Page 127 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

“No,” I ran to him and dropped to my knees in front of him. “Please. Please don’t do this. Please. Give us another chance.”

His eyes were a tumultuous green. Pain and anger reflected back at me. “It’s over. Don’t be here when I get back.”

I sat on the floor and wept while he retrieved a bag of clothes and his work stuff. He looked over his shoulder at me one last time and then he walked out.

CHAPTER 43

I thoughtmy heart would break in two. I sat up all night and waited for him to come back, but he never returned. I texted him. Called him and tried to Skype him. He didn’t answer. The worst part about all of this was the only person I had to blame was myself.

I had broken his trust. I had deceived him. Lied to him and took something from him that I could never give back. The irony was now I understood him. All I had needed to do was be patient with him. Let him come to me. Show himself to me. But instead, my insecurities, my own need to be in control, had ruined it all.

I didn’t know what to do. I knew that if I left, I'd never have another chance with him. I decided, despite grave trepidation, that I'd be here when he got home.

Jackson had been given no love in his life, and now, in two weeks, he had lost one of his best friends and now his wife and baby. I had no idea how he was coping, but I prayed that he was holding it together better than me. I spent all my time crying.

Twelve long days passed. I counted the hours until he came home. I practiced my speeches. How I would beg him to give me another chance. I was a wreck.

It was earlyin the morning when the front doorbell rang. I swung open the door. There stood two men dressed in official uniforms. One man was older, and one was younger. My knees almost buckled under me when I saw them. “No.”

The younger man stepped forward and cleared his throat nervously. "I am Captain Brandon Murray from Company B, 4th Battalion, 21st Ordnance, from Fort Lee, Virginia.”

My hand covered my mouth. My heart hammered in my chest so hard I could barely breathe.

“Are you Mrs. Jackson Hunter?”

I stared at him.

He repeated himself. “Are you Mrs. Jackson Hunter?”

“Yes.” My voice sounded weird. Faint and crackly. My legs trembled.

"I have an important message to deliver from the Secretary of the Army.”

I nodded numbly.

"The Secretary of the Army has asked me to inform you that your husband has been reported missing in action in Afghanistan since yesterday. The Casualty Area Command has reported that his helicopter was shot down over a jungle. At this point, they cannot confirm if there are any survivors. The area in which the helicopter went down is considered enemy territory and is considered extremely dangerous. When we receive more information, you will be promptly notified. The Secretary extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family during this trying period."

He was speaking, but his voice sounded so far away.

I wheezed. “What do you mean missing?”

“It means we have lost radio contact.”

“Maybe the radio is broken.”

The two men exchanged looks. “Before we lost contact, they indicated that they were in a mayday, and that they had taken on enemyfire and that their helicopter was going down. They managed to give us their position, and then we lost contact.”

“How did this happen?”

“Your husband and another SEAL and two pilots were providing cover, and they were on the last helicopter to leave. The coordinates that they gave over which they were flying indicate that they’re in extremely dangerous territory. There's no way to send in anyone to rescue them.”

I stared blankly at the two men. “So, what are you telling me?”

“If they survived the crash, they'll have to find their own way out.”

Jackson had been in a helicopter crash. And now he was in some godforsaken part of the earth where he was being hunted by men who wanted him dead. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around this. “So, he might be alive?”

The men looked at each other. “We want you to prepare yourself for the worst outcome here.”

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