Love and Debt
Chapter 113: Jealousy

Chapter 113: Jealousy

Nina was in the living room waiting for Andrew and Brie to come home. Andrew called and told her about how Lucas found Brie and brought her to McDonald’s.

It was the first time Brie ran away from home, so she was worried. She didn’t expect that telling her what had happened would have a great effect on her daughter. She scolded herself a few times already.

She was startled when her phone rang and frowned seeing who was calling her in the middle of the night. It was James. She texted him earlier to ask if Brie called him, he texted back but she didn’t reply, so maybe he was worried.

"Hello." She answered.

"Hey, did something happen to Brie?" James asked. Nina knew he was concerned when it comes to Brie so he called to check on her.

"S-She ran away." She blurted, then started to cry.

"Calm down. Tell me what happened. She would never do that if nothing was wrong." James calmly said.

Then she told him about how they told Brie all that happened in the past. She heard James sigh on the other line.

"I’m not telling you that it was your fault, but you should have chosen a perfect time for that. Nina, she’s a smart kid and most of the time act like an adult, but her emotions were still of four years old. You should know that. Everything that happened in the past was painful and complicated, you can’t expect a little girl could absorb that."

Nina was quietly listening to James. She was sobbing while holding the phone. James had been her strength for the past four years whenever she was down. He was a true friend and a good listener, and he always knew what words to say.

"I know you found her or maybe Andrew. Don’t worry too much. Everything will be okay. Talk to Brie. You can’t take back what you said, but you can show her that what happened won’t happen again." James said.

"Thank you, James. You really know how to calm me down."

"You’re always welcome. Call or text me if you need someone to talk to, okay?"

"Sure! I’ll call and bother you. By the way, how are you?" She asked.

"I’m good. Don’t worry about me and the family. We’re all doing great."

She chat with James more and ended the call after half an hour. She was startled to see Andrew standing in front of her.

"That’s your ex-husband?" Andrew asked.

"It’s James. I texted him earlier about Brie. I thought she called him so I asked. He got worried and called me."

He smirked. "Didn’t I ask you to forget about him? Why do you need to talk to him? Do you think I’m not capable of being Brie’s father?"

Nina frowned. "Andrew I was worried for Brie. I never think of you as unfit or incapable. I just didn’t know where to find her."

"I told you I will find her. Why do you have to contact him? You should have trusted me."

Nina was stunned. She never thought a simple text to James would question her trust in Andrew.

"Andrew, please I’m exhausted. I didn’t mean it that way. James was Brie’s father for four years. I just thought she called him."

"And why do you think he was with Brie, and not me? Is it my fault? Is it my decision, Nina?"

Nina was unable to answer for a moment. How could she be so stupid? How could she say that to Andrew? It wasn’t his fault, it was hers. She thought inwardly.

"If you will be like that every time we encounter a problem, then you better live with James and not me." He said, then turned around and walked away.

"Andrew! I-I’m sorry! Please!" She yelled, but he didn’t look back.

Nina sat down on the couch, staring at the floor. She heard Andrew’s car leave in a hurry. She wanted to follow him, but she was too tired to even walk. How did it turn out like that? She thought inwardly.

She waited for Andrew to return, but he didn’t. She went to their bedroom and waited, but he didn’t show up. She texted him a few times and called him, but he didn’t answer until she fell asleep waiting for him.

Morning came and Nina woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. She glanced to the other side of the bed, only to be disappointed because Andrew wasn’t there.

Her head throbbed and her heart broke. The worst feeling was waking up without Andrew again. But was it really her fault? She contacted James because of Brie. There was nothing more to it.

She took her phone to see if there were any messages from him, but there were none. But there were three from James, asking if Brie was already at home.

Last night, Andrew put Brie to bed and came back to the living room where he heard her conversation with James. She didn’t hear them coming because the maids told her that Andrew used the back door when they arrived.

She pouted. "Where is he?"

She didn’t reply to James, but instead, called Andrew again. The phone rang, but still, no one answered.

Then, she decided to call Seira.

"Hello?" Seira answered immediately.

"S-Seira? I’m sorry to bother you this early. Did Andrew come home last night?" She asked.

"No. He didn’t. He called me to inform us that he found Brie. Mom and I are on the way there right now. Did something happen?"

"We had an argument. I-I texted James last night to ask if Brie called him, and then he called me. Andrew heard our conversation, and he got mad. I didn’t mean it. I was just so worried about Brie."

She heard Seira sigh on the other line.

"Nina, I understand that you were worried about Brie, but James was your ex-husband. Even if it was on paper only, you were together for four years. What do you think Andrew felt during those years you were with another man? He was jealous. He was already having a hard time making up the years he was not with you. He was trying to be a father for Brie, so let him."

Nina tried to call Andrew again after talking to Seira. She needed to talk to him and apologize. She promised to not hurt him anymore, but what had she done?

After a few rings, finally someone answered.

"A-Andrew, please talk to–"

"Sorry, who’s this?"

Nina was surprised. The one who answered on the other was not Andrew—it was a woman.