Page 172 of Don't Leave Me

I watched as Jack handled both mine and his phone in his hands, posting the picture I chose on my Instagram account with the caption, “Jack + Hana Maynor. 2/14/23. ” He did the same caption on his account.

I wondered what my 500-something followers would think of me, getting married to someone who wasn’t Michael. Evan followed me, my old coworkers, Billie and a lot of people from college and Greenwich.Fuck, Greenwich. I needed to call my parents before they worried.

“I think I should call my parents,” I thought aloud, glancing up at Jack. “They need to hear this from me. And I haven’t talked to them in about 2 weeks,” I explained.

Jack didn’t argue - he seemed glad that I had offered to call them.

“Okay, then,” Jack smiled. “Here, give them a call,” he handed me my phone.

Another test of my loyalty to him. I hit the phone icon on my phone, scrolled through my contacts, and dialed home. I automatically put it on speaker - I knew Jack would if I didn’t.

“Hello?” my mother answered. She always answered the house phone, eager to talk to whoever was calling.

I was suddenly nervous. “Mom, hi,” I choked out. What the hell was I going to say?

“Oh hi honey!” she responded enthusiastically. “How are you, sweetie?”

I could see the phone shaking in my hand. “I’m good, mom. How are you and dad?”

“Well we just got back from dinner at Georgio’s a little bit ago. It was packed, I mean we had a reservation and we still had to wait 20 minutes for our table. And your dad came home with this big bouquet of flowers, you know how he is, it was so sweet,” she went on, babbling like she always did, but for once I was glad to hear it.

“That sounds nice,” I smiled at the phone. “There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about, and I’m glad you answered mom, because I think I need your help telling daddy,” I started, suddenly grabbing ahold of Jack’s hand for support.

I paused and waited for a response.

“What is it, Hana?” she asked, sounding terrified.

I paused again. There was a lump in my throat. “I left Michael for someone else.”

I could feel Jack’s eyes staring at me.

My mom gasped. “What? What happened? For who?”

“I just…” I sighed - having to explain myself, giving everyone Jack’s version of the truth, was exhausting. “I was just in love with someone else the whole time and I couldn’t see myself living without him. His name is Jack. I met him through Billie. He’s so talented and smart and funny and sweet, mom. He went to NYU and his sister is on Broadway,” I explained, trying to rack him up points.

There was silence. “You and Michael were so great together though, sweetie. I just, I can’t believe it,” she finally responded, the disappointment clear in her voice.

I sighed again.Just tell her.

“Jack and I got married upstate today, mom. We had Emily and her boyfriend here, and we just couldn’t wait,” I blurted out, then held my breath.

There was silence again, this time for longer. “Hana Anne Miller, you have got to be kidding me right now,” she responded in her stern, motherly voice.

I immediately rolled my eyes. “Mom, I’m 25 years old, do you really think using my full name is still going to scare me?” My defenses were up as if I were a teenager – I argued with my mom incessantly when I was in high school.

“I just can’t believe this. Youreallygot married to a man we’ve never met, and we weren’t even invited to come?” she questioned with disbelief.

“No one was invited, mom, because it all happened so fast. We were upstate, he proposed, and then we went and got married. I knew you and dad would try to dissuade me anyway – you two were in love with Michael and I’m sure would have done everything in your power to stop it from happening,” I argued.

I knew how ironic it was that I was fighting for a man who I didn’t even choose to be with.

“I just don’t understand how this all happened!” my mom argued back.

“Look. There’s nothing that can be done about this now, mom. I’ve explained myself, I’ve told you that I married someone I’m in love with, and that’s all I had to say,” I said quietly. “We’ll be back in the city in a few days and we plan to throw a reception. I want you and dad to come and meet him,” I went on – I knew this was everything that Jack would want me to say.

My mom sighed heavily on the other end of the line. “Your dad is not going to take this lightly, Hana,” she retorted, as if she didn’t hear a word I said.

“I don’t expect him to,” I quipped back.

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