Three Years Blind, One Song Broken Chapter 03
I got the address from one of Jackson’s friends.
And when I arrived, I nearly couldn’t breathe.
The estate stood glittering beneath the night sky like a palace built for royalty.
Jackson had built it for me years ago just because I once casually said I liked the view there.
My legs shook as I walked toward the front door.
Through the narrow opening, I saw Sloane reclining against the couch with one hand over her slightly rounded stomach.
Jackson sat beside her, his palm resting gently against her belly.
“Our son’s got a hell of a kick,” he said softly. “C’mon, buddy. One more.”
Sloane laughed.
Jackson smiled with a tenderness I hadn’t seen in months.
“He’s this active already. You must be exhausted.”
“When he’s older, I’ll hand Vale Holdings over to him.”
My nails dug into the doorframe hard enough to split skin.
For the past year, every time I mentioned wanting children, Jackson always said we weren’t ready yet.
Not yet. Not now.
I finally understood why.
Because he already had one.
I shoved the door open so hard it slammed against the wall.
“Jackson Vale.” My throat felt full of blood. “So this is what you meant by ‘busy’?”
Jackson’s expression changed instantly.
“Mimi? What are you doing here?”
His first instinct wasn’t guilt. It was stepping in front of Sloane protectively, like I was the threat.
I laughed coldly.
“No. Don’t do that.”
“This is the part where I ask you what the hell is going on.”
Jackson frowned immediately, irritation already creeping into his voice.
“Sloane went through a breakup. She was in a bad place emotionally.”
“She said she wanted to experience motherhood.”
“I was helping her.”
“Helping her?”
My voice nearly cracked apart.
“Jackson… where exactly do I fit into any of this?”
Before he could answer, Sloane stood up and shot him an annoyed look.
“Jace, why are you talking to her like that?”
Then she walked over and grabbed my hand casually.
“Mira, seriously, don’t overreact.”
“I just wanted a baby. You guys are close to me, so I asked Jace for help. You’re not actually upset about that, right?”
She squeezed my fingers gently.
“Jace and I are just friends. We never crossed any lines.”
I stared at her for several seconds before letting out a cold laugh.
Once. Then again.
My whole body trembled with anger.
Right. No lines crossed.
Except for the part where they slept together.
I yanked my hand away.
“Jackson.” I closed my eyes briefly. “Let’s get divorced.”
Silence crashed through the room.
I turned and walked away before he could answer.
The second I got home, I started packing.
Halfway through stuffing clothes into a suitcase, the front door burst open.
Jackson rushed inside and grabbed my wrist.
“We’ve been together this long,” he said hoarsely. “You’re really throwing everything away?”
“You’ve never even worked before. How are you supposed to survive out there?”
I ripped my hand from his grip.
“That stopped being your concern a long time ago.”
Suddenly he pulled me hard against his chest.
“Mimi…”
His voice cracked.
“I was wrong. Okay? I fucked up.”
“Please. We’ve spent half our lives together. Don’t divorce me.”
I looked up at him with burning eyes.
“Then make her terminate the pregnancy.”
“Send her away.”
Jackson froze.
For a few endless seconds, he said nothing.
Then finally—
“Okay.”
I grabbed his collar tightly enough to wrinkle the fabric.
“I want a child too.”
“Now.”
“Not later. Not someday.”
“I want you to get me pregnant.”
Jackson stared at me for a long moment before quietly saying, “Okay.”
After that, I practically kept him trapped inside the house.
Day after day, night after night, my life became ovulation calendars, fertility supplements, vitamins, and every ridiculous remedy people swore could help me get pregnant.
I became obsessed.
And three months later, I finally got pregnant.
Jackson visibly relaxed after I got pregnant, like he’d finally completed a responsibility he couldn’t avoid.
But when he looked at our baby, his eyes were always empty—no excitement, no tenderness, no joy.
He still accompanied me to prenatal appointments. Still bought supplements on time. Sometimes when I cried late at night, he’d silently hand me tissues and warm water.
But I could feel it.
Everything he did was mechanical.
His body stayed beside me.
His mind never did.
By the fifth month of my pregnancy, he started disappearing again.
Calls unanswered.
Messages ignored.
Then one afternoon, he slipped out while I was asleep.
I followed him.
Right back to the estate in Ravenshire.
Sloane was heavily pregnant now, curled up on the couch in one of Jackson’s dress shirts while eating gelato straight from the container.
Lately, Jackson wouldn’t even let me touch those shirts.
Now he was kneeling beside her, gently taking the gelato away.
“Two bites. That’s it.”
He rubbed her swollen legs carefully.
“I haven’t been around much lately. You’ve had it rough.”
Something inside me shattered completely.
My lips trembled uncontrollably.
“I thought you said she got rid of it.”
Jackson looked up sharply.
I could barely force the words out.
“You lied to me?”