Chapter 37: Unwanted Presence

I was happy when I heard the sound of Jared’s car driving off. It was relieving to know that I had told him off. I hoped he wouldn’t be back again. I was tired of his behavior, and he had proved that he didn’t even like me being in the mansion.

I wouldn’t tell Dax about what had happened, because he would’ve had a confrontation with Jared. No way would I make them more against each other than they already were.

The only thing that didn’t add up was the timing of Jared’s visit. Why had he decided to tell me that I didn’t belong this far along? He should’ve told me from the beginning how he felt.

I had to push thoughts away of my confrontation and get on with my day. Hopefully no one else would reveal that they disliked me. I couldn’t handle any more drama within the mansion. It was starting to become routine.

The rest of the day went by quickly, and I crawled into my bed. Maybe the following day would be better. Jared needed to just stay away and not talk to me ever again.

I had to hope that things could only get better after the day I had. My life really had changed from how it used to be. Being around Dax’s kind of people had made me experience more drama than I ever had before.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm down my thoughts. I couldn’t keep thinking about all of the bad events that had been occurring recently. Slowly, I felt myself falling asleep.

At one point, I must’ve been dreaming about something. It felt so real and eerie. Some shadow was watching me and reached for me.

I woke up with my heart racing. Something felt really off to me, as I couldn’t get back to sleep. I searched around the room and saw the shape of a man. Fear crept into my every nerve.

Who was this man? How did he get into my room? I was terrified and I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t sure what to do. Trying to escape seemed too late of an option; besides he was already in the room and could easily catch up to me.

Dax was in the next room over but most likely sleeping. It was too late to get his help anyway. I was on my own with this person. If I had to, I’d hit the intruder with the lamp. It would give me some time to run away.

I turned on the nightstand light and opened my mouth in shock. No way was I seeing this correctly. I really hoped my eyes weren’t betraying me.

Standing in my room was Jason. What was he doing here? It was so creepy. This had to be a nightmare. I blinked a couple times, but he didn’t go away.

Seeing Jason wasn’t reassuring, as I had wanted to end things between us. He wasn’t supposed to be here. I hadn’t asked him to see me or anything. This wasn’t good.

Jason got a few steps closer to me and said, “I came here to tell you something.”

What kind of creep comes in the middle of the night to do this? I didn’t even want to talk to him but didn’t want to upset Jason. I was worried that he would hurt me.

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say. Get out of my room,” I sternly said to him.

He frowned and said, “I never thought I’d hear you say those words. You used to want me in your room a lot.” He added in a soft tone, “Please let me tell you what I need you to hear. You won’t regret it.”

Part of me was curious what he had to say but knew it wasn’t needed. I wouldn’t believe a word that Jason told me. At one time, he had said that he loved me but it was a lie. He broke up with me a week after he confessed that.

“You better leave now. I’m warning you,” I said to him after a few seconds.

“Danica, I…I love you. I’ve realized that you’ve always been the one for me. I don’t want anyone else.”

Was he serious? This was not happening, was it? It was so wrong to do for a few reasons. I wasn’t going to accept his confession.

I told him flatly, “You don’t mean that.”

Jason looked into my eyes and said, “I can show you that I love you if you give me another chance. I’ll make up for what I did in the past. You’ll be treated like a queen.” He added, “I won’t ever hurt you again. You’ll be so happy.”

I couldn’t believe how manipulative Jason was being. He was trying to toy with my emotions and trick me into thinking he could change. I knew that he hadn’t been the best boyfriend to me. One time he even made me pay for an expensive date.

I would not be fooled by Jason again. We were finished. I didn’t need a man like him in my life. Besides, this wasn’t the way to win me back.

I finally said, “No you won’t. You’re lying about it all. You haven’t changed from the man I used to know. I don’t love you anymore and never will.”

Jason started heading for the bed and made me scream. A few seconds later, Dax came bursting through the door with rage radiating through his entire presence.