begin a new chapter of her life and forget she ever met a Bryce Adams.

The next days are hard for the both of them, Bryce meets with Janet’s relatives like he had agreed to and as planned Janet moves in with him. Her relatives were more than happy to have her off their hands. He finds a little bit of happiness and comfort in Janet’s pregnancy, going for ultrasounds and all doctor’s appointments with her brightens his life and gives him hope for a happy future.

He is proud and over the moon when the baby’s gender is revealed to be male and thus he is elated about soon having a little man to play soccer and video games with.

Janet is the happiest of them all her life has changed for the better, she is living in a beautiful home, dressing in fancy expensive clothing and she no longer has to work since Bryce is meeting all of her financial desires. He even bought her a car to drive herself anywhere she wants to go, he didn’t like the idea of her using public transport since he wants her to enjoy convenience and comfort during her pregnancy.

Taking good care of her is the least he can do for the woman carrying his very first child. While he is at work Janet spends the day shopping and visiting friends to show off her new lavish life style.

**

Kiana passes her exams with flying colours thence she obtains her degree in Business Administration, she is offered a very good and well-paying job in another town which she elatedly accepts and thence she relocates. She has never seen or heard from Bryce ever since the day he passed by her house to tell her that he can’t be with her anymore. She did confirm that he was indeed living with a woman and expecting a child with her.

The confirmation crushed her world into pieces for a part of her had hoped he had fabricated the whole story as a means to get her off his back. She had looked forward giving him his first child but that was never to happen. Bitterness and hatred fills her heart but it makes her thrive for success in life to prove to herself that there is life after a heart break. She decides to hold off on relationships at least until she has achieved her goals. The phrase “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” becomes her tagline.