Chapter 120 A COMFORT IN HER ARMS
Chapter 120 A COMFORT IN HER ARMS
Troy’s POV
“Nancy? What's going on?” I asked the second I saw her standing alongside Mr. Randy.
Looking between her and Jaxon—who looked utterly wrecked—I couldn't even tell who was more distressed. It took no effort to see that something had gone terribly wrong.
“Where's Jaxon? I need you to take me to him,” she urged, her voice tight with anxiety.
Before I could answer, Isadora stepped up beside me, her eyes narrowing as she looked back and forth between us.
“When are you actually going to tell me what's happening? Who are they, and why are they asking after Jaxon?” Isadora demanded, her gaze darting from Nancy to Mr. Randy and back to me.
“Isadora, not right now,” I muttered through gritted teeth, trying to keep my voice down before turning back to Nancy. Noticeably, Nancy’s eyes had settled on Isadora.
“Oh, this is Jaxon's younger sister, Isadora,” I offered, desperately trying to defuse the heavy, suffocating tension hanging over us.
Isadora immediately crossed her arms over her chest, stepping in front of me in an overly protective stance. I felt a sudden flush of embarrassment heat my face.
“Isadora, stop this madness—you're embarrassing me,” I hissed, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
“How come you introduced me to them, but you didn't introduce her to me?” she beamed defensively.
Before I could grab her arm and pull her toward the car, Nancy took a step forward.
“Hi, I'm Nancy,” she said, extending a hand. Isadora hesitated for a beat before taking it.
“I'm sorry, but this is all I can really say about myself right now. Can we please get going? We’ll have plenty of time for proper self-introductions later,” Nancy said gently but firmly.
She turned and climbed into the back seat, with Mr. Randy following right behind her, while Isadora took the front passenger seat next to me.
I pulled out of the airport lot and onto the main road. I reached for my phone to dial Jaxon’s number, but a text notification popped up on my screen before I could press call.
Get her back to the house.
I let out a long, shuddering breath of relief as I read the message. He hadn't gone after her. He hadn't lost control. He actually hadn't killed anyone. I felt immeasurably grateful.
Nancy’s POV
I would be lying if I said the young girl sitting in the front seat—constantly sneaking glances at Kelvin and me in the rearview mirror—didn't catch my interest.
She bore a striking resemblance to the Lancaster twins. Those icy blue eyes were such a dominant, unmistakable trait of the Lennox bloodline. But even beyond that, she and Kelvin shared a startling, undeniable resemblance.
My eyes shifted over to Kelvin, only to catch him staring at her with that same quiet curiosity. When he realized I was watching him, our eyes met briefly before he looked away, staring fixedly at the road.
I couldn't help but wonder how devastating it was going to be for her when the truth finally unraveled—when she learned the true nature of the woman who raised her, that the brother she had known her entire life might only be her stepbrother, and that Kelvin could very well be her biological brother if Mr. Lennox truly was his father.
A heavy, aching sigh escaped my lips. I leaned back against the headrest, completely overwhelmed by the crushing wave of conflicting emotions crashing over me all at once.
After what felt like an eternity, Troy finally pulled up to the gates of an estate that practically screamed luxury.
When we drove through the gates and parked in front of a stunning mansion, my eyes immediately caught a figure standing near the entrance, waiting for us.
Jaxon.
The moment the car ground to a halt, I threw the door open and rushed toward him—but as I closed the distance, horror seized my chest. Something was terribly, horribly wrong.
He looked... broken.
My eyes widened as I took in his state: his hair was wild and disheveled, the white bandage that used to wrap around his healing injury was gone, and his right fist was raw, bruised, and dripping fresh blood.
I stopped in front of him, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stared at him in sheer confusion and panic. His eyes locked onto mine. He looked like a man who had endured a thousand mental breakdowns in the span of a few agonizing hours.
“Jaxon?” I whispered, his name escaping my lips in pure shock.
I darted a panicked glance over my shoulder toward Troy, who was standing beside Kelvin and Isadora, but Troy immediately averted his gaze, looking down at the pavement.
A sharp sting of tears pricked the corners of my eyes as my gaze fell back onto Jaxon’s bleeding hand. Anger and heartache tangled in my chest.
Wiping away a stray tear, I reached out and gently took his trembling, bloody hand in mine. Pulling a clean handkerchief from my backpack, I carefully wrapped it around his knuckles, tying it off before forcing myself to look back up into his face.
For the first time, my mother’s words echoed clearly in my head—when she had remarked that Jaxon looked like someone who desperately needed a hug.
The look in his eyes was that of a man utterly consumed by exhaustion. Someone who simply could no longer bear the brutal, relentless weight of everything life was hurling at him.
Hesitantly, I raised my hands and gently cupped his cheeks, feeling the tremor in his jaw. He was fighting back tears—glistening, unshed tears that shimmered painfully in his eyes.
I pressed my palms against his skin, softly caressing his cheeks with my thumbs.
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere else?” I asked, my voice cracking as I fought to hold back my own tears.
Instead of answering, Jaxon raised his hands and wrapped his fingers tightly around mine, holding them against his face as he leaned heavily into my touch.
“Nancy, I...” he began, his voice raspy and choked with unbearable emotional weight. “I just want it all to end. I... I just want to have one peaceful night.”
As he spoke, the tears he had been holding back finally broke free, trailing silently down his face.
Without another second of hesitation, I threw my arms around his waist, pulling him tightly against my chest. I pressed my face into his shoulder, holding him as firmly as I could while softly rubbing his back to comfort him.
I didn't have the right words to fix the shattered pieces of his world—so I just held him tightly, refusing to let go.