Chapter 17: Suffering
1263 Words
Jessica was glad to have a day to relax. It was one of the few days off, and she spent most of it at home with Evan. One thing she hated about her job was not being able to spend enough time with her son. However, it paid the bills and was relatively close to her house, so she was not planning to change (she never had the time to apply to new jobs anyway).
In the evening, Aaron had invited her and Evan over to his apartment for dinner. Though she was reluctant to leave her mother, Carol forced her to dress up and go out since she never did anything. She was fine spending as much time as she could with Evan at home, but she did rather enjoy Aaron's company, so she agreed.
Aaron smiled warmly at her while preparing the pasta. The delicious smell wafted up to her nose, making her stomach growl. Aaron laughed, "Someone's ready for food!"
"Yes," Jessica laughed in reply as well. She had just eaten before coming here, but the smell was too tempting. Aaron was a jack of all trades; he was a great cook, helpful, kind, and handsome. Jessica always had a hard time believing he was single. Perhaps, his over the top jolly attitude made people angry; it sure made her angry a couple of times!
Aaron was aware of all the drama between her and Roger. He was shocked to know that she had been behind the fall of that company, but he understood when she told him the reason.
"You know Jess," Aaron mused as he sautéed the vegetables in the pan. "I don't get why you don't allow yourself to open up. There are plenty of men who would kill to have a girl like you!"
Jessica half frowned and half-smiled at Aaron. That was random, she thought. "Where is this coming from?" She asked.
"Nah, nowhere," Aaron replied while waving the spoon around. "Just that you don't really look at yourself clearly. Why are you allowing a man like Roger to control your life? This all happened three years ago, yet you are still in the past. Three years is a long time…" Aaron looked at her inquisitively.
Jessica sighed and looked down. Honestly, she had asked herself the same question. She knew Aaron was interested in her, but she could not just introduce anyone like that in her life. If perhaps, she was alone, she could have. But she had her son to think about and he would always come before her. She did not want to introduce Aaron to him as her partner, and if things did not work out between them, Evan would be the one most hurt.
As usual, Jessica avoided answering Aaron's question and simply asked him if the food was ready. Aaron looked down sadly but did not push her any further, which she was thankful for. She felt guilty doing this to him, but she could not put Evan at risk.
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Roger had been engrossed in the scene he witnessed. Who was that man, and why was Jessica always with him? She seemed to be very comfortable around him, which was odd. His overthinking had been noticed by his friends since he was zoning out, which was also odd for Roger. He was always known to be sharp and present. This made him angry; this girl made him lose control, and he could not do anything about it.
He questioned why he was so engrossed with her. She had destroyed his life. She had disappeared after a day of marriage, as inconsequential as it was, who leaves like that? After a day!? Did she deserve to live happily with another man, even have a child while he was still recuperating from what she had done to him?
No, she did not, Roger promised himself. Jessica, did you think I will let you go this easily?
Never!
He had sworn he would never let her live a happy life. He would torture her to pay for his sufferings in the past three years.
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They had just eaten a scrumptious meal; Evan was playing happily with blocks while she and Aaron chilled on the sofa with a glass of red wine. She frowned when her phone rang loudly, breaking the peaceful environment.
Ugh! This man was always pestering her. It was an off-duty time. What did he want with her now?
Aaron noticed that Jessica was disgusted with the call and guessed who must be calling.
He knew everything that had happened between her and Roger. What he did not understand was why Jessica was enduring all this. Was it because of regret? Or guilt? Aaron was quite worried about her; he imagined it was not pleasant having Roger as an enemy. He needed to persuade Jessica to try every means possible to avoid her having any connection with Roger.
"Yes, did you need something from me?" Jessica asked pleasantly, but anyone could detect the hint of anger and impatience in her tone.
Roger bristled at her tone but remained calm, knowing she would not like what he was about to say.
"My room is not clean, so please come up and clean it!"
Jessica listened to his words stoically and rolled her eyes when he finished. "Boss, I'm off work now."
The silence on the line told Jessica that he was unsatisfied with her answer.
Jessica continued, "And, it is raining now. Can I come tomorrow morning?" She added, looking out the window at the dreadful weather.
Of course, Roger was never going to allow it. "Get here now, or you are fired. And don't underestimate me!" Roger snarled and hung up.
"But! What…!" Jessica gaped at her phone in anger. What a bastard!
Jessica threw her phone down angrily, trying to curb her anger in front of Evan. Her breathing was heavy as she massaged her head. She did not even get one day off! One day!
"Is everything okay?" Aaron asked worriedly though he knew what the problem was.
"Yes," Jessica groaned loudly. "I have to go into work…"
"Oh," Aaron replied, not wanting to push her as to why she agreed so easily. "I can drop you off? Is it for something important?"
Jessica explained angrily, "No, it was Roger who called, so it isn't for anything important."
Aaron nodded, giving her a look of pity. "It's raining, so I'll drop you off, don't worry."
Jessica refused in a hurry, "No, thank you. I am grateful for the offer, but can you drop Evan back at home? I may call you to pick me up if you are okay with it." Jessica asked hopefully.
Aaron nodded understandingly, "Of course. Be careful." He smiled and came over to give Jessica a big hug.
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Jessica called her mother on the way in the taxi; Carol was not satisfied with her going into work late and on her day off, but she kept quiet, not wanting to stress out her daughter more.
When she arrived at the hotel, it was still raining. She had to run in to avoid getting soaked. However, as soon as she entered through the front door, her foot slipped on the marble floor, and she tumbled right into the foyer, headfirst.
"Oomph!" Jessica groaned as she gathered herself, trying to collect the contents from her bag that had spilled onto the floor.
Fuck! f**k Roger! Jessica thought angrily. He was to blame for all this! That asshole!
- Writer
