BECAUSE I LOVE YOU

Jake stared at Tiffany in surprise.

"Why are you shocked? Don't you want to marry me?" Tiffany asked him.

He smiled, "Your question is strange. How can I not want to marry you?"

She pouted, "Well, you prepared divorce papers and even signed them. How would I know if you consider me good enough to be your wife?"

"I have not processed the documents, Tiff. They are still with you and I'm guessing you didn't sign them." He told her. "Everyone still sees us as husband and wife because I didn't say a word about it. Moreover, it hasn't been up to six months since we got married. Even if you signed the papers, processing them now would not be possible."

Her eyes dimmed, "You knew all this and yet you still signed those divorce papers. You could have at least discussed it with me but you didn't.

Why didn't you ask me even once or stop to think about how your actions would affect me? I was very upset but I still traveled to your office to tell you about my feelings, yet you sent me away. You were even with your ex-girlfriend. I felt very hurt."

He stared at her for a while and sighed, "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I should have discussed it with you first. It's just that ....."

"It's just what?" She asked when he kept hesitating.

"I overheard you on the phone that night, outside our hotel room. I had no idea who you were speaking with but you said I was a pastime and if you decided to spend your life with me, you'd be settling. I felt very hurt but I still wanted to do the right thing. Giving you divorce papers was my way of making things easier for you."

She gasped in surprise, "What? You heard that? Oh no! I am so sorry. I was so convinced of my feelings for Dass that I was in denial concerning my feelings for you. I was talking to Paris because I just needed a girlfriend to share my feelings with.

Most of what you heard that night was rubbish. I don't know why I said all that to Paris but I meant none of it. The moments I spent with you were and are still precious to me. I know I will not forget them in a hurry.

I'm sorry I hurt you with my words. That night, I knew I had feelings for you, and on the day Dass was caught, I didn't go inside the house to see him."

"I learned so," Jake replied. "In my head, you were so happy to see him and threw yourself into his arms."

She scoffed, "What nonsense!"

"But why didn't you go in?" He asked. "We went through so much trouble to get him there. You threw away a good opportunity."

She smiled and asked sarcastically, "Is that so?"

He nodded.

"Anyways, when I stood by the window and stared at him, I realized I felt nothing for him." She explained. "All I could think about was you and all the sweet memories we had together.

I quickly went back to open up my heart to you but you were gone.

After confessing my feelings to you through that video, I had faith that you would come to me. I even cooked and dressed up but that psychopath showed up instead and kidnapped me."

He reached out his hand and caressed the bruise on her face, "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

She shook her head, "No, Jake. You have always been there for me, even when I did not deserve it. While I was being held in that store room, I feared that I would be ravished by an old pervert all through the night, since that was Dass's plan for me. However, like a guardian Angel sent just for me, you appeared at the right time. Thank you for not giving up on me."

"It's because I love you," Jake told her once again. "Seeing you happy has always been my priority, and that was why I was ready to reunite you with Dass, despite how much my heart hurt. When it comes to you, Tiffany, I can do anything."

She smiled, "I guess I'm the luckiest girl in the world then. Since when have you felt this way about me?"

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "I have loved you from the moment you were born."