Chapter Seventy One

Chapter 71

Jemima paced anxiously around the dimly lit room while Jay watched her silently, knowing it was best for her to fully process whatever was going through her mind.

"I'm here, Jem," he whispered, not wanting to frighten her but also wanting her to know she wasn’t alone. He hated to see her struggle through her battles alone—he needed her to understand that she could trust him.

They were now in Jay's apartment, away from the rest of the world.

Jemima sat down beside him on the bed, sighed heavily, and leaned her head gently against his shoulder. "I don’t know what’s going on anymore," she admitted.

Jay said nothing; instead, he held her close, offering solace and a strong wall of compassion for her.

"What do you want to do now?" Jay asked, which caused Jemima to sit up and stare at him.

"My family is hiding something, and I can feel it," Jemima announced wistfully, gazing into space. This prompted Jay to turn his full attention toward her.

"What do you mean?" Jay inquired, brushing a stray strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ears.

"I feel like Alan was not always like this. And Jon too. It seems as though they changed overnight," Jemima stated, further confusing Jay in the process.

"Um, what are you talking about Jem?" Jay asked, not fully comprehending. He adjusted his posture and glanced at Jemina squarely, wanting her to fully expatiate on what she was talking about.

“Did you not see how they blew me off when I confronted Marcus about what Alan said at the industrial park?” Jemima queried as flashes of what happened the previous day came to her memory. She shook her head vigorously, attempting to wipe off the memory from her head but it was already ingrained and it felt like a painful and indelible mark.

“Yes, I was there but maybe it’s not what you think,” jay tried to assure her but she was not convinced. She fell onto the bed and glanced at the ceiling, suddenly finding the chandelier very interesting.

“You don’t get it,” Jemima voiced out and rolled over to the other side where the Moni refrigerator stood. She opened it, eliciting a creaking sound from it and grabbed a bottle of water. She sat up and took a large gulp, all the while Jay watched her not saying anything.

“What are you not telling me?” Jay finally said after a moment of silence. He stretched out his hand, signaling that he too wanted a bottle of water. Jemima grabbed another bottle of water of and tossed it to him before standing up. She walked over to the window and stared out at the vast land ahead.

She could never quite comprehend why Jay needed to buy a house in the busiest part of the city that overlooked the bubbling street below.
Instead of trees and the oceans that she loved, it over looked industrial buildings and other houses as big as his. Below, the cars honked noisily- depicting a typical urban New York City.

“Jem?” Jay gently called out her name, pulling her gaze away from the window. She smiled at him but it didn’t reach her eyes. Jemima opened her mouth to speak but she suddenly didn’t know how to form words together. Her throat dried up and her breath hitched in her throat. She sighed deeply and returned her gaze outside, noting that the sun was very high.

"Jay, there's something I have to tell you," Jemima said almost inaudibly as if she was scared of using her voice fully.

"What's the matter?" Jay enquired, worry lacing the edges of his brows as he stared into Jemima's scared, dark eyes.

"I had a dream... well it doesn't feel like a dream anymore. More like a foreboding..." Jemima trailed off, the reality of the "dream" weighing heavily on her.

"I'm listening," Jay urged, prompting her to sigh deeply before recounting the intricacies of the dream.

Jemima replayed every scene for Jay, not missing a beat; from the moment she was twelve and raped by her father to how she was betrayed by Ava and sold to the mafia by her mother. Jemima recounted how Jon had taken her in and how Alan had been the brother she lost.
She didn't forget how she found Marcus and the role she played in killing Dennis Saunders as well. Jemima didn't leave out the details of reconnecting with Marcus and finding Damien and Diane. She recollected how she tortured them and in the final moment, set them free. She told how Marcus died and she gave Jon his heart and she recounted how Jay asked her to be his wife and that was when she woke up and saw Ava before her.

"Ever since then it has just felt like I've had this huge memory gap and there's a missing piece of the puzzle I can't seem to place," Jemima concluded her story just as the afternoon sun shone its bright light through the window blinds.

Jay, after listening to the entire narration, breathed heavily and slumped on the bed. His back hit the bed with a soft thud. He stared at the ceiling, his mind racing with different thoughts.

"So we hated each other? And at one point you loved Alan?" Jay asked for clarity. He didn't sound surprised at all.

"You don't sound surprised," Jemima noted, not masking her confusion.

"Well Jem, I did ask you to marry me before I traveled to Rome and you blew me off," Jay stated with a nonchalant shrug like it was no surprise, causing Jemima to widen her eyes in surprise.

"You did! No way! I would have said yes," Jemima screeched, abruptly standing up and pacing around. She placed her hand on her head, an attempt to still the rising migraine that was beginning to resurface.

"I did Jem. Dimitri and Vanessa helped plan the surprise at your favorite New York bar remember? You had dressed up in the dress that I got for you and I even had Vanessa custom make the decorations to fit your favorite color- brown."

"Dimitri and Vanessa? What? You did? I don't... I don't remember," Jemima gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She buried her head between her palms. Jay got up and walked over to her, not understanding what was going on.

"Are you okay Jem? You don't remember?" Jay questioned and Jemima took him by surprise by bursting into tears.

"What's going on with me Jay?" Jemima asked, hanging on to him dearly like he was her lifeline- at that moment she felt like he was though.

"I don't know baby," Hay responded truthfully, planting a quick kiss on her forehead.
"Do you remember how we met though?"

"Of course, it was during mission London and I said if you could carry out the operation successfully without raising an alarm, I'd do whatever you want me to do," Jemima smiled, recalling the fond memory. Jay then smiled, it was a fond memory for both of them and he was glad she could recall it nonetheless.

"Jay?"

"Hmm?"

"If there's any truth to this dream and this 'dream' is in fact not a dream at all, do you think my father could have possibly..." Jemima swallowed the rest of her sentence, unable to comprehend the gravity of what she was saying.

"We can't say for sure but whatever the case, Alan is pissed and he won't stop until you're either dead or buried alive."

"What about Jon? I haven't heard or seen him since the opening of JEMARC," Jemima noted, following easily as Jay pulled her to the bed.

"If you're having memory lapses, it could be amnesia but before we jump to conclusions, let's take you to see a doctor," Jay suggested calmly, caressing her hair soothingly.

Jemima opened her mouth to speak but immediately closed it back- she hesitated.

"You don't want to see a doctor?" Jay inquired, sensing her hesitation.

"I do but I want to see Alan first," Jemima stated, staring at Jay imploringly and hoping he'd understand.

"Alan that tried to kill you Alan?" Jay queried incredulously, his expression hardened as he stared into Jemima's eyes.

Jemima breathed heavily and walked up to him, "I know it's a reach but..."

Jay cut her abruptly, "No buts Jemima! This is a suicide mission right here."
He called her name fully which meant trouble and Jemima knew it.

"I need to know what got him angry and why he is so hell-bent on killing me. Please, Jay, see reasons with me!” Jemima pleaded, taking his hands in hers and holding his gaze. Jay looked at her and he knew she was right.

“Fine but I’m coming with.”

“Yes, please! I can’t face Alan alone and one more thing Jay,” Jemima stopped, staring at him imploringly, hoping that he could see the concern in her eyes.

“Yes, Jem?” Jay replied, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. He was utterly in love with her and he needed her to know that he was willing to do anything for her.

“You can’t tell any member of my family.”