An Interview with Mr. Ex

Chapter 7: A Gift From The Devil

Chapter 7: A Gift From The Devil

(Present - At Jade's house)

(Jade)

Jade, not knowing her ex husband's vicious plan for vengeance, walked around in her small house, laughing and yelling, "Cole, oh, where is he? I can't find him. God, where does he find these impossible places to hide? Or does he find an invisible cloak like Harry Potter?" Jade said as she pretended to look around, pretending not to see him.

She smiled when a mop of dark blondish head peaked out from behind the couch. She laughed. "Found you." She caught him in her hands and he giggled and squirmed in her grasp.

"Again, again mommy," he said in his little voice, his smile so beautifully big. Of course, Jade would love to play a million times with him, but today... she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She felt so tired already.

"Honey bee, I am so sorry. Mommy is tired today and you need to get ready for bed, it is your bedtime."

"But mommy... " He whined. "I want to play."

"I am so sorry baby, but, mommy is very tired and I am feeling sick." She said as she slumped on the chair, and he sat next to her, his face in a pout.

Her son did deserve better than this kind of treatment from her, but today she was too tired to play with him or do anything else. She was already on the brink of exhaustion and breakdown.

"Mommy, what happened?" Cole was instantly by her side, touching her face gently. It melted her heart like it did everytime. He was her life, her everything.

He was all the colors and rainbows in her monochrome sky. If it weren't for him, she would have been long dead and a tall tree would have grown in the place where she was buried. If it weren't for him, she would have stopped smiling, living, existing. She would have gone raving mad.

"Just a difficult day, baby boy," she smiled warily as she closed her eyes. Cole's little fingers started pressing her forehead gently.

"Thank you, honey." Tears fell from behind her closed eyelids. "Mommy loves you so much."

"I love you too, mummy." His little voice was sweet as he wiped her tears. "Manda cooked for us. I bring your food, mommy," he ran towards the kitchen and her heart stuttered and stopped. He was only four, but sometimes he acted like he was forty. She smiled.

Within 5 minutes, the plate was set in front of her with a glass of water on the side and he stood by her side, waiting patiently for her to finish eating her food. She looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks...

"Don't cry mommy. Eat." He said as he sat next to her. "No crying." She wiped her tears with back of her palms and smiled at him.

Though I hate your father for everything he did to me, to us, I am still thankful to him. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be here. She thought to herself as she looked at her miracle.

This was a gift.

At first, she was worried about this unexpected pregnancy. She was worried and she almost feared the little being growing inside her.

She had found out she was pregnant a month after their divorce was finalized, after Jade's life had shattered once again. Jade was weak, broken once again and it was hard to pick herself back up. And then the pregnancy happened. The little thing inside her frightened her. It was a big, bad wolf and she was alone in the dark, horrible forest where creatures hunted for happiness. She had lost everything and now this little thing inside her stomach, it was like a ticking time bomb. Jade was sure one day they were both going to explode into nothingness.

Jade was afraid, alone, nauseous, feeling ache in every joint, broken, and the darkness was vicious. It attacked her every night when the world slept peacefully unaware. Oh, God. It was like an unending nightmare that never stopped even after she woke up.

She wanted, she so badly wanted it all to end. Just stop. She wasn't ready for this tiny little thing. It would depend on her for everything and she didn't have the strength to be there for someone else. She didn't have the strength to be there, even for herself.

But then the 'thing' in her had started to grow and she would feel the flutter, one gentle kick, a small caress of his little fingers inside and she had started to love this little being inside her. She no longer thought it was an unbearable punishment. She had realized it was a replacement for something God had taken away from her. The gaps started to close, again. She had started to heal, as well, for herself and for the baby.

Though his father was her hell, a devil in disguise, this little boy was an angel. Her angel. Cole had saved her from utter demolition. With his little fingers, he had taught her how to walk, to laugh, to smile, to live, again. And she had grasped on his finger, a little too tight. She had built her life back up... and now... her life was in the exact place she wanted it to be. She wouldn't let anyone to derail it or displace it. Not again.

"Thanks baby, you are the best son anyone could ever ask for," she said with a smile and he looked back at her with those grey, grey eyes, which reminded her of Jared. But in Cole, those eyes were twinkling. Not brooding like his father's. Cole's eyes were filled with light and innocence and so much life. Love.

Those eyes, Jared's eyes, had always had the power to steal all of her thoughts. Back then, she had done anything and everything he had asked, just because she couldn't say no to him, no matter what.

"I will sleep next to you today, mommy." He said once she finished eating. "I will hug you so you don't cry."

"OK, big guy. Will you save me from all the monsters?"Your dad?

"Oh, I will cut them all." He pretended to swish his imaginary blade and she laughed. "Heads everywhere. Blood."

"Did you watch the films mom said not to watch?" She gave him a stern look and he blinked his eyes, looking all too innocent.

"No ma'am." He saluted her, but his eyes turned away from her guiltily and Jade hid the laughter inside. He was the very worst liar and she was happy.

"Are you lying?"

"Yes ma'am." He said and Jade pulled him up and threw him softly on the bed. "You should not lie. Now the tickle monster will come for you." She said as she rubbed her hands together.

"No, not tickle monster. Please mom. I won't lie again." He begged with those beautiful eyes. She started to tickle him and he laughed and laughed and she laughed until tears fell out, but this time it was from laughter and happiness.

***

The next morning came too soon. Jade didn't want it to come. Tomorrow she had to go and meet the devil in his lair and so she didn't want 'today' to come. If 'today' didn't come, 'tomorrow' wouldn't.

Ah-mazing logic... the voice inside her snickered. Jade ignored it as she poured a cup of coffee and went about waking her son for school.

"Five more minutes, mommy." He pleaded with her, eyes half droopy as she pulled him away from the bed. She shook her head no. If she gave five more minutes, he would want another five and then another.

She ruffled the blonde mop of hair that was sticking everywhere, her heart feeling light and feathery. "Mommy made your favorite waffles and cream. If you are not ready in five, the waffles will disappear."

"Is it a magic waffle, mommy?" He asked, his eyes agog.

"Yes. Magic waffles for my magical boy." She said as he walked inside the bathroom. She watched him pouring water and she helped him with soap. After he was done, he wrapped himself in the towel and gave her a smile.

"I am done, now, where is my waffles, mommy?"

After Cole was done eating, Jade drove him to his school. He was chattering all the way to school and Jade was smiling. The moody cloud that hung above her was slowly dissipating. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard. She might even come out of meeting the devil without any scars.

I just need to be cautious. Maintain my distance from him, as if he is contagious. Social distance...

Jade dropped him off at school and drove to her office, the smile still lingering, but as she got closer to her office, the smile faltered a little.

Jade sat in her truck for a moment before she got out and walked inside the big bustling building where her office was located. As she walked in, Rupi Karan, one of the anchors in the lifestyle section, came in. She waved at Jade and Jade waved back. The elevator came with a ding and they both went in.

"Is it true you are interviewing Jared Wilson?" She asked with a soft sigh, her brown eyes hazy. Jade shook her head with a frown. "The Jared Wilson, rich, handsome and hot?"

"Yes, Rupi. But he is not worthy of that sigh." Jade said with a negligent shrug.

"What? Isn't he not handsome? He looks so handsome in TV and magazines."

"Oh, he is handsome, alright. His personality, though, not so much." Jade said with a small frown and Rupi shook her head sadly.

"Why are all the handsome men arrogant pricks? Why can't a hot man be kind and warm and caring, as well? Why is it always this or that?" Rupi said dramatically as she rolled her eyes. "I want the whole package."

"From your mouth to God's ears, Rupi," Jade said, and Rupi chuckled, shaking her head.

"Okay, bye Jade, all the best, then... you will rock it, as you always do," She said as she got down on her stop. Jade's floor was one above Rupi's.

She walked inside the office and Nate was fast to approach her. She ignored him and walked to her cabin, and he followed her, not understanding the subtle disregard. Nate was never one for subtlety, anyways. "What is Megan thinking in her stupid-" he didn't even finish when Megan walked in.

Jade's cabin was not big. It was rather small and three was a crowd. For now, the crowd was unwanted. Jade needed rest, she needed peace, she needed to devise a strategy, to draw plans to come out of this hell she was forced into, without scathing her already scarred heart.

"Are you really going to do this?" Nate turned his heated glare to Megan. He looked like he had burst a vein or something as he frowned at Megan, who ignored Nate's eyes. Megan checked her nails, which were recently manicured, as if they contained every answer to the mysteries of the galaxies.

"I have no other option, Nate," Megan said. "Isaac wants Jared Wilson and Isaac is not budging, but it has been four years, Nate, don't you think she needs to let go? Don't you think she has to face her fears?"

"I thought Tessa is the psychologist. When did you become one, too?" Jade scoffed, her eyes scornful. Tessa, Nate's wife was a psychologist and she was the mature one in the group of four friends.

"I know how you feel, Jade, but if you stop being so angry you might see how this will be-"

"Cathartic? Purging? Maybe I should go see a priest after meeting Jared Wilson for an exorcism? What do you think? Will you pay for it, Megan?"

Nate laughed and stopped when Megan growled lowly under her breath.

"Be as sarcastic as you want, but you are denying yourself a chance to finally, really say good-bye. Your divorce was hurried and then you were stuck in a whirlwind of hormones and nausea and fatigue and then you had to take care of Cole, work, feed the two of you, be a mother, protect Cole, work some more and you never had a chance to actually say good-bye to his memories and that is why he is still haunting you, Jade. You do need to let the past go..."

"Don't be a damn broken recorder. I understand. I need to let go. Let's forget the s**t and go back to your rooms, you two. My head is killing me and your constant argument is not helping." Jade said as she went back to the file that contained Jared's details. Not that she needed those. She knew everything about his life, then and now. Then, she had known it first hand, personally. His present life, she had learnt everything she had to learn about from magazines, TV.

Stalker much, the pesky little voice taunted. Jade ignored it. It had always been an irritating companion. It was like she was carrying her enemy inside her own brain. Not cool.

"I know you are angry..."

"I know you are angry..." Nate mimicked, making faces at Megan.

"Don't be a child, Nate." Megan groused as she tapped his hand viciously with a pen and Nate glared at her as he rubbed his hands. God, best friends!

"Don't be a child Nate." Nate said in a nasally high voice, that made Jade grit her teeth. She was already having a headache and these two were not helping with that.

"I don't freaking sound like a dying hyena."

"Guys, can you go somewhere else and continue your damn childishness? Just leave me be." She snapped at them and they looked at her as if she had suddenly grew horns. Jade gritted her teeth. She might have. Because, thinking about Jared was a sure enough way to grow horns and tails.

"You are still angry," Megan noted.

"Yes, Sherlock. Now that you have finally found out who the murderer is, can you move from my room and go somewhere else, preferably where I can not hear you two?"

"And unusually catty," Nate said as he peered down at Jade. "Are you sure this is going to be okay?"

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