Chapter 14

It felt like a vivid and painful slap in Amanda's face. She was so furious that she turned around and quickly left the place in embarrassment with Janice following close behind. Serenity felt like she had just watched a drama unfold before her eyes. As soon as they exited the mall, they had witnessed someone smashing a car, which turned out to be Amanda's. "What happened? Did she offend someone and that was their revenge?" Serenity wondered. "Who knows?" Jackson replied, his eyes flickering slightly as he pursed his lips. "Anyway, it's none of our business," Serenity said as she grabbed Jackson's arm and headed toward the bus stop. Suddenly, Jackson stopped abruptly. Serenity turned to look at him only to find that he had turned pale, and there was a shocked look on his face. He was also staring unblinkingly at the bus stop. "What's wrong?" Serenity asked. "It's... nothing," Jackson replied as his expression gradually returned to normal. That had been a mistake, right? He thought the woman who had just boarded the bus looked like a certain other woman he knew... A woman who had once abandoned her husband and child. But it was impossible for her to be here. *** "Jack, don't be like me, okay? Don't give them all your heart even if you want to love someone." "As it turns out, love is the cheapest thing in this world. When she stops caring about you anymore, it's useless even if you kneel and beg her." "Jack, maybe one day when you truly love someone, you'll understand that in this world, there's someone who can control the joy and sorrow you feel, who can make you feel alive or dead... But if possible, Daddy hopes you never experience that." Who was it? Who was talking to him? 'Stop it! I don't want to stay here anymore! It's cold... so cold... I don't want to stay here... I'll freeze to death!' "Jack, I'm leaving. I don't want your father to repeatedly say he loves me but can't give me the life I want! I've already done everything I could for him!" Who was that? Who was talking? "Don't... go..." Who was that? Oh, it was... him, Jackson. He was pleading with the woman, begging her not to go. If she left, then his father would... Don't go! Please! Jackson desperately cried out and tried to hold on to something, but nothing happened. His surroundings got increasingly darker like he was drowning, and he struggled to breathe. He clawed desperately at the air, trying to grab something... He didn't care, even if it was a straw! Suddenly, something warm enveloped him, and a gentle voice rang out faintly in his ears like it was coming from a distant place. "Jack... Jack...! I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving! Don't be scared! I'm here!" This voice was... Serenity! The woman he called ‘Sis’! Jackson slowly opened his eyes, and a petite face with delicate features entered his sight. Her eyes were filled with concern, and her lips were moving as she said something. ‘Oh, right... She was telling me not to be scared...!’ Seeing that Jackson had opened his eyes, Serenity finally let out a sigh of relief. "Jack, what happened? Was it a nightmare?" Jackson slowly exhaled. How long had it been since he had had that dream? It was about that woman who had heartlessly left him and his father, and seeing his father knowing about it but not doing anything to stop her with a bitter but sorrowful smile on his lips. "Yeah, it was a nightmare," Jackson muttered softly. Blinking, he noticed that he had been tightly gripping her hand as if he had been clinging to a lifeline. In his dream, he had clung to the warmth that had enveloped him when he felt like he was drowning like it was a lifeline, and now, he realized that it had been... her hand? Was he so muddle-headed that he had mistaken someone for a lifeline?! He abruptly released her hand, and the warm, gentle feeling disappeared instantly. He frowned, and his face gradually paled. He curled up where he lay, covering his stomach with his hand. Serenity was instantly worried again. "Do you feel any discomfort?" "It's nothing," Jackson replied softly, his voice clearly indicating that he was shoving down his discomfort. "Just... some stomach cramps. It'll pass in a while." Was it because of his nightmare? When he was younger, he would often experience stomach cramps due to stress, but he had hardly had any relapses in recent years. Serenity looked at Jackson's increasingly pale face and noticed a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead, dampening his hair. She quickly poured a glass of warm water and helped him sit up. He reluctantly took a few sips before pressing his lips together. Occasionally, he would grind his teeth as if using all his willpower to fight against the pain. Serenity looked at Jackson with concern and suddenly stood. "I'll be right back! Wait for a bit!" Before leaving the room, she covered him with a blanket, worried that the cold would make his stomach pains worse. The sound of the door closing behind her echoed through the room, and her footsteps gradually faded. The room fell into silence, and Jackson was left alone. Closing his eyes, Jackson waited for the pain wrecking through him to fade away, unsure of when it would subside. Being alone was not unusual for him, just like after his father's death when he had been brought back to the Valor family. Despite having a so-called grandfather and numerous servants, he had always felt alone. After an unknown period of time, the sound of the door opening reached his ears, and he heard the familiar gentle voice gasping for breath in the room. "I bought you some medicine, Jack. The pain will ease once you take it." Jackson opened his eyes to see Serenity letting out white puffs of air, and her hair was disheveled from running. There was concern and anxiety in her eyes, and her petite face was flushed red from running. Even though Jackson had seen women with more outstanding and beautiful appearances, he could not avert his gaze from Serenity. It was as if his lonely world now had another person in it. *** Serenity held a glass of warm water and took out two pills according to the instructions on the package. Then, she carefully helped Jackson to sit up and fed him the medicine. She also took a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead that had appeared due to the pain he was in. "If you still feel uncomfortable, close your eyes and rest for a while," Serenity said. "You can sleep in the bed today, and I'll take the floor." As she spoke, she helped him lie down on the bed. Just as she was about to turn around, Jackson suddenly grabbed her hand. "What's wrong? Do you still feel a lot of pain?" Serenity asked with worry written all over her face. Jackson stared at Serenity in a daze. He had instinctively reached out to hold her hand without thinking about it as if he didn't want her to leave him. "I... want you to stay with me," Jackson finally said after a while.