Chapter 189: Compassion
Mia and Amelia would hit me up to try and cheer me up, but honestly, their words just felt empty in those moments.
After a while, they got it and stopped trying so hard, just telling me to hang in there and not push myself to do stuff I hated.
One day, I was so overwhelmed that I snuck into the kitchen corner and cried my eyes out.
Brad found me bawling, hugged me tight, and kissed me. He said, "Jane, you gotta leave, don't come back. What I owe Daniel is my cross to bear. The world’s huge, and you’re amazing; there’ll always be other guys who’ll love and protect you. Don’t tie your life to the Pitt family."
He added, "Don’t worry about me and Daniel, just live your life. If you’re happy, I’m happy too."
That day, I got really mad at him for the first time and even slapped him. I yelled, "Do I mean so little to you? You’ve given me the best love ever; how could I love someone else? So what if it’s tough? So what if it’s suffering? Fine, we’ll face it together. I’m not scared of hardship or suffering, so what are you scared of? I’m only scared of a world without you."
I gently rubbed Brad’s cheek, which was red from my slap. Tears filled his eyes as he held my hand to his chest and said, "Jane, I’ll never let you down. Not ever."
That was enough for me. Those words were all I ever wanted. It was the promise I needed most, and I got it.
The three of us struggled through this mess together.
Brad lost a lot of weight, but his spirits were still high, just too skinny. I learned to cook meals and soups for him, trying to nourish him in every way. I wanted him to live strong, healthy, and happy.
Even if we couldn’t be together in the end, at least we were by each other’s side, knowing how the other was doing.
He did the same, always finding ways to take care of me whenever he had time. He said I was too thin, that my face only had two eyes left. I joked that a face with only two eyes was a monster and made a funny monster face to cheer him up.
A month flew by, and summer hit Regalia hard, with flowers blooming everywhere and the school buzzing with activity.
I worked hard to get my head straight, pouring all my spare energy into painting, and finally handed in something decent to Larry.
As the class bell rang, I rushed out, only to be stopped by Mindy in the hallway.
She hadn’t been back to the apartment lately, and we hadn’t seen each other for over a week. I asked her if something was up, but she just mumbled that she was fine. I told her to reach out if she needed anything.
She had her world, and I had mine. As friends, it was enough to be there for each other when needed; we didn’t have to be together every day.
Seeing her today, I noticed she looked different, her once thin cheeks now fuller, and her beautiful eyes sparkling with happiness.
Happiness, what a magical word.
In this world, the only person who could make Mindy feel happy was Louis.
"What’s up, did your wish come true?" I teased her, feeling unusually cheerful.
She nudged me with her shoulder, all shy. "Nah, but he's been way nicer to me lately. He spent the whole day with me on my birthday yesterday."
I remembered the pic she posted on News Feed last night—a fancy fruit cake and two hands holding each other. I wondered if it was Louis holding her hand. Now, it seemed pretty obvious it was him.
I mean, who else would Mindy show off like that?
Yesterday, Mindy must've been over the moon.
I was genuinely stoked for her.
"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? I didn't even get you a gift."
"That's not the point."
"So, what is the point?"
"Louis is looking for you. He called but couldn't reach you, so he asked me to find you."
I pulled out my phone and saw three missed calls from Louis. Putting my phone away, I glanced at Mindy. "Aren't rivals supposed to be all hostile? Why are you playing messenger for him?"
"I'm not worried."
"Really? What if I get tired of my current life one day and want to switch things up? I might just go after him."
"I won't give you that chance."
We laughed and joked until we reached the school gate, where Louis was leaning against his fancy car, smoking. Seeing us, he quickly put out his cigarette. Mindy ran to him with a smile, slipping under his arm.
Louis glanced at me awkwardly, his arm twitching a bit but ultimately letting Mindy do her thing.
Mindy shot me a triumphant look, like she was saying, "You got no chance."
I couldn't stand her smugness and gave her a helpless look back.
Inside, I was happy for her and for Louis. If they could walk through life together, it would be their greatest happiness.
"Get in the car. Let's grab some food and talk about Timothy," Louis said, opening the car door.
"No, thanks. I need to get back to painting. Larry's on my case. And Daniel can't be left alone for long; who knows what trouble he'll cause if I'm late."
Louis looked at me with pity, which made me super uncomfortable. The Jane who had boldly declared she'd live a happy life on her own had now fallen to the point of being pitied?
I forced a bitter smile.
I couldn't help it; I didn't want this either.
"I just wanted to let you know that a lot of people have left messages and emails for Timothy. He'll respond once he sees them. Besides, I always felt that Daniel's situation wasn't that simple."
I asked him what he meant by that.
He shook his head, saying he wasn't sure, just a gut feeling.
Time was tight, so I left after a few words. I didn't take his words to heart, nor did I think deeply about them.
Daniel became even more outrageous, suggesting that I should move in with him. He argued that other couples lived together and that he couldn't rest easy with me living alone; he needed to be with me.
But I didn't need his company at all.
That day, Brad had something at school and didn't come back, so it was just me and Daniel in the apartment. I didn't understand why he had such an idea, but later I realized he was just using my softness and guilt to push me into a real relationship with him.
I just thought this shocking request was unbelievable and told him it was impossible unless I was dead.
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