Page 74 of Unbreak Me

Jared spoke in a voice that sounded carefully measured.

"I think you know why, Day. I’ve had time to think this whole situation through, and I see exactly what you’re trying to do. I paid you what you were owed—the money for the court expenses. And more. But you won’t stop, will you?"

"Yes, I saw the funds in my account. I have to admit, I was surprised by your decision," Day said cautiously. I could tell hewas trying to play dumb, pretending he didn’t know anything about the video. But I doubted that tactic would hold up for long.

And I was right. Jared let out an irritated huff.

"Day, please. I know people like to assume I’m an airhead just because I’m a model, but I’m not stupid. I know it was you who sent that video—to me, to the campaign committee, and to DarenCo."

A heavy silence fell. Day glanced at me briefly.

Jared took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for a long speech.

"Don’t even try to deny it—"

"How did you get here, Jared? Can we start with that?"

"It wasn’t easy. Your alpha father was pretty stubborn. But your omega dad was more… cooperative after I invited him into my car’s trunk—with this gun. That was at seven this morning, in the parking lot outside his school."

"What?!" For the first time, Day lost his composure, his fists clenching tightly. "Where’s my dad? Is he still in the trunk? Did you hurt him?"

Jared rolled his eyes. "He’s fine. He’s got water and even a sandwich. The trunk is air-conditioned, so don’t worry. He just had a bit of a reclining journey. But yes, he told me that two weeks ago you entered a marriage contract with someone named Wilson—an orchard owner. The rest, I found online. I couldn’t let your dad sound the alarm, so I brought him with me. But don’t worry, I don’t intend to hurt him."

"And do you intend to hurt us?" I asked, my voice calm, maybe a little icy.

Jared’s gaze shifted to me. His nostrils flared slightly as he studied me.

"You must be Mr. Jan Wilson, I presume? Pleasure to meet you."

"‘Pleasure’ isn’t the word I’d use. I’d like an explanation for all of this."

"Funny. I came here looking for explanations. I tried to do this the peaceful way—three times, I showed up at his parents’ house. The last time, they unleashed the dogs on me." He waved toward his leg. "And I only wanted to talk to Day."

Silence fell again. Day’s jaw tightened. The news about his dad being in Jared’s trunk clearly wasn’t sitting well with him—and rightly so.

Jared continued, "After days of running into locked doors, I finally snapped. I did something I’ll probably regret for the rest of my life. I never wanted to terrorize an elderly omega—one who’s survived cancer. But I’m desperate. I’m here to ask you to stop whatever you’ve set in motion to destroy Mark. You don’t understand so many things, Day. You just don’t—"

"I don’t understand? I don’t understand, Jared?!" Day’s face turned bright red, his voice rising. "You don’t understand what it’s like to be raped—three times—by someone you trusted. Someone you agreed to bear a child for. Someone who offered you a safe place to carry that pregnancy!" His voice broke into a shout, raw with emotion. I felt the storm of anger and pain tumbling inside him and gently squeezed his hand in support.

Jared shut his eyes tight. "I’m sorry, it should’ve never happened…"

"But it did and it nearly destroyed me!"

There was a moment of silence before Jared said in a breaking voice, "You’re not the only omega who’s been raped, Day. I have been used many times—just to book a photoshoot, just to get a gig. My manager would negotiate contracts where my body was the bargaining chip, as long as the deal was lucrative enough. Do you think you’re the only one who’s suffered? Yes, Mark did something terrible—I’ll never forgive him for it. But he also saved me. He pulled me out of a situationwhere I was being sexually exploited by a group of people. I was only nineteen then! He gave me a chance at a career, at a better life, at a normal family!"

Jared’s voice trembled, and so did the hand holding the gun. I kept a wary eye on it. Tears ran down his impossibly perfect face, I couldn’t feel his pain as sharply as I felt Day’s, but I could tell it was just as intense.

Day hesitated, visibly affected by Jared’s words.

"I'm also sorry this happened to you, Jared," Day said quietly. "It's terrible, and no one should ever have to go through that."

The model snorted. "Please spare me the pity. If Mark loses everything, if he goes to prison, I’ll be in deep trouble. You know how my prenup works—I get practically nothing. Not even proper child support, and the little that’s stipulated in the prenup is, let’s just say, modest. I’m already twenty-five; my modeling career isn’t exactly taking off anymore—"

Day grimaced. "Modest? What exactly does that mean? I remember what you told me—he would be paying you $5,000 a month. That’s no small amount. For an average family, that’s a good income. If you’re used to a higher standard of living, well, I’m sorry, but I’ve also found myself broke, with an empty bank account, all because this bastard accused me of causing your child’s premature birth! It was shitty, and yeah, life throws shitty things our way sometimes," Day said, his voice bitter and accusatory.

Jared closed his eyes for a moment as Day continued, "Because of you two, I was left penniless and practically blacklisted from getting another surrogacy contract. And I was so traumatized that I couldn’t even think about getting into a relationship. All of that is your husband’s doing!"

"And I tortured myself every time I took Tommy in my arms! The awareness that the person who carried him wastreated in such a way was… sickening. But—" Jared interrupted and let out a huff, "—at least we’ve cleared one thing up—that you’re the one behind all this. Mark wasn’t sure, but I knew. I thought about it and asked myself—why would you send me an email without blurring your face, but send them one with your face blurred? Because they didn’t need to know who you were. I did. It was obvious."

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