CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Time passed and careers took off. No one could have foresaw what would happen next. As Jayde waited in an uncomfortable chair in the ER, she thought about all that had happened leading up to tonight.

The fight they had days before replayed in her mind. Guilt and sorrow hit her like a brick wall. She blamed herself for what had happened.

Max was in the operating room, while she sat safely in the waiting room. All due to one argument that she'd caused.

Her own insecurities caused such a horrific thing to happen to the one man she truly loved.

But his career, his stardom, didn't help anything. It was hard to find time for each other and when they did, fans would surround them, begging for pictures or screaming about their love for him.

Jayde managed to keep quiet, managed to keep her composure, until a certain woman approached them and begged him to take her back.

Jayde witnessed the hesitation Max had displayed and it made her sick to her stomach knowing she was engaged to this man, let alone, considered having a child with him.

Yes, his ex wanted him badly. Now that his career had skyrocketed and he was becoming more famous by the day.

Max and the guys have released 2 albums already and were working on the third. Jayde was one of the lucky few to hear every song before the rest of the world. But she took all of those precious moments in the studio for granted.

As she looked down at the blood stains on her dress and on her hands, she began to sink into a whole new world of depression. She thought of the pain never seeing him again would cause her. She couldn't imagine a world without waking up next to him. Without seeing that smile one last time.

As she grew deeper into this self hatred she was feeling, a soft hand rested on her shoulder. Jayde looked up to meet the eyes of the surgeon. She jumped to her feet, wiping the tears that stained her cheeks as her voice betrayed her when she asked, "How is Max? Is he okay?"

The surgeon looked down at his hands, as if unable to meet her eyes while sharing the news.

"I'm sorry, Miss. We did everything we could, but the internal bleeding from the car accident was too significant for us to-"

"NO!" Jayde cut him off, unwilling to hear the rest. "You need to get your ass in there and save him NOW! This is your job!" She felt her knees give out beneath her as the emotions shifted abruptly within her. From anger, to defeat and sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. We have some terrific couselors here, if you feel you need someone to speak with? Does Max have any relatives we should contact?" Jayde was silent for a while as she tried to gather her thoughts together.

"His mom... Oh my god. His mom!" The realization that she failed to inform Max's family struck her and upset her that much more. "We need to call them!"

The doctor rushed off to the nurses station to relay the message as Jayde pulled out her phone to contact the band mates.

It wasn't long before everyone had arrived. Tears of regret and grief filled the lobby for a good couple of hours. No one knew what to say. But they watched as Jayde and Max's parents embraced each other.

As they began filing out of the ER, Jon pulled Jayde to the side. "I have something for you. You were going to receive this in 3 weeks at your surprise wedding... But since... I think you should have this," he stumbled over his emotions as he placed a disc in her hands. "Get home safe, Hon."

Jayde looked down at the disc, unsure what to say or feel at that moment. She felt like she was all out of emotions, aside from numbness.

When she arrived at home, she sat the disc on the coffee table and managed her way to the bathroom somehow. She wanted so badly to wash away this dreadful night.

She was finally clean when her fingers were pruned. So Jayde stepped out of the once hot water and wrapped herself in the only robe that was hanging in the bathroom. Max's.

Her eyes filled with tears instantly.

Jayde lifted the lapels to her nose and inhaled deeply. The plush fabric still smelled of his body wash...

Her heart broke a little more as a few more tears fell to the ground. But she mustered the strength to walk back to the living room.

She popped the disc into the DVD player and was greeted with his smile once more.

"Hi, Jayde. This is a little something we've been putting together for you over the last few months. This song is dedicated to my beautiful, bull-headed, favorite pain in the ass wife. It's called A Secret Melody. Here it is."

Jayde laughed as her heart shattered a bit more. The song played as little video clips of them laughing and hugging danced across the screen. It ended with a single picture.

Max was down on one knee in front of her. A small box opened in his palm. She held her hands over her mouth as he smiled. The glint of the diamond was shining between them.

As the final note played, Max came back on the screen.

"You, Jayde, are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Thank you for be so tolerable of my career and loving my stubborn ass through it all. You'll always have the secret melody of my heart."

She sat there in silence, staring at the screen where his face had been displayed, just seconds before.

She wiped away the tears and cleared her throat.

"And you'll always be my melody, Max.... Always."

The End.