Harry left a while after bouncing on and off their discussion, they discussed how factual the situation may be and possible ways of finding out the truth. All of which Maria heard. Was pretending she did not hear all this lying? She had to speak to Jackson about it, but somehow she couldn't find the right way to. She appeared in the living room with her happiest smile and liveliest gaze, it was sickening. The shock, the thoughts. It ate at her at an unbelievable pace."Good morning, sunshine," Jackson said at the sight of her, his smile was faltering, and so was his facade. "I was just about to find you an audition for the sleeping beauty two, did you sleep well?"Of course, he was going to hide all of it behind humor. Was she beginning to get mad at him for not telling her the truth immediately? How long does he plan to hide it? Again, at the back of her mind, she felt as though she had no right to react. "I think I'd be a better Cinderella or Moana." She responded and gave him a b
For the brief moment that her eyes pried open, she felt that she was in transit. A vehicle or whatever mode of transportation it was, after that she drifted into another deep sleep till hours later. Or had it been days? Maria wasn't quite sure. She woke up with a splitting headache and tried to recognize the environs she found herself in. She didn't. And in the process of that, her headache got worse. Had she been hit? There was a banging pain at the side of her head, it hurts so much it could kill and she reached for it, except her hands weren't moving. It took all she had to tilt her head and see that it had been tied to the side of the chair in which she sat. Maria couldn't understand what was going on, she tried to recall and in bits and pieces, her memories began to sum up something more reliable. In violent glimpses, she could remember how foolishly she had opened the door for someone who was supposed to be her pizza delivery guy, when she tried to remember what happened after
On his phone's screen was a picture of Maria unconscious and with a nasty injury on her head. He was still at Harry's when he received the picture. He had been shocked beyond word, and Harry had to squeeze the phone out of his hands to know the reason for his shock. The message came with an instruction of confidentiality and an address he was asked to come discreetly without company, if he did anything out of place, she would be badly hurt. If the shock hadn't been obvious on his face, Jackson would have thought going alone was the best option. He couldn't stand the thought of something bad happening to her. She had been through enough already. It's been long since Jackson experienced such crippling anxiety. It was as though every nerve in his body worked at a faster pace and then took a downward spiral at intervals. This was bad. It was really bad. He never should have left her, clearly, he underestimated Andrew. This has to be his doing, it wasn't traceable to anyone else. "Calm
Jackson- Jackson had been hit. She chanted in her head, it replayed over and over. The image of him struggling with Andrew, that was the last thing she remembered before the world fell into a threatening silence. Her eyes slowly opened to a blinding glow of light. She shut them back because they hurt. Maria tried again and opened her eyes slowly this time. It took a while to overpower the headache and realize that she was in a hospital, and next to her was Jackson, fast asleep with half his body on the bed and the lower half on the chair that was next to the bed.She would have shouted if her throat didn't feel clogged. Jackson was next to her. What had happened? It felt as though it's been months till she last saw him. Maria squirmed lightly, shaking the bed a little to wake him up. She needed to know what had happened. Everything felt like a threat."Jackson, Jackson," she called out slowly and when he didn't answer, she could feel her eyes begin to water, "Jackson, please wake up.
*FINAL CHAPTER*"I found the pills, and- and I don't know what to say," she broke down and started to cry. "After all these while, you still take them? I thought you were done! I thought you were clean! God... it's been six months and you kept lying to me! You lied to me!"She watched him wince and he sought the right words to say. He crumbled before her. He looked like the ghost of his former self."Why do you keep going back? After rehab! After the therapy sessions, why do you keep going back!?" She yelled, frantic. Her terror was built up by the moment."Because no one understands!" He yelled back. "No matter how hard I try to be me, no matter how hard I try to stop, I keep finding my way back to it! I was clean! Till I wasn't. I tried! I tried and tried but there was nothing to help me get through it""But I am here-""No, not like that. I know but not that like that, okay?" He threw the cup on the table across the wall and grabbed his head, pulling and thugging at his hair, "Wha
"Don't fucking yell at me! It's the USA! I have to go, you know that I have to go! This is that change I've been waiting for my whole life!" She cried out frustratedly, throwing her hands in the air. He slammed his fist on the table and ran his hands through his blonde hair. Eyes full of rage—she could feel the undiluted anger that coursed his body as his breath itched. His lips twitched and she hoped he wouldn't say something to break her even more, she was already disoriented and confused and hurt—hurt that she was leaving him and everything else behind. "Andrew, say something! Please, say something without yelling or throwing things. You were aware of it, you knew I wanted this and you helped me work towards achieving this big dream—even when I had nothing! It's finally happening, if this works out, it could be our big break!" She persuaded, wanting him to see that this was not a random discomfort or an unnecessary departure. "You fucking slut." He muttered before a fier
Not even one, not even one trip could be taken without disruption of any form, how much harder could life become for him? All these he thought as he ran through the crowd. He was being followed, by a bunch of stampeding fans, if he slowed down a second, the situation wouldn't be pretty. His cover was blown and now he felt like a mouse in a box; trapped and restricted. Adding to that, he was alone—he had earlier rejected his manager's offer to go with him on his quick vacation.His social anxiety was killing him and the crowd soon multiplied or maybe he thought they did. His mind played tricks sometimes.What a mess, he thought, still running through the crowd amidst overly energetic fans and earsplitting screams of his name that exited their mouth. Of course, he had been careful—with the perfect disguise of a black face cap and a mask to match; he had hoped no one would recognize him till his encounter with a flight attendant who wouldn't stop staring, then caught a g
"Maria Gracia?" He called out from his desk compartment demarcated by a see-through glass to the opposite room where a few candidates sat. Maria rose upon hearing her name, responding to the middle-aged man who had glasses that rested on his nose bridge."Please take your seat," he offered, motioning to the swivel chair in his front. She took her seat and hoped for the best. She arrived in New York yesterday, today was the day she has been told she'd resume her work position. "Thank you," Maria said as she sat while he adjusted his collar, then his cuffs."I am Mr Sean Powell, a senior executive of A.C.E and I overtook the job of getting to know the rookies we recruited this year," he adjusted his glasses and took a glimpse at the screen of his computer. "It says here that you majored in HRM and graduated with a CGPA of 3.65," looking at her now. Maria repositioned herself before giving a response. "Yes, that's right, sir." "And it also says here that you passed the three