Page 53 of My Forbidden Billionaire
“I know. You’re important to me too. This is just a difficult situation.”
“I understand,” I say, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.
There’s a long pause on the line before Josephine speaks up again.
“I’m so sorry, Jacob. This was not how I wanted things to end between us.”
“Me neither,” I say, my voice trailing off as I try to come to terms with the fact that this chapter in my life is actually coming to an end. “I’m so sorry I put you in this position to begin with. If I had known I—”
“It’s not your fault,” she interjects. “It’s just the circumstances,” she continues. “But, I’ll always remember our time together. It was truly one of the best I’ve ever had,” Josephine says in a soft voice.
“Me too,” I reply, my mind flashing back to our time together at the cricket match, cheering Clem on together. Our spontaneous dinner and movie date … dancing together on the rooftop of the theater. Our time exploring Louisa May Alcott’s house, kissing in front of the fireplace, laughing over the beef tea…
“I have to go. I have a class in a few minutes,” she says, her voice cracking slightly.
“Of course,” I say, knowing that this conversation has reached its natural conclusion. “Take care, Jo.”
“You too,” she says before hanging up.
I collapse back in my chair, feeling hollow and empty. I can’t stop thinking about all the things I wanted to say to Josephine, but couldn’t find the right words.
Like how I’m falling for her. How I can see a future with her. How I could spend the rest of my life dancing with her on the rooftops and singing with her in the car. How I can envision her a part of Clem’s life, a part of our life…
And how the thought of never seeing her again makes my heart physically ache. How I don’t want to imagine a life without her in it.
But at the same time, I realize that I don’t want to be the reason she gets fired from a job that she loves. I don’t want to be the one to jeopardize the career she’s so proud of, and the life she’s worked so hard to build. Because at the end of the day, regardless of how much I want her to be in my life, love is about sacrifice. It’s about putting another person’s well-being above your own because their happiness is your happiness. And her job makes her happy. Her life makes her happy. And I won’t be the one to ruin that for her.
And I most definitely don’t want to jeopardize Clem in any way.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
Clementine has been rooting for Josephine and me, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to bring myself to tell her what’s happened.
“How was school today, darling?” I ask Clem over dinner. I’m doing my best to put on a happy face, but it’s proving much more difficult than I anticipated.
“It was good. We learned about the solar system and I got to be the leader for our group project,” Clem responds, her eyes lighting up as she talks about her day.
“Wow, that’s awesome! You’re such a smart girl,” I say, my heart swelling with pride.
“Thanks, Daddy,” she says, a smile spreading across her face. “Miss Andrews taught us about Don Quixote today.”
My heart sinks at the sound of Josephine’s name, but I try to keep a neutral expression on my face. “That sounds interesting. What did you learn about Don Quixote?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from Josephine.
“I learned that he thought he was a knight and went on all these crazy adventures with his friend Sancho Panza,” she says, her excitement palpable.
“That does sound pretty crazy,” I say, trying to keep the conversation light.
“Yeah, but Miss Andrews says there are lessons to be learned from it. She said that sometimes people have to take risks in order to pursue their dreams,” Clem continues, unknowingly hitting a sensitive chord with me. “But she also said that we have to be careful about the risks we take, and make sure that we don’t hurt ourselves, or others, in the process.”
Wise words from Josephine, I think to myself, my heart heavy with longing for her. But I know that I can’t let my feelings cloud my judgment. I need to do what’s best for both Clem and Josephine, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness.
“That’s very true, Clem. And it’s important to have people in our lives who care about us enough to look out for us,” I say, my eyes meeting hers.
She nods in agreement, her gaze unwavering. “Yeah, like Miss Andrews. She cares about us a lot, doesn’t she, Daddy?”
“She definitely does,” I say softly, a pang of regret tugging at my heartstrings as I think about what could have been between us. “And Daddy cares about you even more,” I add, reaching across the table to give Clem’s hand a comforting squeeze.
She smiles at me, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. “But Daddy, you need someone to care about you too,” she says, her tone teasing. “That’s why you and Miss Andrews are going to get married.”