Chapter 61 — Brand New Life

1 new message

From: Jessiah (new)

"Sorry. I think you got the wrong number. Please stop texting and calling this number."

Received 21:27

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Wrong number? Sorry, wrong number?

Seriously? That's the best she could do?

Pure annoyance boomeranged in his aching head as he stared at the thin white letters on the screen, glaring at the steaming pile of bullshit he just read.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me..." Jenson muttered under his breath. He shook his head weakly, restraining himself from hurling the useless phone onto the ground till it split into pieces.

For hours on end, he waited and waited. Not even a single text from her.

Until now. And a stupid lie was all she had to say? After all this time?

Then her shoulders started trembling. It was almost subtle, but it didn't stop and he was all eyes on her. Seconds later, she tossed her cap onto the passenger seat. Now her pale hands clutched the top of the steering wheel. While her shoulders shook uncontrollably, she hit her forehead against the wheel several times.

Her muffled sobs forced him to back away from her car. Something in his chest ached. He swore under his breath, baffled and dithering, quietly watching her crying as he stood behind the bumper. The keen urge to confront her taunted his temper, but seeing and hearing her sobbing alone in her car in the dark stopped him from making another move.

Why was she so emotional? Something just triggered an outburst all of a sudden. Fear? Crippling anxiety?

His tentative steps led him back to his vehicle while his logic struggled to come up with reasons. Why would she be afraid of seeing him again?

Before he could figure out what to do next, she stepped on the gas and just drove out of the parking lot. Her emotions just overwhelmed her that she didn't even notice the stranger standing right behind her car.

A "full-blown stalker" seemed more appropriate, but he had valid reasons. Lots of reasons. Some might convince her, and some might not make a lick of sense to her, but he didn't really care. Jenson rushed back into the driver's seat.

Utter confusion only incensed the anticipation that constricted and built up in his chest. It gripped his thoughts in an unhealthy way, but he couldn't stop now. He had finally found her. It was time to get some answers.

As surreptitiously as he could, he followed her car as she drove into the suburbs and parked in front of a big two-story house. Pale gray and white paint. Metal fences. Wide lot. A neat grass-covered lawn.

He stayed on the other side of the street and parked beside a thick tree, trying to be as anonymous as possible.

Did she notice him and his SUV following her for the past ten minutes?

He hoped not. He just wanted to talk. Get some answers. A long-overdue explanation he deserved.

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For a while, he sat still in the driver's seat and watched her from far.

Jessi stepped out of her car, then proceeded to the tall gates with the grocery bag. She then took off her mask and clothes and immediately put them in a large trash bag. Then she washed her hands, arms, legs, and her entire face with soap in the sink.

A washing area right beside the iron gates... Hmm. Reasonable and efficient.

Black workout shorts. A pink shirt. She no longer wore her thick hoodie and pants. He could see almost all of her now. Her makeup-free face and chin-length blonde hair, especially.

A 28-year-old mom of two. She didn't look like she just gave birth to two kids. Far from it. Her arms and shapely legs even gained some muscles.

He smiled to himself. She looked good. Healthier. The thought gave him relief, gradually replacing the guilt that had been gnawing at his conscience for more than two years now.

His impatience wanted to corner her now and drag her to his car so they could go somewhere more private and have "the talk." But she might overreact and panic. Cry hysterically and just run off. He didn't want to scare her or anything.

Indecision and reluctance plagued him for another minute or so while he watched her. Then the front door opened. The gaps between the iron bars on the gates helped him see enough, but he was too far from the house to see minute details. Judging from the height of the concrete fence, the large iron gates, and the barred windows, he could tell the family valued privacy more than a lot of things.

Then a child screamed, followed by some giggles. His eyes darted back to the front door. His heart wrenched when two kids wearing mini face masks toddled out of the house, waving at Jessi so enthusiastically. One of them just shouted "Mama" before taking a few steps closer to her.

A dark-haired little boy and a long-haired little girl. Both toddlers. Not even two years old, according to those shocking birth certificates.

An older couple also stood on the front porch, waiting right beside the children, chatting with smiles on their faces—Jessi's parents, no doubt.

Hiding in his vehicle and parked in the dark, Jenson stared at the whole scene while he gripped his phone. He slapped his forehead, then tried sending another text to Jessiah's new number. To his surprise, she didn't block him again. Not yet. He glanced around the front porch and the house.

No one else came out the front door except the kids and Jessi's parents. Where was the new guy? The kids' dad? Who the fuck got her pregnant with two kids and just left them with her?

Unpleasant thoughts worsened the bad feeling wringing his gut, but he couldn't do much at the moment. He couldn't just show up in front of the house. It would startle her and the kids.

Her parents might call the cops on him the next second. He just wasn't sure if they knew him. Maybe Jessi mentioned him a few times in the past. But to them and the kids, he was essentially a stranger.

The hesitation kept him in his seat while he dialed a friend's number.

Well, she was basically his long-lost aunt who was years younger than him, but he liked to believe they'd formed a semi-friendly relationship in the last two years. "Jenson? This really you?"

Finally, she picked up. "Hi, Kel." He breathed a quick sigh of relief. He had been trying to get in touch with her for the past couple of days. Perhaps her work schedule had been extra hectic lately.

Or she was avoiding him, too. "Where are you?"

"I'm, uh..." He glanced at the family again.

Jessi stood on the porch with her mom leaning against the doorjamb, holding the little boy's hand. Jessi was carrying the little girl now while wearing a new face mask. She surely didn't like to take any chances.

"Are you actually in Raleigh right now?" Kel asked when he clammed up. Her voice on the other line sounded pinched and a tad scratchy.

Poor reception again. "Yeah."

"What? Why?"

"Why?" Jenson held back a sigh and switched the call to speaker mode, then tossed his phone onto the dashboard. "You know why," he murmured, frowning to himself.

"Where exactly? Who told you to go to Raleigh?"

"Doesn't matter," he muttered while his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His heart was also beating faster for some reason. But it wasn't plain nervousness or anxiety. "Who's the father?"

"W-What d'you mean?"

"Cut the crap, Kel. I know about her kids. Who's the dad?"

"Wait. Where in Raleigh? Are you..."

"Who got her pregnant?"

"Jenson, I..."

"I just need to know. Please." He closed his eyes and pinched his nasal bridge, his thoughts racing a hundred miles per hour now. "Just tell me. I won't do anything stupid. I just... I just wanna know." He sighed, mentally praying she would just tell him the truth. "Who's the guy?"