"So how are you, darling?" Hannah crooned.
"Not bad, thanks," he responded with a polite smile.
"What have you been up to while I was away?"
Falling in love with someone else. But he couldn't tell her that. He and Jasmine agreed it would be better if Hannah didn't know about her. But he also couldn't pretend everything was unchanged.
"Hannah, you do know we have to talk. We'll sit down as soon as we get home," he said gently.
Hannah folded her arms across her chest. She didn't respond.
They walked to the car in silence.
*******
"Just give us a bit more time, Kane. We've already laid some foundation for this relationship. Don't give up on us. Please!"
Kane buried his head in his hands. They were going around in circles. He couldn't see why it was so hard for Hannah to understand he didn't want to be in a relationship with her anymore.
"Hannah. You know I don't feel like that about you. I'm really sorry."
"How could you do this to me right now, Kane? After all I've been through?" she shouted at him, tears profusely running down her face.
Yup. There it was. The guilt trip she wanted him to have. He'd been expecting it. And, hell, it did prick at his conscience.
"Please, Hannah. Try to understand. I don't mean to hurt you but —"
"I came back here for you. I have no one else here but you. Now you're throwing me out of your house!"
"You have friends here, Hannah. You have a great job here. There are lots of people who care about you. And I'm not throwing you out of the house. I'll help you find another place to live and help you move. In the meantime, you can stay here. That's not throwing you out."
"But why can't we continue trying, Kane? You were more than happy to marry me before."
He let out a loud exhale. "You know I only agreed to marry you because of the baby."
"We can make another baby," she suggested.
He shook his head in disbelief. "Hannah, I don't love you," he said forcefully, out of frustration.
Hannah slumped on the couch, sobbing her eyes out.
He raked a hand through his hair. What now? Should he call one of her friends? Should he leave her alone?
No, he couldn't leave her alone. She looked so broken and his conscience wouldn't allow it. He had just crushed her heart so soon after her devastating losses.
He squatted beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hannah, please don't cry. You'll find someone else who'll love you back. You deserve that. And you know we'll continue to be friends. I'll still be there for you if you need me."
She raised her head. "Promise?"
"Yeah."
She clung to him and cried some more. He felt awkward but he put his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder. Wasn't that what friends were for?
~~~~~~~
"Thanks for letting me stay in the master bedroom."
Kane glanced at Hannah standing by the open door of his guest room. "No problem," he said as he proceeded to hang some of his clothes in the wardrobe. He should have moved his stuff out of the master bedroom earlier, but he'd been spending all of his free time with Jasmine and he just totally forgot about it.
"By the way," he continued, "from tomorrow night I'll be staying at my mum and dad's until you find your own place."
"What? Why?"
"Hannah, we've broken up. We can't continue living under the same roof."
"But this is your home. I can't let you be the one to leave," she cried. "It's just that … I don't have anywhere else to go to yet."
"That's why I'll move out temporarily. When you've found your place, I'll move back in."
"I thought we were still friends," she said sadly.
"We are," he confirmed.
"So what's wrong with being flatmates for a few weeks? You have your own room, I have mine. You don't need to stay with your parents."
He swallowed hard. Truth was, he planned to stay with Jasmine.
"I think it would be easier for us to adjust if I give you some space to be by yourself," he reasoned.
Hannah was quiet for a long moment. He hoped she wouldn't make too big a deal out of this.
"Okay," she finally conceded. "But you'll be around to help me find a place to move into?"
"Of course."
"You'd go with me to check them out? You know I trust you to see problems I wouldn't even notice."
"Sure. That's not a problem."
"Great. Thanks, Kane."
"Don't mention it," he said with a smile.
*******
*Hi, baby. All done. There was a bit of drama in the beginning but Hannah seems fine now.*
Kane stared at the ceiling as he waited for Jasmine's reply to his text. He was filled with relief that he'd finally sorted things out with Hannah. After her hysterical outburst, he was pleasantly surprised at how much Hannah had calmed down. It seemed she had accepted everything and was ready to move on.