Huff!
The warmth was refreshing, and once again I felt alive. This made wonder why I always felt cold these days. It had pushed to prefer these extrely hot baths—sothing very unusual to others.
Bam! Bam!
Bam! Bam!
A knock on the door made my brows furrow, but just for a mont.
"Co in," I said dryly, but there was a pause.
"Co in?" Jake stuttered.
Shifting my attention toward the door, I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why else did you knock?" I asked. "Co in or leave."
With that, I subrged my entire body into the black water. In there, I heard the sound of the door open seconds later. Only then did I raise my head above water level.
Splash!
Black, steaming water overflowed, splashing onto the ground. Sohow, this made Jake freeze. He looked at the water, then at the bathtub, his eyes widening at the sight.
My body could not be seen within the ink-colored water. To make matters worse, black ink was running down my hair and eyes, further darkening the water.
"It’s alright. This ca with my [Berserk] talent," I offered an explanation before he could complain. "You’ll get used to it eventually," I added.
But this didn’t stop Jake from staring at like I was so sort of monster.
"Isn’t the water too hot?" he asked. "It’s steaming."
Shaking my head, I raised my pale hand and flashed a smile.
"Have you ever wondered why my skin is so pale?" I asked, and he froze.
Blinking repeatedly while still standing at the sa spot, it was clear the question had never crossed his mind even once.
"You’re sick?" he asked after so seconds of silence.
Pa!
Smacking my face with my palm was painful, but it wasn’t as painful as listening to his stupid question.
"I’m always cold... and it hurts in my chest," I explained, placing my hand over my chest. "This is the only redy I know of."
"Ooh..." Jake mumbled, timidly approaching the bathtub.
But this ti, his gaze was more focused, as if there were secrets written all over my body.
"Have you tried going to the doctor? My family knows a—"
My cold glance made him lose his voice, and he instinctively avoided eye contact.
"It’s more supernatural than natural. As long as I wield this power, this is the price I have to pay."
Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked toward the wall, but then a thought crossed my mind.
"While we’re still on the topic," my gaze returned to Jake and a small smile blood on my face, "who are you?"
Jake blinked in confusion, as if I’d asked a question I should already know the answer to.
"Jake Ander—"
"I’m not asking for your na." My eyes narrowed, and Jake flinched.
From his expression, I knew he finally understood my question. To my surprise, Jake lowered himself until he was on both knees, his gaze finally eting mine.
The sadness in his eyes was impossible to miss. It was as if my question had reopened wounds that had just recently healed.
"My father is George Anderson, an oil tycoon and venture capitalist. You could say he’s one of the most influential people in Texas. I’m his only child."
My eyes dilated at the answer, but I maintained a neutral look as I realized there was more to the story.
Yes, Jake was from a billionaire family—just as I suspected—but why would the child of a billionaire risk his life by joining the military?
"I’m guessing sothing isn’t right at ho?" I raised an eyebrow and watched a sad smile bloom on Jake’s face as he shook his head.
"My mum died when I was ten, and my dad quickly remarried a woman with a son. Since then, life has been a living hell for . I’m treated like a pest who shouldn’t even exist, so I decided the military was the best escape."
A tear rolled down Jake’s twitching eyes while he spoke.
From his eyes alone, I could tell he was reminiscing on the horrors he’d gone through. It felt like he was looking past , not at .
"At least if I died in the field, it ant I died for sothing."
Jake’s voice began to crack with emotion, and his distant gaze seed to return to reality as he looked in the eyes again, a small smile spreading across his lips.
A genuine smile.
"All my life, my stepmom, dad, step-siblings, and even comrades in the military made believe I was worth nothing—and I really believed them. That was until I t you. The way you took the initiative to ask to follow you... For the first ti in forever, I felt valued and loved..."
To hide his shaky voice, Jake lowered his tone, and his words slowly trailed off.
"That’s enough," I cut in, before looking away. "Breathe."
Maybe Jake hadn’t noticed, but he was already hyperventilating. It was clear the trauma he suffered was deep and too painful to express.
Maybe that’s why I walked up to him that day. When I saw him, I saw a man who had lost the will to live—and now I know why.
Splash!
I lowered myself into the black water and held myself under for over a minute before erging.
Wiping the water off my face, my attention shifted back to Jake, who seed to have cald down a bit.
"Since this is a difficult topic, we’ll talk about your past another ti," I said while pushing my hair back. "For now, only think about the future we can create together. Nothing else matters."
Jake quickly nodded repeatedly, his sadness quickly turning into a vibrant smile. But why wouldn’t he?
He had the privilege of standing by the side of the world’s greatest Limitless. It was only natural for him to understand the future I offered was far greater than anything his family could ever give him.
Ding! Dong!
Ding! Dong!
All of a sudden, Jake’s phone began to ring. I watched as he frantically searched his pockets before pulling it out and answering.
"Hello?" he muttered.
My gaze never left his face. This allowed to notice the excitent on his face drain almost instantly.
Jake quickly cut the call before eting my gaze.
"Reporters. The reporters have arrived, but you’re nowhere to be found!" he gasped.
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