Don't hate me

Don't hate me
Emily's POV

Everything felt like a blur, too overwhelming to grasp fully. The whirlwind of events was spinning faster than I could comprehend... Anna’s death, the chaos surrounding Aurora, and now the truth about Marco being her father. Each revelation seemed to unravel the fragile little bit of stability I had clung to.
My mind was a storm, thoughts swirling in every direction, impossible to pin down. And yet, through all the noise, one thought repeated itself: If I’m struggling to hold it together, what must Jason be feeling right now?
I looked down at Aurora, my heart breaking. Tears slipped silently down my cheeks as I gently held her small hands.“You’ll be okay,” I whispered, as much to myself as to her.“Your father will make sure you are.”
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, my gaze fixed on her. Time seemed suspended, each moment stretching into the next like an endless loop. My mind raced, thoughts fragmented, but all I could do was stay here, with her, even as everything else around me felt like it was slipping away.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Lucas staggered into the room, his face bloodied and swollen. The sight of him stopped my heart for a moment, shock flooding through me. Without thinking, I rushed to him.
“Lucas, what happened to you? Who did this?” My voice trembled, panic creeping in.
He didn’t answer. His eyes glazed over, unfocused, drifting between Aurora and me, before returning to me, as though seeing me from a place far away.
“Lucas, please... say something,” I urged, my voice a mixture of fear and desperation. “Are we safe?”
He barely acknowledged me. His breath was shallow, his eyes dull.“You need to go back to the house,” he muttered hoarsely.
A wave of confusion hit me, cold and relentless. “Go back to the house?” I echoed, my heart pounding in my chest. “Why? What’s happening, Lucas? What’s going on?”
“Orders from Jason,” he said, his voice tight. “We need to go.”
Before I could protest, he grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the door, his grip unyielding, dragging me into the hallway. I struggled to keep up, my thoughts racing, a haze of confusion enveloping me.

Lucas finally brought me in front of Jason, and the moment I saw his face, something inside me faltered. Both of them... Lucas and Jason were a wall of stone, unreadable, impenetrable. The silence between us was suffocating, heavy with unspoken words.
“Jason... is it true? Lucas said you want me to leave?” I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper, laced with disbelief.
Without a word, Jason moved closer, his presence overwhelming. He reached for me, his hands finding their way to my body, pulling me into him. He claimed my lips, kissing me deeply, urgently, and far too final. It felt like a goodbye, like this was the last kiss we were ever going to share. His kiss stole my breath, leaving me lost in the uncertainty of everything unfolding.
When we finally pulled apart, Jason’s eyes locked onto mine, burning with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. He rested his forehead gently against mine, his touch grounding me even as everything around me threatened to collapse.
“I love you,” he whispered, his voice raw, strained. “With every fibre of my being. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I love you too,” I whispered back, my voice quivering. “But... what’s going on?” My heart clenched, desperation slipping into my words.
Jason’s gaze faltered for a moment, pain flickering in his eyes, and I felt every bit of the emotions, too heavy to understand.
“Don’t hate me,” he whispered, almost pleading.
Before I could respond, he gave a subtle signal to Lucas. My heart sank as Lucas gripped my arm and pulled me away.

The men flanked me, escorting me toward the car, their steps calculated and cold. I felt like I was being led into the unknown, each step heavier than the last.
“This is you,” Lucas said quietly, his voice strained, his words a command.
I froze, unwilling to move, the weight of the moment pressing down on me.“Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”My voice cracked with the fear and frustration that had been building up inside me.
Lucas’s gaze softened, but only for a moment.
He looked away, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. “Fuck,” he muttered, a curse escaping his lips as he turned walking toward another car. He returned moments later, a small vial of liquid in his hand, his face unreadable, but his eyes were set... hardened.
“Lucas, talk to me!” I pleaded, my voice trembling. “I’m supposed to be with Jason, with Aurora. Why is he sending me away? I know Jason, something has to be happening for him to do this.''
He paused, his silence a weight all its own. The air seemed to thicken, each second stretching into eternity. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but steady.“Do you trust me?”
I hesitated. My heart raced in my chest, but after a long moment, I nodded. I trusted him because Jason trusted him.
“Jason… sometimes he gets into these self-destructive moods,” Lucas said, rubbing the liquid into my hair. His movements were slow, deliberate, almost ritualistic. “This is one of those times.”
“Lucas?” I called out, shifting uneasily as the cool liquid seeped into my scalp.
“You said you trust me, right?” Lucas’s voice was sharper now, his gaze narrowing.
“I do,” I replied quickly, trying to steady my breathing. “I just want to understand.”
He stopped, his hands falling to his sides. His eyes softened for the briefest moment.“All you need to know is that Jason loves you,” he said firmly.“He might do stupid things sometimes... reckless things, but that doesn’t change the fact that you mean everything to him. So, as he had said... don’t hate him, he is just doing what he has .”
Before I could respond, Lucas signalled to the men. Two of them stepped forward, their movements swift and practised, guiding me into the car.