Chapter 12 - Guilt Or Pity

Jake watched as Jade hopped into a cab. He had almost smacked himself for impulsively following her, but he suddenly notice the cab stopped and Jade stepped out.

Something in his heart gripped him tightly when he saw her pounding on her chest hardly like she was suffocating.

Earlier when she had bumped into him, he had noticed her red starked eyes and quavering lips.

He felt a pang in his heart and the desire to hug and console. He didn't know why she was hurting so badly and he could feel his heart hurt too.

He watched all her reactions from where he stood at the entrance of the hospital.

Jake was tempted to go pull her to shelter when it started raining and to his surprise she suddenly took to her heels. He frowned when she started running like her life depended on it. Why is she running under the rain? Whatever was bothering her couldn't be that serious that she'd neglect her health right?

Jake didn't like this at all. Why was he so bothered about this woman, when he had spent several nights with other women. He didn't know why he kept feeling this way towards her, and these feelings were pissing him off but he couldn't help it.

He contemplated going back to his grandfather when he suddenly found himself walking towards the car.

"Get down" He said to his driver before hopping into the driver's seat as he drove in Jade's direction and slowly followed her behind. His frown deepened when she finally crouched down by a lonely and isolated path before screaming her lungs out as tears glided down her face.

Jake stared sadly at Jade as she cried her heart out. Several thoughts ran through his mind as he stared at her from his car.

'Did she lose a loved one? Had she slept with him because she needed money to save a family member? He felt guilty at the thought of that.

He remembered she had received a call last night before requesting for the money. Could she had given up her innocence to him because she had no other way out? If that was the case, then he'd hate himself for being insensitive.

Jake had always been sensitive and reciprocative towards people and their feelings, but had he behaved differently last night. He hissed frustratedly at all his thoughts. He looked at the back seat and found an umbrella, which he picked up before stepping out of his car. He couldn't sit and watch her cry helplessly under the rain.

*********

Jade couldn't control her emotions as she continued to cry. Cale had broken her heart so bad that it felt she had died a thousand times over.

What hurt her the most was not the years she had slaved away in trying to be a befitting girlfriend to him, but the fact that he had made her do favours for his 'supposed cousin' who he had been planning to get married to.

Maybe it would have hurt less if he had just broken up with her.... or maybe not.

The memories of what happened at the hospital kept haunting her. She remembered her mother's words to her this morning 'I hope he's worth it'. Tears streamed down her cheeks when she thought about how she had sold herself to a stranger just to save that ungrateful bastard. The pain was too hard to bear.

Jade continued to sob when suddenly she observed she could no longer feel the drops of rain on her head anymore. She slowly raised her head up and saw an umbrella over her head. She lowered her head and turned to see who it was.

She was taken aback when she saw Jake. Her heart missed a beat at the sight of him. She had not expected him to be here. As a matter of factly he was the last person she had expected or wanted to see.

Wasn't this a reminder of her shameful act, her betrayal? Why was the heaven punishing her in such a way? Beads of tears fell down as she looked up at Jake silently. She wish she could just disappear.

Jake's heart clenched tightly as her tears slipped down. He noticed her chapped lips and the goosebumps on her arm, which was due to the weather. 'Why is she wearing so little?' Jake frowned slightly before drapping his suit jacket over her.

Jade looked at his jacket over her shoulders and she felt like taking it off her and giving it back to him, but the looks from Jake's eyes kept her still.

Jake kept looking at her, she looked too broken and crushed. Her gaze was empty, more like lifeless. He wanted to comfort her and tell her everything would be fine but he also knew he couldn't. He really wanted to say something to her but he was short of words. He pondered why he was always acting out of character when she was around him. He hated this so much. He hated emotions that were not within his control. He didn't know if what he felt was guilt or pity. But he shouldn't be feeling guilty right?

He sighed in relief when he saw a taxi approaching and he flagged it down before looking at Jade who was staring intensely at him. He returned her gaze when he thought she had something to say, but she kept looking at him with an unreadable expression. Jade wondered why this man...this stranger was the one showing her a bit of kindness, when the man she had loved had shattered her heart with finesse.

He sighed inwardly before pulling her into the taxi, "Take her to wherever she's going" He said to the taxi driver before paying him off.

Jake looked at Jade who sat quietly in a daze in the taxi before signaling the driver to drive off.

He kept staring at the taxi till it disappeared out of sight, and he felt his emotion flicker. He hated this effect she had on him. But what he hated most was her dead eyes which spoke nothing but hurt.

He hopes she gets past whatever her problem has.