Chapter 12 No One Can Take You Away From Me
Jared stepped in front of me. His expression was cold as he met Lena’s gaze.
“Tabitha is my girlfriend now.”
Lena went still for a moment. She knew Jared and Micah had been close once, so the words hit hard.
Her eyes darkened, and when they turned to me, the hostility in her gaze was unmistakable.
“Well, aren’t you something?” she snapped. “I actually thought you had some dignity, but you’ve been fooling around with another man this whole time. You’re no better than that shameless Piper. You’re just another sad woman who can’t live without a man.”
Jared scoffed. “Micah can only blame himself. He played the role of a devoted father to a child who wasn’t his. If the real father hadn’t come forward, he would have remained nothing more than a man being betrayed.”
Lena shook with rage, pointing at Jared. “You… say that again, if you dare!”
it
“I’ll say
as many
times as necessary,” Jared replied. “If Micah hadn’t been so eager to get in bed with Piper, she wouldn’t have been able to pass off another man’s baby as his. And one more thing–if you come near my girlfriend again, I won’t be this polite.”
ར་
They exchanged a few more sharp words, but Lena never gained the upper hand. Burning with fury, she spun on her heel and stormed off.
I finally got the chance to ask Jared what was really going on. Piper and Micah had seemed inseparable. How could she betray him like that?
Jared explained that Piper was already seeing another man while still engaged to Sterling. Later, she and Micah slept together during a drunken night,
and she used it as an excuse to justify their affair. For a time, she was secretly juggling both relationships.
Not long after, Piper discovered she was pregnant.
She didn’t know who the father was and never had the courage to get a paternity test.
Whenever Micah or the other man confronted her, sho
I claim the child belonged to whoever she was with at the time.
If things had continued that way, maybe Piper could have kept the deception going.
But when word got out that she and Micah were getting married, the other man stepped up, insisting the child was his.
Micah flew into a rage, but his pride held firm. Determined to settle the matter, the three of them headed to the hospital for a paternity test.
Before long, the results came back, confirming the baby belonged to the other man. Furious beyond measure, Micah slapped Piper right then and there and ended things immediately.
It seemed that even someone blinded by love couldn’t bear the idea of raising another man’s child.
After that, Piper tried repeatedly to see him, but Micah refused to meet her. She shouted and cursed outside his home, and before long, the whole neighborhood knew Micah had been betrayed.
Still, Micah stayed silent. Eventually, Piper left with the other man.
Imagining the look on Micah’s face when he found out was oddly satisfying.
After all, he was done. Karma had finally caught up with him. He cheated on me, and now he’s the one being played.
He nearly married Piper while she was carrying another man’s child. What he got was exactly what he deserved.
Seeing no trace of sadness on my face, Jared grinned and pinched my cheek. “Well, looks like you’ve clearly moved on from Micah.”
“Say what you want, but keep your hands to yourself.”
“Don’t you remember? I’m your boyfriend now.”
11
“When did I agree to that?”
Jared smiled. His eyes were shining with affection.
“You didn’t exactly deny it when I called you my girlfriend just now. That counts as a yes in my book.”
“Hey, you’re still on probation!”
Jared froze. A spark of excitement gradually ignited in his eyes.
So… you’re really giving me a chance?”
“Yes.”
The moment I said it, he pulled me into a tight embrace.
was caught completely off guard when he suddenly lifted me up and spun me around twice.
When he finally put me down, the happiness on his face was impossible to miss.
“Thank you, Tabitha. I promise I’ll take good care of you.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling like he totally misunderstood me. I was willing to give him a chance, but that didn’t mean I’d agreed to be his girlfriend. So why
was he acting like we were already a couple?
Just as I thought things might calm down, Micah started pestering me again.
The next morning, he was waiting downstairs at my workplace.
Seeing him, 1 frowned.
“Tabitha-
11
“Don’t call me that. We’re not even close.”
Micah’s face turned red with embarrassment, but he quickly forced a smile.
“Tabitha, I know I messed up. I just want a chance to make things right.”
Make things right?
I looked at him with doubt in my eyes. “Are you really sure about that?”
“Of course. If you’re willing to come back to me, I swear I’ll do better this time—”
I cut him off, not bothering to hide my irritation. “That’s not how I expect you to make things right. If you’re serious about apologizing, start by handing over a luxury apartment, surprise me with a sports car once in a while… or simply transfer a few million to my account from time to time.”
Micah’s face darkened with every word I said.
“Tabitha, if you agree to be with me, everything I own will be yours. Including me.”
I shot him a look of disgust. Ever since he split from Piper, he’d been a complete wreck.
His beard was rough and patchy, his hair was tousled, and his clothes were creased and worn. The sharp, well–groomed man he once was had vanished completely.
If he had looked like this when he first came after me, I wouldn’t have given him a second glance.
“Spare me. What makes you think you’re worth my time? Just the sight of you makes me sick. If you really feel any guilt, do us both a favor and stay far away. I have a boyfriend now.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I tried to slip past him.
Without warning, Micah seized my wrist. His voice was thick with anger. “Is it Jared?”
I yanked my hand free and rolled my eyes. “Why do you even care?”
“No. I refuse to let this happen!”
He stepped squarely in front of me, blocking my way. His eyes were flashing between fury and desperation.
“You’re mine. You can’t be with him!”
Micah’s eyes were bloodshot, wild with a madness that unsettled me. Startled by the ferocity in his gaze, I instinctively stumbled backward.
But that only seemed to provoke him further. Without warning, he seized me once more and began dragging me toward his car parked along the roadside. Panic surged inside me as I fought to break free. “Let me go! Micah, what the hell are you doing?”
“I’m taking you to get married. Once we’re married, no one can take you away from me!”
“You crazy bastard, let me go! I’m never marrying you!”
Micah’s lips twisted into a smirk. Suddenly, he pressed a damp cloth firmly over my nose and mouth.
A sharp, acrid smell overwhelmed me, and my vision blurred as darkness quickly took over.
When I finally regained consciousness, my hands and feet were tightly bound. I found myself seated inside what looked like an abandoned church,
The air reeked of rot and mold. The windows lay shattered, while the walls stood cracked and crumbling.
It was clear this place had been left to decay for years.
Micah was nowhere in sight, yet an uneasy dread settled over me.
