Chapter - 276
Rick stirred awake, roused by the soft sound of restrained sobbing. As his eyes blinked open, the first light of morning filtered through the window, casting a warm glow across the room, and he felt its gentle warmth hit his face.
Groggy and disoriented, he tried to make sense of the scene around him. In the blurry haze of his half-awake state, he saw Jemimah standing by the bed, her back turned, shoulders trembling ever so slightly.
As he beca more alert, he noticed she was holding his phone, her knuckles white as she clutched it tightly. Her shoulders tensed before she silently placed the phone back down on the bed and hurried out of the room, a hand over her mouth as if to hold back her tears.
Still groggy, Rick watched her retreating figure, confusion thick in his mind. Why was she upset? He tried to think what had happened, his mind not fully grasping the situation, until his gaze fell upon his phone lying innocently on the bed. Picking it up, he suddenly felt a pang of worry that quickly replaced his sleepiness.
"Did she saw sothing bad? Did she read sothing she should not have? Did soone call why I was asleep; did she receive a call about dad from the hospital?"
Rick checked the phone and saw that Annie had responded to his last night's angry. ssage.
"Wow, so she's got you wrapped around her little finger too, huh? You really believe all that about mory loss and amnesia? Or is she 'rembering everything' now that her precious past has started creeping back in? I don't know what she's told you, but let set the record straight.
"My brother, Robert, didn't deserve any of this. He was innocent, pure, and he loved Nadia since he was a kid. She knew exactly how he felt, exactly how sweet and kind he was. But did that stop her? No."
"She used her charm and devilish beauty to manipulate him, just like she's manipulated everyone else in her life. She slept with him, giving him hope, making him believe she wanted him too. And after all that—after he'd told our family, our friends, after he even picked out the ring—she just rejected him, like it was nothing."
"She broke my brother's heart, shattered him completely, all for her twisted fun. And you believe her, Rick? You think I'm the villain here? She's nothing but a—well, I don't need to spell it out for you."
"She's ruined more lives than you can imagine, just by bouncing from one guy to another like it's all a ga. And my brother… Robert was too good, too trusting for a backstabber like her. She put a knife in his heart without a second thought. But go ahead, believe her lies."
And another ssage had followed:
"Tell , Rick, are you happy now? Happy knowing that your 'girlfriend'—or whatever you think she is to you—is nothing more than a massive slut, the kind who's slept with so many n she probably lost track ages ago."
"She didn't just break hearts; she left them shattered, used, and forgotten. Do you really think you're special to her? That she'll treat you any differently than all the others she's trampled on?
Look, here's a little sothing to clear up any illusions. This is Jack's final note. Maybe it'll show you who she really is, or maybe you'll just keep ignoring it, I don't care. He was just another one of her victims, Rick. Just another guy she approached, gave hope to, then destroyed without a second thought."
Rick scrolled down, and his pulse quickened as he saw the attached image: Jack's suicide note.
"When Nadia finally ca into my life, it was like the mont I'd been waiting for, all these years of emptiness and loneliness just vanishing in an instant. I've known her since we were kids—watched her laugh, grow, change."
"Through all of it, I always felt this connection, this unexplainable pull, like she was the one person who could make feel whole. Even through high school, when I was nothing more than a shadow, when no one cared or noticed … she was the one I thought of, my one hope."
"For years, I watched her move on with her life, hoping one day she'd see differently. When she ca up to , I thought that day had finally co. I felt… special. She saw . I wasn't invisible to her anymore; I wasn't just a guy on the side lines, hoping and waiting. She was right there, and it felt like everything I'd ever dread of."
"She even seed to understand —like she could see through , into all the empty spaces I had carried for so long. It was the miracle I had needed, the one thing I thought could make happy."
"But… it was all just my own illusion. When she turned down, it was like the ground fell out from beneath . It hurt, more than anything I could ever put into words. I realized then that maybe I was ant to be alone, that the hope I held onto was just my own foolishness. I can't keep going like this, carrying this emptiness. There's no one left for , no one who will ever care. So… I'll just fade away."
Rick muttered under his breath, "Damn it, she got the wrong idea." His mind raced, realizing Jemimah had read Annie's ssage. A sudden wave of fear washed over him—what if she blad herself for Jack's death? What if, in her distress, she did sothing drastic?
He quickly leapt out of bed, rushing down the hall to her room. As he reached her door, he could hear faint, stifled sobs from inside, each one cutting into him like a blade.
Rick knocked gently, his voice calm but pleading. "Jemimah, please, open the door. You've got it all wrong. That ssage—it's not what it seems."
Silence from within, only broken by her quiet sobs.
"Jemimah," he tried again, a little louder this ti, hoping to reach through to her, "I know how it sounds, but believe , it's not the truth. Just... open the door, and I'll explain everything."
Still, no response.
Rick knocked a little harder, desperation in his voice now. "Co on, Jemimah. Please don't shut out like this. I swear, you haven't done anything wrong. Just talk to ."
But from behind the door, he was t with only silence.
[Ding!]
The system popped up with a light blue screen.
[System notification:
Good morning, Boss! Looks like you could use a hand here. Why not whip up a nice breakfast for her? Girls tend to appreciate it when soone puts in the thought and care to make sothing special, and let's be honest—you could use a good al yourself.
]
Rick hurried into the kitchen, ready to put his plan into action, but he soon hit a snag—he had no idea what Jemimah would like to eat. He paused, thinking he could simply go and ask her what she'd like for breakfast, but with her current state, that didn't feel right.
The last thing she needed was him bothering her with questions. Instead, he decided he'd try to make sothing thoughtful on his own. Surprising her with a warm al, made with care, seed like the best way to show her he was there for her, no matter what.
Rick swung open the kitchen cabinets, thinking he'd go with the flow and see what ingredients inspired him. But as he scanned the shelves, it hit him: he didn't actually know much about cooking. He briefly considered placing a breakfast order, but that idea felt wrong. It would be too easy and too impersonal. Jemimah deserved more than that.
Then he rembered the one thing he could make well—banana pancakes. A little smile crept onto his face. Pancakes weren't fancy, but he was confident he could make them perfectly. He grabbed the flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and, of course, a few ripe bananas.
He cracked the eggs into a bowl, added so sugar, and whisked them together until they ford a smooth, pale-yellow mixture. Next, he mashed the bananas carefully with a fork, folding them in with the egg mixture.
He sifted in the flour, then poured in just the right amount of milk, mixing until he had a creamy batter with flecks of banana throughout. As the batter thickened, he poured a ladleful onto the hot, buttered skillet, watching it sizzle and bubble as the edges turned golden. He flipped it with a practiced flick of his wrist, pleased to see a perfect golden-brown pancake erge.
One by one, he stacked the pancakes, letting the aroma fill the kitchen as he prepared to surprise Jemimah with a little comfort on a plate.
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Author's Note: While you are enjoying this story, do check out my new stories as well.
1. My Harem Will Help Get My Revenge
2. From Beauties to Treasures: I will own then All
]
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