CHAPTER 29: SHE'S THE ONLY ONE I CARED ABOUT
CHAPTER 29: SHE'S THE ONLY ONE I CARED ABOUT
The moment I stepped out through the door, Jake followed right behind me. I had expected Gavin, but he stayed where he was, watching silently.
Jake’s footsteps trailed after mine. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I needed to move. So I walked. Down the street, past the houses, along the roadside. My feet carried me forward without a destination.
Still, I could feel his presence behind me.
“Leave! Do not go near me! I hate you. All of you!” My voice broke, and the tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.
I had tried so hard to be the daughter they wanted, to be perfect for them. But the things they said… they shattered me.
“No. I won’t,” Jake said firmly.
“I don’t need you. I don’t need any of you!” I shouted. There was so much I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to throw at him, but my voice betrayed me. All I could do was try to shut him out.
"Walk wherever you want but you can't force me to leave," he said. "I know how mad you were. I know that," he said.
The rain began to fall and the cold drops sliding down my skin, but I didn’t care. The air turned colder, wrapping around me.
He would never understand. He didn't understand.
A laugh slipped from my lips, hollow and bitter like crazy. “Just leave,” I said, and kept walking.
Eventually, his footsteps disappeared. I didn’t need to turn around to know he was gone. Just like before, it only took a few words for him to walk away.
He had done it before, leaving me alone at home and choosing another girl while I was in danger.
No one had asked if I was okay. They always expected me to be strong and the unshakable one. They forgot I was human, that I needed more than empty expectations. I needed warmth, not lust. I needed someone who would see me, not blame me.
I kept walking until a car pulled up beside me. Jake lowered the window, his eyes locking with mine. It was the kind of gaze I had been avoiding, yet here I was, caught in it again.
JAKE’S POV
The rain started pouring harder, so I decided to go back and take my car. She can’t get sick.
I thought twice about it, but in the end, I still went back. It would be worse if I let both of us get stuck under the rain.
On my way, I kept calling my driver and anyone from the staff to bring me the car, but no one was answering.
“Fuck!” I cursed, my patience snapping. My legs moved faster, lungs burning as I ran toward the parking. I was already tired from earlier, but I didn’t care. If I suddenly collapsed, then so be it—but not now. Not when she’s out there.
When I finally reached my car, I froze for a second. A bunch of men in black suits were standing around it, bowing their heads like cowards.
My hands curled into fists. I grabbed a cloth, wrapped it around my knuckles, and without hesitation punched them one by one.
“I didn’t pay all of you to fucking ignore my calls just because my mother was there!” I snapped, my voice sharp and heavy. “And especially not to fucking show me your faces right now. Listen to me. If I don’t catch up to her, I’ll make sure to bury every one of you alive. Pray for your lives.”
Their silence was enough. I pushed them aside, slid into the driver’s seat, and started the engine with a harsh twist of the key. The car roared alive. They stepped back on their own, clearing my way.
I didn’t care if I killed any of them tonight.
As long as it wasn’t Reina.
My eyes stayed on the road as I drove fast, rain hitting the windshield harder and harder. I prayed I wasn’t too late. I prayed I could still catch her.
Then I saw her.
She was walking slowly on the side of the road, dragging her steps like a turtle under the storm. Her clothes were soaked, her hair sticking to her face, but she just kept moving forward.
My Reina.
REINA'S POV
“Hop in,” he said.
I ignored him at first, so he stepped out of the car.
“Let’s go,” he said again, this time in a softer tone.
I glared at him, my chest heavy with anger, but I didn’t say a word.
“Okay… so I guess I’ll just do it my way,” he muttered.
Without warning, he loosened his necktie and rolled up his sleeves. My brows furrowed as confusion spread across my face.
“Ready?” he asked.
I only looked at him, not answering.
The next thing I knew, he carried me in bridal style. My eyes widened, shocked at how easily he lifted me. He struggled a little while opening the car door but refused to put me down.
When he finally managed, he placed me inside and shut the door firmly. The moment I reached for the handle, he pressed the lock button on his car key, trapping me inside. Then he slid into the driver’s seat, rain dripping from his hair, his chest rising and falling heavily.
He didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, he leaned back, reached behind him, and pulled something out.
A jacket.
“Wear this,” he said.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking whether to take it or not. But in the end, I reached out and grabbed it, slipping it over my wet shoulders.
He took a deep breath while his hand was gripping the steering wheel, before speaking.
“S-sorry. I didn’t know you almost got hurt,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he cried into my shoulder.
My tears returned, burning my eyes. “You didn’t even ask me first. You don’t know how scared I was,” I said softly, my voice trembling like a child’s.
“I know. I was wrong. I’m sorry, Reina. I’m so sorry,” he cried harder.
“I… I missed you, my love,” he whispered.
Something in me softened. The way he called me “love,” the way his voice cracked, the way his arms trembled… it almost made me forget everything. But then I remembered. He had a fiancée.
Reality snapped back into place. I pushed him away.
“No. This is wrong, Jake. You have a fiancée. Please.” My voice cracked, each word slicing through my chest. He was the first man I had ever loved, yet I was the one saying the word “fiancée.”
“Reina… that fiancée they were talking about… it was you,” Jake said quietly.
I froze. “Jake, what do you mean?” My voice wavered with confusion.
“Your parents arranged it. They told me to get close to you, to learn about you before the engagement. Believe me…” His voice trailed off as he tried to explain.
My mind spun. “Is that why they act the way they do?”
He nodded. “Gavin… is James. He’s not my best friend, Reina. He’s my younger brother. He’s the one who threatened us.”
“Gavin?” I could barely get his name out.
“I know you’re close, but that’s why I wanted to take you away from him,” Jake said. His voice was still shaking, but he tried to make it clear.
It felt impossible. When someone had put that photo on the door, James had been in the kitchen. At least… that’s what I thought. But maybe? He had been too calm through it all.
“Do you still have the camera recordings from outside the house?” I asked.
“No. I thought things would be fine. I never imagined he would go as far as becoming a professor just to be near you. If only I hadn’t left you alone…”
“It’s hard to believe Gavin could do that,” I whispered.
“But he did. And I regret everything, especially not believing you,” Jake said.
“Do you have any backup of the footage?” I asked again.
“I’ll try to find it. But for now, let’s go home. The rain is getting worse.”
When we got home, I didn’t want to go to my room. My body refused to rest. I headed straight to the study.
“I’ll just go to the bathroom,” he said.
I wandered through the dimly lit room, my fingers brushing against the bookshelves. Then, without warning, someone turns off the lights and heard Jake screaming and shattering something in the kitchen.