Chapter:- 5

One Week Later: -

Alexander shoots up in bed, gasping for breath, Samanatha's name falling off his tongue. His chest heaves with pained breath, forehead sticky with sweat, and his sheets have been kicked down to his ankles. Lazily, Alexander drops himself back onto his pillows, flopping his arm out beside him to check try to check something.

It's only when his hands hit nothing but mattress that he remembers. Oh. He's alone in his bed and it feels strikingly cold. Like he had left his window open in the middle of a snowstorm. He shivers.

One look at his alarm clock tells him that it's 3:15 a.m. and he should be sleeping, but all traces of tiredness have been stripped away from him. Nightmares had never sat well with him, had always made him too nervous to go back to sleep no matter how much his mother assured him that monsters weren't real, and it feels almost impossible now that reality settles in.

How do you sleep away the monster when you are the monster?

Alexander forces himself out of bed. There was no use sitting in a cold bed and stressing about his lack of sleep. It would only make it worse.

He shuffles down the hall, past a couple of doors and he looks down at his feet. If he looks, he could still see the colorful sign on one of the doors: Bring candies or else! And then a couple of hearts doodled around the blank spaces of the paper. Or the stickers on his bathroom door that were too old to take off. Looking would only make him feel worse.

You deserve to feel bad; he reminds himself. He did a bad thing, and bad people get punished. As Alexander walks through his empty home, he knows he's fulfilling his punishment.

The kitchen is colder than his bed. It chills him to the bone as he reaches around in cupboards for a glass and some whiskey. A forced habit. Drinking had never come naturally to him; he's never liked the taste. But whiskey settled nicely after a week of forcing it down his throat, and now it tastes good enough to swallow.

Five hours Later: -

"Jazz, I am not in mood," Alexander says, already pushing the door closed.

Jazz slams her hand against her side of the door and pushes back. She brings it to a halt and both of them stand there, separated by a creaking door, fighting with all their single-armed might. "Don't pull that shit, Alex. Let me in."

 "No."

"Don't be childish."

"You don't have to be here."

"I do. I came back here for you." Jazz sighs frustratedly and gives one big push with enough force behind the door. It bangs against the wall and shatters any form of protection Alexander had. "You promise me we get marry as she divorces you. Now what happen?"

Alexander snorts and turns his back, walking away. "I don't want to talk about it now."

Jazz follows him in, closing the door behind her, and she takes her time. She'll let Alexander have a little space. She's not that bad. "You're going to tell me you didn't make a mistake? You wanted Samantha to leave, right?"

It breaks Alexander's already defeated heart to hear those words. He knows Samnatha is gone, he's dealt with it all week, but there's a certain kind of denial that he possesses that makes it bearable enough to live. Sure, Samnatha was gone, but he could convince himself it was only for a vacation, that he needed to fly out to somewhere for a thing. Alexander, obviously, couldn't make it due to responsibilities at work and so he's left home alone until she will come back. And Alexander didn't understand why he is thinking like this. He didn't like her, he even hates her.

But when Jazz says it, it feels real. Life comes crashing down onto his shoulders and it's a little too much to handle so early in the morning. He swallows and makes sure Jazz can't see his face. Not like this, he thinks, not like this.

"No, I...I did want her to leave," Alexander whispers.

Jazz nods her approval. "So, you know its' hard for me, I hope we can get marry soon."

"I don't need you to keep reminding me," Alexander snaps, rounding on Jazz. He sees Jazz's eyebrows raise but that's it. There was no surprised look or shocked eyes. No disapproving glances or angered glares. There was only her, sitting in front of him, giving a reality check. "If you're just here to tell me all this, you can go home. I'm more than capable of doing that myself."

Jazz keeps her silence.

A little miffed, Alexander sits down on the couch, slouching and tugging a blanket into his lap. It was yellow and soft and fit perfectly between his fingers. Samanatha had brought it home from a night market a month before. She'd been so excited to have it, to give it to him and to have something colorful to make their home feel warm and cozy, even Alexander never talks to her he always asks things to his mother. Alexander wonders how Samantha could forget such an important memory behind.

 The dining room chair creaks under Jazz's weight, and Alexander refuses to look up. The air is tense and awkward, and it's never been like this before. Like they were strangers. It had always been quick conversations and quick relationships.

"You haven't answered any my calls for a week," Jazz says simply. "I am all worried about you."

 Alexander finds that hard to believe. In fact, it's impossible to believe. Jazz is a nice people, sure, but it wouldn't be natural for her to think ,much. "I'm fine. Go home."

 This time, it's Jazz who scoffs. "You're not fine, Alex. Don't think I didn't smell the whiskey on you."

"So what?"

"Not only is it ten in the morning, but in case you forgot, you don't drink."

Alexander rolls his eyes, but Jazz isn't wrong. "Maybe I've changed."

"Or maybe you're sad and need help. Drinking whiskey isn't going to do anything." Jazz pauses and Alexander can see the way her fingers flex near her pockets. "Actually, I think it'll drive people away."

This isn't helping. Jazz's words are only making him feel worse, or like he's being bullied. Punished is one thing, being bullied is another. But it's okay, maybe he deserves this, too.

"I've already driven everyone away," Alexander said, slowly sliding his body down the couch until he's laying down comfortably. He curls up and brings the yellow blanket to his face. Burying himself into the softness of the fabric makes the world feel a little bit better. "Take a look, Jazz—everything is gone. My parents are not talking to me. And I didn't—they are not—it's over. It's done. Just leave me alone.

Jazz have him a look and the nodded her head, "fine I am leaving but remember you promise me. We will get marry after Samnatha divorce you. I am sorry Alexander, but you need to make your mind now."

And with that she leaves, Alexander knows she is right, He did promise her, but he doesn't' understand why he is missing Samantha this much. When he never even talks to her property.

"Finally, I am back." Jace scream as he came outside the airport terminal, Jace is Jazz's younger brother which make him Samnatha's stepbrother. But he is different from his mother and sister, he loves Samnatha more than anything and more than anyone. He can't join the marriage as he is having his finals but now, he is back.

He decided to go to Emily and surprise Samantha, he already talks to Emily, and she inform him Samnatha is staying with her for somedays, Jace know something is definitely wrong.

As Jace about to enter the building he saw Samantha running out of the building and she was crying, Jace wasn't able see her face because she was running with her head bow down.

"Sammy...Sammy waits!!" Jace was running behind her calling her name. 

Samantha was running ignoring the voice, she wasn't looking where she was going, Jace grab her hand and stop her. Samnatha eyes become wide as she sees her brother, an only person who care of her.

"Sammy. You, okay?" Jace asked her.

"Huh... Jace...you are back?" Samnatha looks up at Jace face and it literally break his heart to see her like this. Her eyes were red and puffy, so Jace guess she must be crying for a while now.

Jace wonder who hurt her?

Jace hug his sister immediately and ask, "What happen Sammy? Why are you crying? Did someone bully you again? Is Jazz and mom did something again?"

He shook his head.

"Jazz...she..." Samnatha couldn't say anything and starts crying.

After calming her down, Samnatha finally told him what happened. Jace won't lie if he says that he was feeling like killing his sister and his brother-in-law whom he still didn't meet with his bare hands. How can they do this Samnatha? That guy needs a real long yelling from me.

SuddenlyJace's phone starts ringing.

"It's Jazz." he said and pick up the call.

"Hello." Jace took deep breath and said, "I am with Samantha, and I am going to spend my day with her. It's better if you don' come Infront of me Jazz, or I will make you even more ugly."

"No Jazz, we cannot talk about this now, but I will talk to you tomorrow. So, it's better if you don't call me now."

"No, you are not my sister, neither that evil botch is my mother, have to go now, so fuck off." Jace ended the call in anger.

Jace was real pissed, Samnatha can see that, he knows how the whole family treat he and maybe this is his last straw.

"Sammy, do you want to go to home and talk about everything?" asked Jace.

"I don't want to see them at the moment. And it's not like they understand me." Samnatha said nearly in whisper with tears still falling from her eyes.

"Alright, you can stay at mine place. Emily, can you drop us?"

"Yeah sure. But don't tell her that I am running, or she will get so mad. I actually saw news about my and alexander divorce, so. "

"Yea sure Sammy, but why Emily ger mad?" Jace ask her as he look towards his sister.

"I am pregnant."

"WHAT?"

Samantha was crying mess by the time Emily drop her at Jace's-to-Jace's old friend place. Jace can see how heartbroken she was, Emily and me somehow managed to calm her down and Jace promise to himself that he will knock some sense into his family stupid brain.