Page 34 of Breaking
Grant lays a hand on Troy’s shoulder. “Have you apologized? Really apologized?”
Troy looks up, tired. “I have avoided that conversation. I hoped it would just go away, that we can forget but now, I realize how badly I’ve let her down.”
Grant tilts his head sympathetically. “So, what now?”
Troy sighs. “I want to fix it. But I don’t know how. The guilt’s been piling up, and I’ve spent so long avoiding it. I’m worried she’s done waiting for me.”
Grant nods. “You can’t erase the past, but you can own up to it. Talk to her-really talk. Don’t push it away. Maybe get some professional help together if you need it.”
Troy nods slowly. “Yeah. I owe her that… I owe us that. It’s just… facing this means admitting how badly I messed up.”
Grant finishes his beer. “Better to face it now than never. If Jenna’s important to you-and I know she is-you’ve got to show up for her this time. It’s the only way forward.”
Troy manages a half-smile. “Thanks, Grant. I needed to hear that.”
Chapter 30
Jenna
Jenna stood in the dimly lit funeral home; her hands clasped tightly together as she stared at the casket. The past few days had been a blur of arrangements, phone calls, and sleepless nights. Sasha's death still didn't feel real. Every time she closed her eyes, she could almost hear her voice-gentle, teasing, full of the kind of strength Jenna had always admired.
The funeral had been a modest affair, as Sasha would have wanted. Just a few close friends, colleagues, and, of course, Dani and Dylan. The children had clung to Jenna throughout the service, their grief palpable and raw. Dylan, now fifteen and in his GCSE year, was already a tall lad, but at the funeral, he had clung to Jenna like a lost child. Dani, short for her age and still in Year 8, had buried her face in Jenna's shoulder, trembling.
After the service, she found herself sitting alone in the house Sasha had left behind. The semi-detached home in Chester was cosy, with warm wooden floors and shelves lined with books Sasha had collected over the years. It was a home filled with memories-of laughter, of arguments, of Sasha's relentless determination to make life better for herself and those around her.
She could hear the kids moving around upstairs. The relief on their faces when she said she would be staying was heart-breaking. There was still a lot of paperwork, but she had spoken to their social worker, who seemed quite supportive. Jenna's gaze drifted to the stack of legaldocuments on the coffee table. The will. She had hesitated to open it, unsure of what Sasha had planned, but the solicitor had been clear- Jenna was the primary beneficiary.
"You seem surprised," the solicitor had remarked, peering at her over his glasses.
"I just don't understand why," Jenna admitted, shaking her head. "Why not a trust for the kids? Or... I don't know, someone more stable?"
The solicitor leaned back in his chair. "Sasha never expected to die so young," he said gently. "But she knew one thing for certain-you would take care of Dani and Dylan as if they were your own. That's why she left everything to you."
With trembling hands, she unfolded the papers and began to read. Sasha had left her everything. The house with its mortgage paid off. A significant amount of money. Investments. Jenna blinked back tears as the weight of it settled over her.
She could almost hear Sasha's voice, wry and knowing-
‘I have always told you to have a backup plan, Jen. You’ve spent too much of your life putting yourself last. Now, maybe you won’t have to.
Jenna sank into the couch, clutching the papers to her chest as memories washed over her. She thought back to the days when she and Sasha had lived together, scraping by in a tiny flat in Abergele. Sasha had been the one who encouraged her to dream bigger, to believe that she was capable of more than the life she had resigned herself to.
"I don't think you should marry him," Sasha had said bluntly the night Troy proposed. Jenna had been giddy, twirling around the tiny flat with the modest ring on her finger.
"Why not?" Jenna had asked, laughing. "He loves me. He wants to build a life with me."
Sasha had rolled her eyes. "He proposed because he has finally decided to do the right thing. He is more worried about this getting out and affecting his precious image. Don't you dare give up your future for a half-hearted proposal. These rich people think differently. They are not like us, Jenna"
Jenna had brushed her off, too blinded by love to see the truth in her words. "I'll make it work. We'll be happy. You'll see."
But Sasha hadn't seen. She had watched Jenna give up her degree, her independence, and slowly, piece by piece, the vibrant woman she had once been.
"I am sorry, Sash," Jenna whispered to the empty room. "I cannot even blame Troy... or Max or Lilly. They would not have been able to treat me this way if I had stood up for myself even once. Why was I such a coward?"
Jenna wiped a tear from her cheek, her heart heavy with regret. Sasha had always believed in her, even when she didn't believe in herself. And now, in her absence, Sasha had given her the tools to finally stand on her own.
Chapter 31
Jenna
